Luka Doncic, Bam Adebayo Earn Player Of Week Honors
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league office (Twitter links). The awards cover games played from March 9-15.
Doncic led the Lakers to a 3-0 week by averaging 37.3 points, 11.0 assists and 10.3 rebounds per game. He came one assist away from registering three consecutive triple-doubles, had 51 points on Thursday vs. Chicago, and made a last-second basket to defeat Denver in overtime on Saturday.
The selection of Adebayo was a foregone conclusion after his historic 83-point game against the Wizards, which represented the second-highest single-game scoring output in NBA history. Overall, Adebayo averaged 41.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest last week as the Heat won two of three games.
Doncic became the second player to win a third Player of the Week award in 2025/26, joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For Adebayo, it’s his second Player of the Week selection this season and the fourth of his career.
Devin Booker (Suns), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Austin Reaves (Lakers) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane (Magic), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren (Pistons), Brandon Ingram (Raptors) and Jalen Johnson (Hawks) were the other nominees from the East.
Suns Notes: Ishbia Lawsuit, Schedule, Raptors Loss, Gillespie
The dispute between Suns owner Mat Ishbia and two minority owners is headed to binding mediation, according to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, citing a document filed Monday in Delaware state court.
The involved parties have asked the judge overseeing their case to approve an order that will allow them to resolve their case via mediation. They have made an agreement “to participate in a confidential binding mediation process, which upon completion will result in the dismissal of the action.”
Andy Kohlberg and Scott Seldin, longtime Suns and Phoenix Mercury minority owners, filed a lawsuit against Ishbia last August, accusing him of lacking transparency in how he ran the organization and of using the franchises as his own “piggy bank.” Ishbia countersued in October, claiming Kohlberg and Seldin were looking to use their legal action to gain a large buyout of their stakes in the teams at an “extortionate” cost.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- With 15 games remaining, Phoenix (39-28) has the third-toughest remaining schedule, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic points out. That will complicate its efforts of getting out of the play-in tournament and garnering a top-six seed. The Suns are currently seventh in the West and will complete a rugged six-game road trip with games against Boston, Minnesota and San Antonio over the next four nights. “Every game is super important,”guard Collin Gillespie said. “We’ve got to take it one game at a time. Can’t have mental lapses or the little details slip, and we know we’re fighting for something every game. Every time we step on the floor, it’s an important game. We can’t let these opportunities slip, especially in the West.”
- The Suns did let one slip away on Friday, falling to Toronto. That ended a four-game winning streak. “Last game, we had some slip-ups we can definitely control on the defensive end,” forward Royce O’Neale told Rankin. “Communicate a little better. Feel like our communication got to be on point, especially going into these last couple of games of the road trip.”
- Three games after he scored 24 points against Charlotte, Gillespie laid a goose egg against the Raptors. He only attempted three shots in 26 minutes. He also had just four points in 28 minutes against Indiana on Thursday. Gillespie said he has to keep working at getting open looks. “Find those opportunities, hunting threes,” Gillespie told Rankin. “Being ready to catch-and-shoot knowing that those guys are back. More on-ball stuff might not be available as much, but being ready to catch-and-shoot off the ball.” Gillespie is one of the league’s biggest bargains. He signed a one-year, minimum deal last summer and is averaging 13.2 points per game. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Pacific Notes: Porzingis, Dunleavy, I. Jackson, Fleming
Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis is optimistic he’ll be able to play more often to close the 2025/26 season, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. After missing six games because of an illness, the Latvian big man returned to action on Saturday against Oklahoma City, finishing with nine points, five rebounds, five assists and a block in 23 minutes.
“I believe I will be healthy now,” Porzingis said. “This is what I really feel. Not to sell anything because I’ve been in and out, out again. But this time, I really feel this is it.”
Porzingis’ health issues date back to last season with the Celtics when he contracted a virus that limited his availability down the stretch. He told The Athletic prior to this season that he was eventually diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The malady, combined with injury issues, limited him to 17 games with the Hawks before he was traded to Golden State last month.
“Especially getting traded somewhere else, I wanted to get out there as soon as possible,” Porzingis said. “Sitting out a couple games was stinging me a little bit. Today was OK. Feeling a little heavy, shot not in a good rhythm yet.”
As Slater notes, head coach Steve Kerr caused a stir last week when he said he was told Porzingis didn’t have POTS, calling it “misinformation.” Kerr later called it a “stupid mistake” to talk about Porzingis’ health.
“It wasn’t ideal,” Porzingis said of Kerr’s mix-up. “Because it put something out again, so people start talking again. I told Steve it was OK. I know he didn’t mean anything, didn’t want to create hype around my health. He just said what he knew at the moment.”
