Northwest Notes: Avdija, Edwards, Gobert, Shannon Jr., Braun
Trail Blazers breakout star forward Deni Avdija won’t play on Tuesday against Golden State. He’s sidelined with lower back soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. Avdija, who is averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, has appeared in all 40 of Portland’s previous games.
Another key Blazers player, forward Jerami Grant, is doubtful due to left Achilles tendonitis.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards won’t suit up on Tuesday against Milwaukee due to right foot injury maintenance, the team’s PR department tweets. This will be the eighth game Edwards has missed this season — he’ll be ineligible for postseason awards if he misses 10 more games. Center Rudy Gobert will also miss the game — he’s serving a one-game league suspension for accumulating too many flagrant fouls. Regarding Gobert’s suspension, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes that the one-game ban will cost Gobert $201,149 (Twitter link). The Wolves will also receive a tax variance credit of $100,575.
- Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is making progress from his left foot abductor hallucis strain but there’s no timetable for his return, according to a team press release. Shannon will miss his 10th straight game this evening. The 2024 first-round pick has appeared in 22 games off the bench this season but has only averaged 4.5 points in 12.8 minutes per game.
- Nuggets guard Christian Braun will miss his second consecutive game due to a left ankle sprain. Braun warmed up to play against Milwaukee on Sunday but didn’t feel right and was ruled out, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. It’s a concerning development, considering Braun missed nearly two months of action with an ankle injury before returning earlier this month.
- The Thunder‘s Luguentz Dort is a late scratch for tonight’s key matchup with San Antonio due to left foot soreness, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets.
Peyton Watson, Scottie Barnes Named Players Of Week
Nuggets wing Peyton Watson and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Watson led the depleted Nuggets to a 3-1 record during the week of January 5-11, posting averages of 24.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game while making 70% of his three-point attempts (14-of-20).
The fourth-year swingman entered Denver’s starting lineup in November due to injuries and is enjoying a career year ahead of his restricted free agency. This is the first Player of the Week award of his career.
The Raptors also had a 3-1 record last week with Barnes averaging 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists — he sat out the team’s loss to Boston on Friday due to a right knee sprain, so Toronto was 3-0 when he played.
Barnes’ best game of the week came in an overtime victory over Philadelphia on Sunday — he racked up 31 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, and was a +15 in a game the Raptors won by a single point.
It’s the second time Barnes has earned Player of the Week honors in his career.
Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers), Devin Booker (Suns), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other Western Conference nominees, while Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Joel Embiid (Sixers), Darius Garland (Cavaliers), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Andrew Nembhard (Pacers) were also nominated in the East.
Northwest Notes: Avdija, R. Williams, Nuggets, Edwards, Randle, C. Williams
Rockets forward Tari Eason derisively stated this week that the difficulty in defending Deni Avdija has to do with “zebras,” referring to officials. The Trail Blazers forward leads the NBA in free throw attempts (386) and free throws made (309).
Avdija commented on Eason’s claim about getting favorable treatment.
“That made me laugh, for real,” Avdija told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. “Let’s address it. I drive the most in the league. I’m very physical. I’m not shying away from contact. I’m going downhill and I don’t care who’s in front of me. I’m going straight through them. And I’m not playing for those fouls, but I’m going to get fouled. This is part of the game. I can’t control it. I’m very aggressive. I initiate the contact and that’s my game … if it’s hard to stop, you’ve got to own it or do something else. But I’m very humble. I work hard and I think I make the right play every time.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Veteran center Robert Williams departed the Trail Blazers‘ win over the Rockets early on Friday due to a right knee injury, the team’s PR department tweets. Williams, whose career has been marred by knee ailments, has seen his name has come up in trade rumors this season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
- With most of their starters sidelined, the Nuggets took the court with a starting five of Hunter Tyson, Peyton Watson, DaRon Holmes, Christian Braun and Jalen Pickett. The results were predicable, as they got blown by the Hawks. “I saw a really, really tired group,” head coach David Adelman told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “That’s going to happen in the NBA, (coming back) from a seven-game road trip. They gave it everything they had in the third quarter to get back into it. But it does happen in the NBA. We know that. No excuses, ‘Blah, blah, blah,’ but it does happen.” Guard Jamal Murray, who racked up 33 assists in Denver’s two wins to end their East Coast road trip, was given the night off while dealing with illness and an ankle injury.
- The Timberwolves could be without their top scorers today. Anthony Edwards (right foot injury maintenance) and Julius Randle (left thumb soreness) are listed as questionable to play against Cleveland on Saturday, the team’s PR department tweets.
- The Jazz are trying to draw out Cody Williams‘ potential and that includes some “high school” style drills and a change in his approach, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune writes. “We’re doing everything we can to try to help him,” coach Will Hardy said. The 10th pick of the 2024 draft is averaging just 4.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 23 appearances off the bench this season.
Northwest Notes: Topic, Blazers, Nnaji, Wolves, Harkless
Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Thunder guard Nikola Topic, shared an update on his client, telling the Serbian-based outlet Arena Sport TV that Topic has successfully completed chemotherapy to treat his testicular cancer, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
“The chemotherapy was successfully completed, and he is now returning to the training process, although he was active during the therapy as well,” Raznatovic said. “It’s hard to pinpoint a timeline, but I sincerely hope he gets minutes this year, not only in the G League but on the NBA floor as well, if everything goes the way it is right now.”
