Grizzlies Notes: Game 1 Loss, Morant, Bagley
After falling behind by as many as 56 points, the Grizzlies lost by 51 to the Thunder on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series. However, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN and Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal write, Memphis’ players didn’t seem demoralized by the loss in the locker room after the game.
Star point guard Ja Morant vowed, “We will never play that bad again,” while wing Desmond Bane spoke about the need to “turn the page fast” ahead of Tuesday’s Game 2.
“At the end of the day, it’s one game,” Bane said on Sunday. “If we lose by 50 or lose on a buzzer-beater, the series is still 1-0. Not the result we wanted for sure, but still got a good opportunity to get one on the road in two days.”
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., the team’s most valuable player during the regular season, had his worst game of the season in Game 1, with four points, three rebounds, and three turnovers. He’s not expecting a repeat of that showing.
“In every area, I can get better,” Jackson said, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. “There’s so much room for improvement after a loss like that. It’s definitely just one game. That’s how a series works. We can’t really overthink things in any way. … I’m going to figure out a way to play better and get myself involved in the series. Then, we’ll be good.”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- After the Grizzlies defeated Dallas in Friday’s play-in game, Morant referred to his right ankle sprain as a “difficult” injury and hinted that he wouldn’t have been on the court if it were a regular season contest. “Obviously, regular season games, it’s not win or go home,” Morant said (story via ESPN). “So this one was way more difficult — the whole process, like, learning what I would have to do to be able to get out there. I was kind of questioning it, but with our staff, the doctors, they gave me all the info I needed and [in the] simplest terms so I will understand.” Following Sunday’s Game 1 vs. Oklahoma City, Morant declined to say whether he was still receiving pain-killing injections for the ankle and dismissed the idea that the injury affected his performance. “It felt good,” he said, per MacMahon.
- A trade-deadline acquisition, big man Marvin Bagley III averaged just 8.3 minutes per game in 12 appearances for the Grizzlies in the regular season. On Sunday, the former No. 2 overall pick racked up 17 points on 8-of-8 shooting in 16 minutes across the first three quarters. Bagley’s strong play was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable game and could earn him a longer look going forward, per Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. “Marvin’s performance was extremely encouraging,” interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “In the absence of (injured forward) Brandon (Clarke), we have not been strong in those minutes. And it seems like we’ve found a solution with Marvin.”
- Even if the Grizzlies play better for the rest of the series than they did in Game 1, the same will likely be true of Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a season-low 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting on Sunday, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, noting that doesn’t bode well for Memphis.
Raptors’ Jared Rhoden Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
Raptors guard Jared Rhoden underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, according to a press release from the team.
It’s estimated that Rhoden’s recovery and rehabilitation process following the procedure, which was performed in New York, will take about four to six months, the Raptors said in their announcement.
Rhoden, who went undrafted out of Seton Hall in 2022, spent most of his first two professional seasons on two-way contracts with the Pistons before joining the Raptors for training camp last fall. He was cut by Toronto at the end of the 2024 preseason and was claimed off waivers by the Hornets, who converted him to a two-way deal.
The 6’5″ guard spent a little over a month with Charlotte before being waived again and returning to the Raptors’ organization. He played in the G League for the Raptors 905 until he signed a 10-day contract in February and then a two-way deal in early March to finish the season on Toronto’s NBA roster.
Rhoden appeared in 10 games as a Raptor this season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .506/.324/.880. He bumped those averages to 19.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 31.4 MPG on .507/.393/.648 shooting in 26 regular season outings for the 905.
The 25-year-old’s two-way contract with the Raptors is a two-year deal that covers the 2025/26 season, so the team will have the option of hanging onto him through the offseason while he rehabs following his shoulder procedure. However, his recovery timeline puts him on track to miss Summer League and maybe even training camp too, so it’s possible Toronto will ultimately decide to use that roster spot on a healthier player.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/22/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Lakers should have kept Mark Williams, the Hawks' decision to fire Landry Fields, the Celtics' expensive future, the Rockets' chances to rebound from their Game 1 loss and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
Knicks’ Thibodeau Gripes About Officiating After Pistons’ First Playoff Win Since 2008
The Pistons won a playoff game on Monday for the first time since May 2008, writes Chris Herring of ESPN, hanging onto a fourth-quarter lead in Madison Square Garden to defeat the Knicks by a score of 100-94 and even up their first-round series at one game apiece.
Detroit made just 44.6% of its field goal attempts, including only six shots from beyond the arc, but won the game with strong defense and free throw shooting. The Pistons went 28-of-34 from the foul line, compared to 16-of-19 for New York, prompting Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau to speak after the loss about how the game was called.