Veteran forward/center Draymond Green complimented Porzingis after Saturday’s loss, tweets Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
“The game’s a lot easier when he’s on the floor,” Green said.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Appearing on 95.7 FM’s Willard and Dibs show, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. explained his rationale for acquiring Porzingis, as Will Simonds of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I think the thought process for us on the trade was the opportunity to get a player of his quality, who, when healthy, is pretty good, pretty unique,” Dunleavy said in part. “Like, what he can do on the defensive end, what he can do on the offensive end. And then we had to calculate what we thought the ability and the chances of him being healthy and playing a bunch for us. We felt pretty good about that. We still do.” Porzingis is expected to play on Tuesday against Chicago after sitting out Monday’s loss at Utah.
- Clippers big man Isaiah Jackson is getting an opportunity to play after Yanic Konan Niederhauser was ruled out for the season due to a foot injury, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Head coach Tyronn Lue was pleased with Jackson’s performance after Saturday’s road victory in Memphis, when the the 24-year-old had 12 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and a block in 25 minutes. “Just how he plays hard. He plays hard and competes,” Lue said of Jackson, whom the Clippers acquired last month in a trade with Indiana. “He’s a guy that can switch and guard the basketball, offensive rebound, runs the floor, and can get behind the defense on pick-and-rolls. Tonight, like I said, it was just a game for him, and we needed his athleticism and his ability to switch. He did a good job for us.”
- Suns forward Rasheer Fleming hasn’t played much as a rookie this season, but the 31st overall pick in last year’s draft capitalized on his opportunity during Sunday’s win over Charlotte, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Fleming had a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in a career-high 23 minutes off the bench. “It was super impressive,” star guard Devin Booker said. “Just the willingness to wait for his moment and seize it. He’s still all ears and he still wants to learn more. He’s got a big effect on winning basketball games.“
Injury Notes: Prince, Collins, Pacers, Goodwin
Bucks forward Taurean Prince has been upgraded to questionable ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with Phoenix, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
It’s a surprising development, as Prince has been out since November after undergoing surgery to address a herniated disk in his neck. The Bucks applied for a disabled player exception in the wake of Prince’s injury, and NBA doctors determined he was more likely than not to be out through June 15, because Milwaukee was granted the DPE, per Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom.
While it’s unlikely the Bucks will use the $1,651,887 disabled player exception they received for Prince anyway, it’s worth noting that they would forfeit it if he’s active tomorrow. Incidentally, Tuesday is also the deadline for teams to use DPEs.
According to Nehm (Twitter link), Prince has been working out regularly on the court after practices and prior to games since he returned to the team following the surgery. The 31-year-old sent out a tweet indicating that he’s close to playing again.
Prince, a 10-year veteran, last played on November 4, Milwaukee’s eighth game of the season. He holds a $3.8MM player option for 2026/27.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Clippers expect John Collins to remain sidelined this week as he continues to deal with a neck strain, per Mark Medina (Twitter link). Collins, who last played on March 1, missed his fifth straight game on Monday. The 28-year-old power forward has done some on-court work, Medina adds. Collins will be a free agent this summer.
- The Pacers will be without All-Star forward Pascal Siakam (right knee sprain) and backup point guard T.J. McConnell (right hamstring soreness) on Tuesday against Sacramento, the team announced (via Twitter). Starting point guard Andrew Nembhard is also unlikely to suit up, having been listed as doubtful due to lower back and neck soreness.
- Suns guard Jordan Goodwin has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game at Milwaukee, according to Gerald Bourguet of Suns After Dark (Twitter link). Goodwin, a tenacious rebounder and defender, has missed Phoenix’s last seven games due to a left calf strain. Grayson Allen (right knee injury management) is also questionable for the Suns.
Victor Wembanyama, Tyler Herro Named Players Of Week
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Heat guard Tyler Herro have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league (Twitter links). The weekly award covers games played from March 2-8.
Wembanyama averaged 26.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game as San Antonio went 4-0 last week. It’s the second weekly award this season for the former No. 1 overall pick and the third of his career.
The Player of the Week honor continues an impressive run of award recognition for Wembanyama, who last week was named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month and Defensive Player of the Month for February.
Herro averaged 26.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7 percent from three-point range as Miami also went 4-0 last week. This marks Herro’s second career Player of the Week award and his first of the season. He has been limited to just 20 appearances so far due to injuries but has been highly productive when available, averaging 22.1 PPG on .500/.402/.917 shooting.
Devin Booker (Suns), Luka Dončić (Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Bam Adebayo (Heat), Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were also nominated in the East.