Word broke in October that Topic, a 2024 lottery pick who missed his entire rookie season due to an ACL injury, had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and was undergoing treatment. As Raznatovic acknowledges, there’s still no timeline for the 20-year-old to make his NBA debut, but this is a major positive development.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- The Trail Blazers intend to present a proposal to the Oregon state legislature next month to have all state income taxes from players and team employees (for both the Blazers and visiting teams) redirected from Oregon’s general fund to a $600MM renovation project for the Moda Center, reports Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscription required). One source who spoke to Oram about the proposal suggested it would help “guarantee the Blazers’ future” in Portland.
- Nuggets forward/center Zeke Nnaji hasn’t developed like the team hoped since signing a four-year, $32MM contract extension in October 2023, but with centers Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas sidelined, Nnaji has been giving the team solid minutes at the five, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Nnaji, who has five steals and six blocked shots in his past three games, is playing “amazing” defense, according to teammate Jamal Murray — head coach David Adelman didn’t disagree. “I don’t remember him moving this well,” Adelman said after Wednesday’s win over Boston. “…He guarded everybody in this game, because we were switching. Just cool to see him have some success. Obviously, he hasn’t been in the rotation.”
- The streaking Timberwolves have won four games in a row and now hold a top-four spot in the Western Conference. In a pair of stories for The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski examines the impact of center Rudy Gobert, writing that the big man is playing as well as he ever played in Minnesota, and notes that Anthony Edwards reached the 10,000-point mark on Thursday. Edwards was the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach that plateau, behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
- Two-way player Elijah Harkless has appeared in just seven games for the Jazz so far this season and hasn’t seen any NBA action since November 18, but he has been thriving in the G League. Harkless was named the NBAGL’s Player of the Month for December after he averaged 28.3 points and 5.2 assists per game, per the league (Twitter link).
Heat’s Tyler Herro To Return On Tuesday
Heat guard Tyler Herro has been upgraded from questionable to available on the team’s injury report and is on track to make his return on Tuesday vs. Minnesota, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
It will be the first time Herro has played since December 9. He has missed 11 straight games and 13 of the past 14 due to a right big toe contusion. The 25-year-old was also inactive for the first 17 games of the season while he recovered from left ankle surgery — he has played just six times so far this season.
Herro was as effective as ever when he did suit up for that handful of games in November and December. In his six outings, he has averaged 23.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest, with an excellent .505/.405/.923 shooting line.
Herro was immediately reinserted into the starting lineup following his first lengthy injury absence and will likely reclaim that spot again this time around. However, it’s worth noting that Miami has been having more success lately with its lineup of Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Norman Powell, Davion Mitchell, and Andrew Wiggins. That group has started each of the past four games (including three wins) and has a +18.0 net rating during that stretch.
While the Heat are getting one of their leading scorers back for Tuesday’s game, the Timberwolves may be missing their top offensive weapon. Anthony Edwards has been added to the injury report due to right foot injury maintenance and is considered questionable to play, per the team (Twitter link).
Deni Avdija, Tyrese Maxey Named Players Of Week
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Avdija averaged 26.8 points, 9.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading to Portland to a 3-1 record during the week of December 29 to January 4. This is the first time Avdija has earned Player of the Week honors. He’s the first Portland player to get the nod since Damian Lillard on Feb. 6, 2023.
Maxey averaged 34.7 points and 8.7 assists per game while shooting 61.2% from the field as the Sixers went 3-0. It’s the third time Maxey has earned Player of the Week honors, including the second time this season — he joins Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Celtics wing Jaylen Brown as the Eastern Conference’s two-time winners so far in 2025/26.
Devin Booker (Suns), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees in the West.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black (Magic), Brown (Celtics) and Cade Cunningham (Pistons) were also nominated in the East.
Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Win Player Of The Month Awards
A pair of star point guards and MVP candidates have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for December, with Jalen Brunson of the Knicks winning the award in the East and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder claiming it in the West, per the league (Twitter link).
Brunson was named Player of the Week twice in December and led the Knicks to an NBA Cup championship. He averaged 30.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per contest in 13 December outings, posting a strong shooting line of .475/.405/.826 and leading his team to a 10-3 record in the games he played.
Those stats don’t include the NBA Cup final, which doesn’t count toward the regular season, but he was excellent in that game too, racking up 25 points and eight assists as the Knicks toppled the Spurs.
Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, continued to strengthen his case for a second consecutive Most Valuable Player award in 12 December appearances, with averages of 31.4 points, 6.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, and a scorching-hot .594/.436/.882 shooting line.
Gilgeous-Alexander now ranks second in the NBA in scoring (32.1 PPG), while his Thunder – following a 9-4 December – hold the league’s best record at 29-5.
It’s the third time Brunson has won a Player of the Month award and the fifth time Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the honor. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were the NBA’s first Players of the Month this season, for games played in October and November.