“Huge discrepancy in free throws. Huge,” Thibodeau said. “I don’t understand how, on one side, there are direct line drives with contact that just aren’t being called. Look, I really don’t give a crap how they call the game as long as it’s consistent on both sides. But if (Cade) Cunningham‘s driving, and there’s marginal contact that gets him to the line, then Jalen (Brunson) should be getting to the line.”
By the end of the game, Brunson had gone to the free throw line 11 times – compared to 12 for Cunningham – and Ausar Thompson, the primary defender on the Knicks’ point guard had fouled out. However, as Madeline Kenney of The New York Post observes, the Knicks didn’t shoot a free throw until the second quarter and took 11 of their 19 tries during the fourth quarter.
Despite the complaints from Thibodeau and the MSG faithful, who booed and chanted derisively at the referees throughout the game, Brunson said after scoring 37 points that the officiating wasn’t the reason why the Knicks lost.
“Regardless if fouls are being called or not called, we’ve got to adjust and I feel like we did that a little too late into the game,” he said, per Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. “And so regardless of how it’s reffed, we’ve got to adjust and we’ve got to adapt to that and go on from there.”
Here are a few more Knicks-related notes from Monday’s loss:
- Given the price the Knicks paid to acquire him last summer, Mikal Bridges will find himself under a bright spotlight this spring. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only article, Bridges is off to a slow start in the postseason — after sitting out most of the fourth quarter during Saturday’s Game 1 comeback, he went 0-of-4 from the field in the final four minutes of Monday’s loss, including missing a game-tying three-point attempt with 12 seconds left.
- Bridges wasn’t the only Knicks wing who struggled in Game 2. After a huge Game 1 performance, OG Anunoby scored just 10 points and went 0-for-4 on three-point shots in Game 2, Kenney writes for The New York Post. Anunoby also wasn’t as effective as he was in Game 1 at slowing down Cunningham, who scored 33 points on Monday. “They were running stuff to get me off of his body,” Anunobdy said of the Pistons’ Game 2 strategy. “Setting screens to get me off of him, doing stuff like that. They made some adjustments, we’re gonna make some adjustments ourselves.”
- The Knicks will likely need more from Karl-Anthony Towns offensively in order to bounce back in the series, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The big man scored just 10 points, tied for his second-lowest mark of 2024/25, and didn’t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter of Game 2, though Thibodeau said he didn’t have a problem with that. “(Towns) was getting touches, but he’s making the right play,” the Knicks’ coach said. “If he’s getting double-teamed, I don’t want him just shooting the ball over three people. That makes no sense to me.”
- Thibodeau was more concerned about the Knicks’ issues on the glass. Despite missing injured big man Isaiah Stewart, the Pistons out-rebounded New York by a 48-34 margin, with 12 of those Detroit boards coming on the offensive end. “The rebounding was problematic the whole night, so that’s probably the whole game,” Thibodeau said, according to Kenney and Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Towns added that the Knicks need to match the Pistons’ intensity for “50/50 basketballs.”
Bucks’ Damian Lillard To Return For Game 2
April 22: Lillard told reporters in Indiana on Tuesday that he’ll return to action for Game 2 tonight, tweets Nehm.
April 21: Star point guard Damian Lillard has been listed as questionable by the Bucks ahead of Tuesday’s Game 2 at Indiana, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
Shortly before the team announced the injury designation, head coach Doc Rivers said he wasn’t sure if Lillard would suit up, but he practiced on Monday and went through scrimmages the past two days, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“He’s close. He looks great to me,” Rivers said.
Lillard has recovered remarkably well from a blood calf in his right calf — he recently discussed the “scary” diagnosis, which occurred late last month. Although he missed Game 1, he was cleared of his deep vein thrombosis last week and began practicing. Lillard has continued to ramp up his activity in recent days and shows up on the injury report with a designation of “return to competition reconditioning,” Nehm notes (via Twitter).
Lillard made his ninth All-Star appearance in 2024/25, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .448/.376/.921 shooting in 36.1 minutes per contest. He would have been a strong candidate to make an All-NBA team for the eighth time, but did not qualify due to the 65-game rule — the 34-year-old appeared in 58 games this season.
Milwaukee certainly missed Lillard in Game 1, having been blown out by the Pacers. His potential return would be a boon for the Bucks, particularly on the offensive end. The team only managed 98 points while shooting just 9-of-37 from long distance (24.3%) in the series opener.
