Newsstand

Bucks’ Jericho Sims Undergoes Thumb Surgery, Out Four Weeks

March 17th, 2025 at 6:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks reserve center Jericho Sims underwent surgery on Monday morning to repair a torn ligament on his right thumb, according to a team press release (Twitter link). He is expected to be sidelined for approximately four weeks with a likely return for the playoffs, the statement adds.

Sims suffered the thumb injury on Saturday against the Pacers, but had initially planned to play through it. He finished the game against Indiana and suited up on Sunday against Oklahoma City, playing 12 scoreless minutes with four rebounds.

However, head coach Doc Rivers had indicated before Sunday’s game that the injury wasn’t a minor one and that surgery was one of the treatment options under consideration.

Sims, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, has played 14 games off the bench since the Bucks acquired him in a deadline deal. He’s averaging 2.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game with his new team, having earned a rotation role in large part due to Bobby Portis‘ 25-game suspension.

Milwaukee acquired Sims in the four-team deal that sent Khris Middleton to Washington. The former second-round pick out of Texas spent the first three and a half years of his career with the Knicks.

Tyler Smith and Pete Nance could see more playing time the rest of the regular season, as the Bucks are thin at the five spot until Portis’ suspension ends.

Sixers Rule Out Paul George For Rest Of Season

March 17th, 2025 at 5:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have declared that Paul George will miss the remainder of the season due to adductor and knee injuries, officially announcing the decision on Monday (via Twitter).

“George has received injections in both his left adductor muscle and left knee,” the team said in its statement. “Following the procedure, George is medically unable to play and will be out for at least six weeks.”

It’s a fitting conclusion to a lost season for both George, last summer’s top free agent, and the Sixers. The 34-year-old was limited to 41 starts this season due to his injuries. When he did play, it wasn’t up to his usual standards. He averaged 16.2 points per game in 2024/25 after having averaged at least 21.5 PPG in each season since 2015/16. He also put up 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.5 minutes per night.

George’s last appearance came on March 4, when he scored just seven points in 30 minutes against Minnesota.

George was Philadelphia’s top target as it hoarded salary-cap space prior to last offseason. He signed a four-year max contract worth approximately $211.6MM in July. He’s due to make $51,666,090 next season and $54,126,380 in 2026/27. He holds a $56,586,670 option for the final year of his contract when he’ll be 37.

The Sixers can only hope that George stays on the court for longer stretches in the next few seasons and the contract doesn’t become an albatross. He was supposed to be the final piece of a championship puzzle, giving the team a high-level wing to join dominant center Joel Embiid and star guard Tyrese Maxey.

Embiid’s lingering knee issues limited him to 19 games before he was ruled out for the rest of the season late last month.

Anthony Edwards, Coby White Named Players Of The Week

March 17th, 2025 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Bulls guard Coby White has won the award for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It’s the second time in Edwards’ career – and the first time this season – that he has earned Player of the Week honors. He led the Timberwolves to a 3-0 week from March 10-16, as the team defeated Denver, Orlando, and Utah by an average of 17.7 points per game.

During those three games, Edwards averaged 32.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .515/.382/.789. His best outing came against Utah on Sunday when he racked up 41 points on 16-of-27 shooting.

White, who is in his sixth NBA season, had never won a Player of the Week award to this point. He’s being recognized for leading the Bulls to a 2-1 week that included wins over Indiana and Brooklyn, as well as a three-point road loss in Houston.

White averaged 27.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 36.5 minutes per game for the week, making 46.2% of his shots from the floor and 94.1% from the free throw line (16-of-17).

Edwards beat out fellow nominees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Green, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Ja Morant in the West, while Jarrett Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero, Pascal Siakam, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns were the other nominees in the East, according to the league (Twitter link).

Anthony Davis To Begin Practicing With G League Team

March 17th, 2025 at 11:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks have assigned Anthony Davis and Jaden Hardy to their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends. The team wants Davis to get some five-on-five work as he prepares for a possible return to action, explains Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).

Davis will practice today and is “very eager” about the prospect of playing again sometime this season, league sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). However, the decision to bring back Davis hasn’t been made yet because of the risk of aggravating his injury, Stein adds.

Davis was the centerpiece of the controversial deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers shortly before the trade deadline. Davis got off to a promising start in Dallas, but he suffered a left adductor strain in the third quarter of his February 8 debut and hasn’t been able to play since then.

Head coach Jason Kidd said recently that Davis “continues to trend in the right direction,” and this is further evidence that his comeback may not be far away. The Mavericks badly need reinforcements as they had just eight active players for Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia, and their two-way players are nearing the end of their eligibility.