Pacific Notes: Brooks, Maluach, Payton, Porzingis, Curry
Suns wing Dillon Brooks was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Friday morning. His teammates say Brooks apologized to them for his actions, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“Just hate to see it for him, but he’s human. We’re all humans,” Collin Gillespie said. “We’re not above anybody else. We all make mistakes. He knows that. He owned it He apologized to the team, but we got his back. Human beings make mistakes, we all make mistakes. Learn from it. He’s just in the public eye more than any other regular human being. That stuff goes on every day and you just don’t hear about it from other people because it’s not ‘Dillon Brooks’ per se.”
Brooks, who is sidelined with a fractured hand, was in attendance for the Suns game on Friday but didn’t speak to the media.
“I know he feels really bad about it,” Grayson Allen said. “I’m sure whenever he feels like he needs to say something, he’ll say something, but we’re still focusing on what we can do on the court with him out. We want to get him back and hold it down in the meantime.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Suns barely held off the Pelicans, 118-116, on Friday. Rookie lottery pick Khaman Maluach had a career-high five blocks in a season-high 20 minutes after posting 10 in his previous 27 games. “The biggest thing is just that he knows he’s getting consistent minutes,” coach Jordan Ott said, per Rankin. “Hopefully, the first-game jitters of being in there were out after last night. Doesn’t change, we wouldn’t put you in there if we didn’t believe in you, and we’re going to continue to help him.”
- If Seattle gets an expansion team, Gary Payton II wants to be a part of it. His father Gary Payton, of course, was a longtime star with the SuperSonics. He said, perhaps jokingly, that he’d request a trade from the Warriors to play there. “Respectfully. I love it here so much. But if we do (have a Seattle team) when I’m still here, I definitely want to go back and play there,” he told Nick Friedell of The Athletic. In any case, he’d like to see the NBA have a team in the city. “It was like a dream come true all over again,” he said of a potential franchise in Seattle. “To be able to see them, to be able to go there and we have an opportunity to sit down and watch a game. Hopefully, they can do it here in a few years so I can possibly go back and put on a Seattle SuperSonics jersey. But other than that, it’s for the basketball culture. Even if I do play for them or not, it will be good for the city of Seattle and good for the NBA.”
- Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry have been upgraded to questionable for the Warriors‘ game on Saturday in Oklahoma City, ESPN’s Anthony Slater tweets. Porzingis, battling an illness, has only played once for Golden State since being acquired at the trade deadline. Curry has been out since Dec. 4 due to a sciatic nerve-related injury
Suns’ Dillon Brooks Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI
3:25 pm: According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Brooks’ arrest was related to cannabis and not alcohol. The nine-year veteran was released without being charged, Gambadoro adds.
11:13 am: Suns forward Dillon Brooks was pulled over for traffic violations at about 1:00 am in Scottsdale, Arizona on Friday morning and was charged about a half-hour later on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to local police. TMZ first broke the news that Brooks had been arrested on DUI charges, while The Arizona Republic provided additional details.
According to the two outlets, Brooks was transported to Scottsdale City jail and was booked and released from custody around 3:30 am. The 30-year-old was “respectful and cooperative” throughout the process, per TMZ.
“We are aware of the situation involving Dillon Brooks and are gathering more information,” the Suns said in a statement, according to the Arizona Republic. “We have no further comment at this time.”
DUI cases can result in suspensions, but the NBA typically doesn’t make a ruling until after the case concludes. The league’s decision would depend in part on whether the prosecutor’s office files charges, as well as Brooks’ plea in that scenario.
Brooks had been enjoying a career year in his first season in Phoenix after being traded from the Rockets to the Suns in the Kevin Durant blockbuster last summer. He has averaged 20.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 30.6 minutes per night on .440/.343/.856 shooting, and led the upstart Suns to a 30-20 record in the 50 games he played.
However, Brooks fractured his left hand last month and required surgery to repair the break. He was ruled out for four-to-six weeks at the time and likely won’t return until late in the season.
NBA Explores Launching Streaming RSN Hub For 2026/27
The NBA has let its teams know that there’s a chance it will introduce a streaming hub for local broadcasts as soon as next season, sources tell Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. Many clubs’ local broadcasts have been thrown into disarray due to the fact that Main Street Sports Group, which has regional TV agreements with 13 NBA teams, is likely headed for insolvency.
That group of 13 teams – which includes the defending champion Thunder, along with the Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Bucks – would be the most likely candidates to be involved in the NBA’s new streaming hub.
As Friend points out, there are a few more teams (the Suns, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Pelicans) who have already abandoned their respective regional sports networks and could be candidates for the new venture as well. On top of that, Friend’s sources suspect the four teams who have deals with NBC Sports – the Celtics, Warriors, Sixers, and Kings – could be in play due to a sense that NBC may want out of the regional sports network business.
The other eight teams broadcast games on their own networks, which doesn’t necessarily rule them out, but would make it more complicated for the league to negotiate deals with each of them.