Draft Notes: Portsmouth, Ament, Avdalas, Early Entrants
Describing the event as a “springboard for under-the-radar grinders,” Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype shares some takeaways and identifies several standout prospects from this year’s Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which took place from April 16-19 in Portsmouth, VA.
East Carolina guard RJ Felton – the cousin of former NBA guard Raymond Felton – was among those standouts, showing off deep shooting range, play-making, and a high-energy style at the PIT, according to Asseo de Choch. Texas center Kadin Shedrick, Arkansas big man Jonas Aidoo, Belmont forward Jonathan Pierre, and Butler wing Jahmyl Telfort are among the other prospects who had strong showings in Portsmouth.
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Nate Ament, an 18-year-old forward who projects to be one of the top prospects in the NBA’s 2026 draft class, has committed to Tennessee for the 2025/26 season, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). “Coach (Rick) Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “He has done it before with Kevin Durant. He sees me as that kind of guy.” Ament came in at No. 4 when ESPN published its first 2026 mock draft earlier this year.
- Greek wing Neoklis Avdalas will test the 2025 NBA draft waters while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, agent Alex Saratsis tells Givony (Twitter link). Avdalas isn’t on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects for 2025, but he’s been having a strong season for Peristeri in Greece’s domestic league, Givony notes, adding that the 19-year-old projects as an impact freshman if he decides to withdraw from the draft and play college ball next season.
- Arkansas freshman Karter Knox and Florida sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu are among the other early entrants who have recently declared for the draft without giving up their remaining college eligibility, having made their announcements on Instagram. They’re on our running list of 2025 early entrants, which we published on Monday and will continue to update.
Nuggets’ Porter Injures Shoulder, Blames Self For Game 2 Loss
After scoring just three points and not being part of the closing lineup in the Nuggets‘ Game 1 win on Saturday, forward Michael Porter Jr. bounced back in Game 2 on Monday, posting 15 points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. However, when he spoke to reporters after the game, Porter admitted he was dwelling on a key fourth-quarter moment that he felt cost his team the game.
With the score tied at 100 and 1:40 remaining, Porter grabbed a defensive rebound and went to throw an outlet pass, but lost control of the ball and turned it over (Twitter video link).
Clippers guard Kris Dunn fell on the Nuggets forward as the two players battled for the loose ball, injuring Porter’s shoulder and slowing his efforts to get back on defense. With the Clippers essentially in a 5-on-4 situation, Norman Powell knocked down a three-pointer that turned out to be the difference in a 105-102 L.A. victory.
According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, Porter went around Denver’s locker room after the game apologizing his teammates for that play, which he viewed as a difference-maker.
“I feel like it was on me with that turnover,” Porter said (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports). “I thought I had someone streaking down (the floor). I was trying to advance it up. But I saw that I didn’t (have someone looking for the pass), so then I ended up turning it over. Just felt like that was the biggest turnover of the game. … I just had to tell my guys, “My fault, that was my mistake.'”
It was a case of adding insult to injury for Porter, who told reporters he sustained a sprained joint in his left shoulder on the play. He downplayed the issue as “nothing too serious,” expressing optimism that he’ll be good to go for Game 3 on Thursday in Los Angeles, but he admitted he was in a lot of pain when the injury happened.
“I made a stupid play after I got the rebound, and tried to make up for it,” Porter said, per Durando. “And someone landed on my shoulder. … I’ve never experienced a pain like this in my shoulder area. I’ve had rolled ankles, so I know what I can play through with that. I’ve never had this. Luckily, it’s on my left side, not my right side, so that’s good.”
That left shoulder joint sprain isn’t the only health-related issue Porter is dealing with, Durando notes. The 26-year-old, who has worn a foot brace for years to support instability in his left ankle and foot, said after Monday’s game that his brace broke recently and he hasn’t been able to get comfortable in a replacement.
“I’ve been trying to get used to a new one,” Porter said. “None of them seem to fit right, and it’s just affecting my movement. I’m not used to them. So I haven’t been as confident in my movements since that one broke. … It’s the worst time to deal with it.”
While the sample size is very small, Porter’s -13.3 net rating is the worst among Denver’s top seven rotation players through the first two games of the first-round series.
Contract Details: Lawson, Castleton, Williams, Davis, Davison, Payton
The Raptors dipped into their mid-level exception to give A.J. Lawson and Colin Castleton rest-of-season salaries of $100K apiece when they signed standard multiyear contracts during the final week of the regular season, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.
Had Toronto simply signed the duo to minimum-salary deals, Lawson would’ve received about $24K at the end of this season, while Castleton would’ve earned less than $11K.