Davis was in the midst of another exceptional season in L.A. before the trade, averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 52.8% from the field. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the 10th time, although he wasn’t able to play because of a previous injury.

Hardy, a third-year shooting guard, has been sidelined since March 3 because of a right ankle sprain. He’ll provide another long-distance threat for the Mavericks whenever he’s able to return, as he’s averaging 8.0 PPG and shooting 38.4% from three-point range.

Having Davis and Hardy back would greatly improve Dallas’ chances of holding onto 10th place in the West and earning a spot in the postseason. The Mavs have lost three straight games and eight of their last nine and lead 11th-place Phoenix by just a game and a half.

P.J. Washington Calls For End To ‘Fire Nico’ Chants

March 17th, 2025 at 8:04am CST by Arthur Hill

P.J. Washington defended embattled general manager Nico Harrison during the Mavericks‘ Sunday afternoon game against Philadelphia, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “Fire Nico” chants have been a regular occurrence at American Airlines Center since Harrison made the controversial decision to trade franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Lakers last month.

When a fan yelled out that phrase as Washington stepped to the foul line in the third quarter, he sank the first free throw and shot back, “Shut yo ass up!” After the game, Washington explained why he believes why the fan base needs to move beyond its focus on the Doncic deal.

“At the end of the day, the trades happened,” he said. “We understand we have a new team now. All that ‘Fire Nico’ stuff, we’re sick and tired of hearing it. We just want to go out there and play and we need the fans to support us no matter who’s on the floor. That’s just how I feel about it.”

The Mavericks’ season has been a disaster ever since the trade was announced in early February, with a string of injuries leaving them barely able to field a roster. They were at the NBA’s eight-man minimum for Sunday’s loss to the Sixers, who also had a makeshift lineup consisting largely of players on two-way contracts and 10-day deals because of their own injury situation.

The loss was the third in a row for Dallas and the eighth in its last nine games. Despite the long downturn, the Mavs are still clinging to the final play-in spot in the West, holding a game-and-a-half lead over Phoenix and a three-and-a-half-game advantage over Portland and San Antonio.

Max Christie, who was acquired from L.A. in the Doncic trade, declined to directly address Washington’s comments, Curtis adds, but he talked to reporters about how the players are able to tune out their surroundings and concentrate on the game.

“We’re professionals and our job is to come out here and perform regardless of the circumstances that we’re in,” Christie said. “We get paid a lot of money just to play basketball. For us, we have little things like that that may be distracting and whatnot. It shouldn’t affect us. We’re professionals. We’re the best at what we do in this sport. Distractions are going to be there and we have to be able to move forward and move past them and not let it affect us.”

Things may get worse for the Mavericks, who are rapidly running out of personnel because of their recent reliance on two-way players with limited eligibility remaining. Kessler Edwards, who started at center on Sunday, can only be on the active roster for two more games, while starting point guard Brandon Williams is down to five.

The team suffered a major blow on Friday when Dante Exum broke a bone in his left hand that may keep him out for the rest of the season. There’s still hope that injured big men Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively will be able to return at some point, but there’s no set timetable for any of them.

Hard cap restrictions will prevent the team from filling an opening on its 15-man roster until April 10. That’s the day after Doncic will return to Dallas with the Lakers in what’s sure to be an emotional reunion.

The only good news on Sunday was the return of Washington, who missed more than two weeks with a sprained ankle. He posted 29 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes and said he feels “back to normal,” Curtis states in a separate story.

“I’m just happy to be back,” Washington said. “I woke up early this morning just excited to play. Definitely happy that I’m back healthy.”

Pistons’ Bickerstaff ‘Disgusted’ By Officiating In Loss To OKC

March 16th, 2025 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff ripped into the officiating crew on Saturday in his post-game media session following a six-point loss to the Thunder, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes. Bickerstaff told reporters that he was “extremely proud” about how his team competed, but was “disgusted” by the way the game was officiated.

“The level of disrespect was above and beyond,” the Pistons’ coach said (YouTube link). “They have a guy fall down and trip on his own teammate’s foot, they review us for a hostile act. They throw an elbow to our chest/neck area, I ask them to at least take a look at it. Just show us the respect to take a look at it. No one would take a look at it. The disrespect has gone on far enough and I’m not going to allow our guys to be treated the way they were treated tonight.”