While it remains unclear exactly what the new setup will look like, Friend hears that the NBA has engaged in talks with potential partners like YouTube TV, DAZN, Amazon, and ESPN as it considers a package that might resemble NFL Sunday Ticket.
The total number of teams that opt in figures to be a major factor in determining the viability of this new streaming hub, Friend writes, citing sources who think the NBA would need to guarantee a broadcast partner a certain threshold of clubs in order to secure a significant deal. With enough teams involved, industry insiders believe an agreement would be worth billions, Friend adds.
Due to its financial woes, Main Street has missed payments to its teams on January 1, February 1, and March 1, per Sports Business Journal. The NBA originally didn’t plan on launching this sort of streaming hub until down the road, Friend writes, but it has become a higher priority in order to help teams make up for those lost rights-fee payments.
Although the league has informed its teams that it’s trying to get something together for the 2026/27 season, there’s no guarantee that will happen, so Main Street clubs have been advised to explore lining up a bridge deal for their local broadcasts. Those teams are exploring both linear and streaming options, Friend notes.
Friend also points out that, since a new league-wide streaming hub may overlap with League Pass, the NBA may need to either restructure League Pass or eliminate it all together down the road. Amazon currently distributes League Pass as part of its national broadcast agreement with the NBA, so those negotiations would be simpler if the league ultimately strikes a deal to make Amazon its partner on a new streaming RSN.
Suns Notes: Booker, Williams, Maluach, Huntley
Suns guard Devin Booker can’t miss more than one game the rest of the season if he hopes to be eligible for major postseason awards like All-NBA, but he says he’s not worried about the 65-game rule, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).
“That is what it is,” Booker said on Tuesday. “The postseason award I want is playoff wins en route to get an NBA championship. Anything else doesn’t matter.”
Booker is actually a proponent of the rule, Rankin writes, though the four-time All-Star does see one issue with it.
“The fans want people to play,” Booker said. “We should play. You should have to play to get the awards. So I don’t see a problem with it other than guys trying to rush back and maybe prolong the injury from what it was supposed to be, but I think the rule is fine. You want to be able to play, to be out there.”
Here’s more from Phoenix:
- Starting center Mark Williams is out at least two-to-three weeks after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot. The Suns were surprised to learn of the injury, Rankin writes in another subscriber-only story. “It just popped up,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “(Wednesday) when he came in, day in between games, just had a little soreness. Went to have an image and you saw the news. … There wasn’t a moment where you can see visibly that this is the result of.”
- Speaking to reporters prior to Thursday’s game against Chicago, reserve center Khaman Maluach discussed getting an opportunity to play with Williams sidelined (Twitter video links via Rankin). The former Duke big man also talked about his limited minutes as a rookie. “I didn’t put it on anybody or blame anyone for me not playing,” Maluach said. “I just put it on me and just doubled down and worked twice as hard as what I was doing in the summer and just wait for my turn and wait for my time and really be patient.”
- Forward CJ Huntley signed another two-way contract with Phoenix on Monday after being waived in November. He said he’s grateful for the opportunity after spending the majority of his rookie campaign in the G League with the Valley Suns. “It means a lot. Just been working hard just to be back in this situation,” Huntley said, per Rankin (Twitter video link). “Just put my head down in the (G League), being there for my teammates there, working each and every day. I feel like that helped me get to where I’m at now.”
Mark Williams Out At Least 2-3 Weeks Due To Foot Injury
Starting center Mark Williams has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in the third metatarsal bone in his left foot, the Suns announced in a press release (Twitter link via Law Murray of The Athletic).
Williams, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, will be reevaluated in two-to-three weeks, per the team.
It’s unclear when Williams’ injury occurred. He played 22 minutes in Tuesday’s 11-point victory at Sacramento at Sacramento.
After two college seasons at Duke, Williams was selected by the Hornets with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft. The 7’1″ big man struggled with injuries over the course of his three years in Charlotte, appearing in just 106 games, prior to being traded to Phoenix last offseason.
The Suns developed a plan to help Williams stay on the court and it had worked well to this point in the season. The 24-year-old has appeared in a career-high 56 games in 2025/26, only missing five contests with the Suns currently sitting at 35-26.
However, Williams’ stress reaction will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future. While he’ll be checked out again in a few weeks, there’s certainly no guarantee that he’ll be ready to return at that point — it will be difficult for Williams to stay in game shape given that he has a foot injury.
Phoenix plays nine times between March 5 and March 19, and Williams is likely to miss all of those games. A three-week absence would result in Williams missing 12 games.
In his 56 appearances this season, Williams has averaged 11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game. He’s shooting 63.3% from the floor and 76.7% from the foul line.
Backup center Oso Ighodaro will likely replace Williams in Phoenix’s starting lineup, with rookies Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach among the candidates for more minutes off the bench.