In exchange for those end-of-season raises, Lawson and Castleton each gave the Raptors favorable terms for the 2025/26 season. Both players have fully non-guaranteed minimum salaries ($2,270,735 for Lawson; $2,191,897 for Castleton) and don’t have offseason trigger dates, so Toronto could hang onto them all the way through training camp and the preseason without owing them any guaranteed money beyond this season’s $100K.
We have details on a few more of the contracts signed during the final days of the regular season:
- The two-year, minimum-salary deal that point guard Brandon Williams signed with the Mavericks on April 10 includes a non-guaranteed $2,270,735 salary for 2025/26. Williams would lock in a partial guarantee of $200K if he remains under contract through July 7 and that partial guarantee would increase to $850K if he’s still on the roster at the start of next season. If Williams plays out the full contract, he’d have four years of NBA experience when he reaches free agency in 2026, so Dallas wouldn’t have the ability to make him a restricted free agent.
- Veteran guard Terence Davis signed a two-year contract worth the veteran’s minimum with the Kings. His $2,546,675 salary for next season is non-guaranteed, but he would earn a partial guarantee worth $250K if he remains under contract for the team’s first regular season game of 2025/26.
- The Celtics‘ new two-year deal with G League MVP JD Davison is a minimum-salary agreement that includes a non-guaranteed team option worth $2,270,735 for the 2025/26 season.
- The two-year, minimum-salary contract that Elfrid Payton signed with the Pelicans also features a non-guaranteed team option for ’25/26. That option would be worth $3,153,598 if exercised.
Sixth Man Award, Three Others To Be Announced This Week
Get ready for some major award announcements this week.
The NBA will reveal the winners of four postseason awards, one per day, starting on Tuesday, according to NBA Communications (Twitter link).
The Sixth Man of the Year award will get first billing. The Celtics’ Payton Pritchard, the Pistons’ Malik Beasley and the Cavaliers’ Ty Jerome are the finalists, as revealed on Sunday. Pritchard is considered the heavy favorite to claim the prize.
The Clutch Player of the Year award will be unveiled on Wednesday. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards and the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson are the finalists.
The Defensive Player of the Year award will be announced on Thursday. The Warriors’ Draymond Green, the Hawks’ Dyson Daniels and the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley are the finalists.
The Hustle Award will be announced on Friday. No finalists have been revealed for that prize, which is determined by aggregating hustle stats the NBA tracks (such as deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots, and box-outs) rather than by media votes.
While the Sixth Man, Clutch Player, and Defensive Player awards will be announced during TNT’s evening broadcasts, the Hustle Award winner will be unveiled on social media on Friday afternoon.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Van Gundy, Butler, Warriors, Durant
If practice makes perfect, the Lakers should be in good shape for Game 2 of their first-round series against Minnesota. The Lakers had their best practice in months, coach JJ Redick said on Monday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Los Angeles lost by 22 points on Saturday. The Lakers will look to even the series on Tuesday.
“Hopefully, we can just right our wrongs,” guard Austin Reaves said. “We played bad, they shot the ball really well. They’re obviously a really good team that’s physical. We got to match that. Tomorrow it’ll be different story.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- How has Jeff Van Gundy impacted the Clippers as an assistant in his returning to coaching? He’s been a major reason why their defense was strong enough to make the postseason. “He loves us being aggressive, attacking the ball,” Clippers guard Kris Dunn told the Sporting News’ Stephen Noh. “We’re not playing back on our heels. We’re being the aggressor and trying to dictate the game.”
- Jimmy Butler had a huge game as the Warriors grabbed a 1-0 series against the Rockets on Sunday night. Butler supplied 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. He scored six points in the last 1:43 to put the game away, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk notes. “He has that impact every game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the team’s blockbuster midseason addition. “He calms things down. He’s very confident. He’s very poised. He always believes we’re going to win. Jimmy is — he’s one of the best players in the league, and that’s what the best players in the league do. It’s not just about scoring or stats. It’s about settling the game down, having the presence and the nature to compete and win games like this.”
- The Rockets, despite their strong regular season record, have been subpar in the half-court in 2024/25. The Warriors believe they can win the series by preventing Houston from getting easy baskets, Anthony Slater of ESPN writes. “But we’ve got to recognize that we don’t need to take chances in this series,” Kerr said. “We need to be clean with our execution in transition. We don’t need to dribble through traffic. We don’t need to throw lob passes to try to get a dunk. We’ve gotta be rock solid. If we’re rock solid, smart and tough, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
- If the Suns deal Kevin Durant this offseason, which veteran players could they try to acquire in return? Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic takes a look at 10 potential targets.