During the sequence Bickerstaff was referring to, the referees reviewed a relatively mild Isaiah Stewart loose-ball foul to see if it constituted a “hostile act.” The infraction was eventually ruled a common foul, but the Pistons were hit with three technicals – two and an ejection for Cade Cunningham and one Dennis Schröder – following that replay review for arguing with the officiating crew.

Crew chief Brian Forte explained to a pool reporter after the game that Cunningham repeatedly used “profanity” toward an official, while Schröder was given a tech for “continuous complaining” after the Pistons had received a team warning.

Bickerstaff and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson were also hit with technical fouls earlier in the game.

“I tried to have a conversation with an official, the official is arguing with (Thunder head coach) Mark (Daigneault), I say his name one time and he screams at me and tells me that’s enough,” Bickerstaff said, per Sankofa. “We understand that we play a style of ball that’s physical, it’s on the edge. I coach my ass off in a passionate way, I’m into the game, our players are into the game. We understand that.

“But we deserve a level of respect because we’re competing our tails off and bringing something positive to this league. We’re growing young players, our young players are competing their tails off. The least that they can do is give us the same respect that everybody else in this league gets and get refereed the same that everybody in this league gets reffed,” Bickerstaff continued, repeatedly and forcefully slamming his hand on the table for emphasis. “And enough is enough of it. What you saw tonight was disgusting. It was a disgusting display of disrespect towards our guys and what we’re trying to do.”

The Thunder made 17-of-22 free throw attempts on the night, compared to 9-of-13 for the Pistons — that disparity made the difference in a game that Oklahoma City won by a score of 113-107.

Asked in his own post-game media session about Bickerstaff’s comments, Daigneault said he advised his team before tip-off that the officiating crew, based on the Thunder’s research and referee analytics, was unlikely to call a ton of fouls.

“That referee crew was the loosest whistle coming into the game that we’ve seen all season, in terms of how little they call,” he said (Twitter video link via Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman). “So we knew, we told the guys before the game, ‘This is going to be a physical game because it’s Detroit and they’re not going to call very much.’ That bore out, I thought, with the amount of physicality they allowed in the game. I thought our guys did a great job of not getting distracted by anything.”

While the NBA hasn’t made an announcement yet, Bickerstaff seems likely to face a fine for publicly calling out the officials.

Dolan: Knicks’ Core ‘Going To Be Together For A While’

March 16th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks‘ leaders at the management and ownership levels rarely speak to the media about the team, but owner James Dolan made an exception this week for a pair of podcast hosts within his organization, appearing on the Roommates Show, hosted by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart (YouTube link).

As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays, Dolan expressed a willingness to be patient with the current Knicks core, making it clear that he believes continuity will be an important factor in maximizing the upside of the roster.

“We have a team that’s going to be together for a while,” Dolan said. “(President of basketball operations) Leon (Rose) has done a good job of lining up the contracts and everything else. So this isn’t our only season. We’re going to play a bunch of seasons together.

“You take a look at teams like Boston that have played together, they get to draw off of something that they built over that period of time. And for this team, that’s the challenge, really – today, going into the playoffs, etc. – is to build that inside of the team. Something we can draw on.”

The Knicks made significant changes to their roster during the 2024 offseason, sending a package heavy on future first-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Mikal Bridges, then completing a blockbuster deal in the fall to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns in exchange for a package headlined by Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

Entering the summer of 2025, Towns, Brunson, Hart, and OG Anunoby are all locked up for multiple seasons, and there’s hope that Bridges will sign an extension that pushes his current contract beyond its 2026 expiration date. Sizable contracts for those players will likely leave the organization operating in apron territory for the next few years, reducing New York’s ability to continue making significant major in free agency or on the trade market.

After advancing to the second round of the playoffs in each of the past two years, it will be a challenge for the Knicks to get any further than that this spring, given that it would likely mean upsetting the defending champion Celtics. However, Dolan expressed optimism about the group’s future, lauding Rose for the way he has put the roster together and indicating that the front office has his full support, along with full autonomy to continue making personnel decisions.

As Bondy notes, Dolan also admitted that the patient, hands-off approach he’s taking now hasn’t always been the management style he’s employed in the past.

“There were times when (we’ve) sort of reached for that shiny, sparkly object. ‘Maybe this is what we need.’ Especially when things weren’t going well,” he said. “‘Let’s bring in this guy and maybe he’ll turn it all around for us.’ Sometimes it’s players, sometimes it’s a coach.

“What I learned over time is that doesn’t work. It really doesn’t. You really have to do the fundamentals, the basics. You’ve got to build a team, you’ve got to build an organization. There is no waving a wand over a team and all of a sudden make it a great team. It doesn’t happen.”

LeBron James Expected To Miss At Least Another Week

March 16th, 2025 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers star LeBron James is expected to remain sidelined for at least one more week as he continues to recover from a left groin strain, ESPN’s Shams Charania said today during an appearance on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).

Charania first reported last Sunday that James’ groin ailment was expected to keep him on the shelf for a minimum of one-to-two weeks, so his latest report is consistent with that timeline.

According to Charania, James conducted an on-court workout on Sunday for the first time since sustaining the injury on March 8. However, the Lakers will be cautious with his return, Charania notes, given that it’s a soft-tissue injury and the 40-year-old has played significant minutes this season after participating in the Olympics last summer.

For what it’s worth, head coach J.J. Redick told reporters on Sunday that James is “ramping up” and is considered “day-to-day” (Twitter link via Mark Medina).

Los Angeles has struggled without James available in the past week. In addition to dropping the game in Boston in which he was hurt, the team has since lost road contests in Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Denver as well. The Lakers are back in L.A. and will host Phoenix today to tip off a five-game home stand, which runs through next Saturday.

Although it sounds as if James will likely remain inactive for that entire home stand, there are some positive injury updates out of Los Angeles. Starting center Jaxson Hayes will be available vs. the Suns after missing four games due to a knee contusion, per the team. Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and Gabe Vincent (knee) are also available after being inactive on Friday in Denver.

Additionally, there’s optimism that Rui Hachimura, out since February 27 due to a knee issue of his own (patellar tendinopathy), will return within the week, according to Charania.

The 40-25 Lakers are in the midst of a battle to secure a playoff berth. They currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, 1.5 games back of the Rockets, Nuggets, and Grizzlies (all tied at 43-25) and two games ahead of the 39-28 Warriors.

Raptors Sign Colin Castleton To Second 10-Day Deal

March 16th, 2025 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Maher

12:16 pm: Castleton has officially signed his second 10-day contract with the Raptors, the team confirmed in a press release.

11:03 am: The Raptors are bringing back Colin Castleton on a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day deal expired overnight, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A 6’11” big man, Castleton has made five appearances thus far for Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 block in 27.8 minutes per contest.

Castleton spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for most of the first half of 2024/25. He was waived by Memphis in January.

Although Castleton didn’t have much of an NBA role for the Lakers or Grizzlies, he has been a productive player at the G League level since he went undrafted out of Florida in 2023. In addition to his time with L.A. and Memphis, the 24-year-old has also played for the Magic’s NBAGL affiliate in Osceola.

Toronto has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Castleton. His 10-day contract will pay him $107,027 and will carry an identical cap hit on the Raptors’ books.

Assuming the signing is completed prior to Sunday’s game at Portland, Castleton will be eligible to play five more games for the Raptors during his second 10-day contract, which will expire overnight on March 25. At that point, the Raptors will have to decide if they want to retain him for the rest of the season.

Sixers Sign Chuma Okeke To Second 10-Day Contract

March 16th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

March 16: Okeke’s second 10-day contract with Philadelphia is now official, per the team.

March 15: Chuma Okeke, who played one game for the Sixers on a 10-day contract last month, will return to the team on another 10-day deal, sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stein adds that Okeke will be available for Sunday afternoon’s game at Dallas.

The 26-year-old combo forward inked his first 10-day contract on February 7, but was waived after just six days when the team promoted two-way player Jared Butler to the 15-man roster. Okeke saw two minutes of action in his only appearance, finishing with no points and one rebound.

Apart from his brief NBA appearance, Okeke has spent the season with the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester, averaging 18.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 25 regular season games.

Okeke was mentioned as a potential addition for New York when the team became financially eligible to add a 15th player in late February. New York opted to sign P.J. Tucker to a 10-day deal instead.

The Sixers have a full roster, but they are able to make additions through 10-day deals under the hardship exception because they have several players who have missed at least three consecutive games and are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.

Free agent forward Oshae Brissett signed a 10-day hardship contract with the team on Friday. Assuming the Sixers don’t plan to release Brissett in order to sign Okeke, they’ll need to have at least five players who meet the hardship criteria in order to make a second 10-day signing. Joel Embiid, Eric Gordon, Jared McCain, Paul George, and Kyle Lowry may all fit the bill.

If Okeke’s deal becomes official on Sunday, he will be eligible to appear in six games before it expires on March 25. Players are limited to two 10-day contracts per team in a season, so the Sixers would have to give him a standard deal to keep him any longer.

Load More Posts