Cunningham was also nominated for the Eastern Conference award in December, along with Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, Hawks forward, Jalen Johnson, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., and Brunson’s teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
The other Western Conference nominees were Jokic, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, Jazz guard Keyonte George, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Trail Blazers teammates Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, Timberwolves teammates Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, and Lakers teammates Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
Northwest Notes: Valanciunas, Murray, Edwards, Lillard
The Nuggets‘ unfortunate run of injuries continued as Jonas Valanciunas limped off the court in the third quarter of Wednesday’s win at Toronto, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. It was a non-contact calf strain for the 33-year-old center, who was making his first start of the season due to a knee injury that will sideline Nikola Jokic for at least the next four weeks. Starters Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun are also recovering from injuries.
“I don’t know how serious it is. We’re just getting used to this,” coach David Adelman told reporters. “It just seems like every night, somebody has something. The cool thing about it is there’s somebody else to get an opportunity from it. And that’s how you have to look at it. Hopefully Jonas heals up correctly. Hopefully it’s not serious, just like I’ve said the other 19 times this month.”
Valanciunas was turning in a strong performance before being forced out of the game, with 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 23 minutes. He wore a walking boot as he left the arena, according to Durando, but was able to move under his own power.
“He was great. … He’s been sick,” Adelman said. “I saw a much different energy from him tonight. … If he ends up playing the 32 minutes I thought I was going to play him, you’re probably looking at 25 (points) and 12 (rebounds). That’s what he can do, especially when teams have small-ball lineups like (the Raptors) do.”
DaRon Holmes II played 22 minutes in just his fourth career game as Adelman only used eight players. Holmes figures to see extended minutes if Valanciunas has to miss time.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- With their roster currently depleted, the Nuggets are relying more than ever on Jamal Murray, who posted 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Murray, who’s among the NBA’s best players to never make an All-Star team, talked about the possibility of being selected for this year’s game, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. “Obviously I’d love to be an All-Star, All-NBA, scoring champ, MVP,” he said. “I want to be all of them, right? But winning matters … if we win a championship but I don’t make All-Star … we win a championship …. that’s my mindset.”
- Anthony Edwards showed his displeasure during the Timberwolves‘ 24-point loss at Atlanta by throwing a towel in the air and walking to the locker room with about eight minutes remaining, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscription required). Edwards didn’t talk to reporters after the game, and coach Chris Finch said the action was inappropriate. “Obviously frustrated with the performance and rightfully so, but he needs to stay out on the floor and root for his team,” Finch said.
- Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard told Allie Slifton of the Road Trippin’ Show that his rehab is “going great” as he works his way back from an Achilles tear (YouTube link, hat tip to Real GM). “I think it’s just one of those injuries where you’ve got to take your time — you know, it takes what it takes,” Lillard said. “The first couple of weeks to maybe two or three months is kind of frustrating because you’re so limited. But with patience, giving yourself grace, and doing the things necessary to continue progressing, you get to a point where you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
This marks the second career Player of the Week award for Jackson, who averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game and led Memphis to a 2-1 record during the week of December 15-21.
Jackson recorded a season-high 31 points and five blocks in the Grizzlies’ 121-103 road win last Monday against the Clippers and followed that with 28 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in Memphis’ 116-110 road victory on Wednesday against Minnesota.
Brunson racked up 31.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game as the Knicks went 2-1 after their NBA Cup triumph. He had 47 points in the Knicks’ 132-125 win over Miami on Sunday.
It’s the second major individual award for Brunson over the past week. He was also named the MVP of the NBA Cup. He also becomes the first two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week this season, having also earned the honor on December 1.
Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other nominees for the Western Conference Player of the Week award.
Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Derrick White (Celtics) were the other nominees in the East.
Wolves Notes: Finch, Conley, Edwards, Taylor
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has been fined $35K by the NBA for “directing inappropriate language toward game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner” following his ejection in Friday’s game against Oklahoma City, the league announced (via Twitter). Finch was thrown out of the contest midway through the first quarter for expressing his displeasure over a lack of foul calls, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscription required).
According to Hine, it took several assistant coaches and security personnel to keep Finch away from the referees after he was tossed. Finch was irate that the Thunder weren’t whistled for a foul during a possession in which he claims Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle were both grabbed and hit.
Finch didn’t address reporters following the game, but he explained the incident at Saturday’s practice, saying he “wanted to make my point” with the outburst.
“I thought early on, the tone was being set in the wrong direction, and I wanted to set about trying to change things,” Finch said. “All credit to the guys. They really responded, picked up the pieces. The staff did an incredible job navigating that game. The most important thing is we got the win and that our guys responded and played well over the last three and a half quarters.”
It was only the second career ejection for Finch, and his players were impressed by the tirade, with Randle calling it “top tier.”
“I don’t know what image he’s projected to y’all. I don’t know what they’re seeing, but Finchy is a hell of a competitor,” Randle added.
There’s more from Minnesota:
- The Timberwolves have upgraded Mike Conley to available for Sunday’s game with Milwaukee (Twitter link). The veteran guard has missed the past four games with right Achilles tendinopathy.
- In an interview with Shams Charania of ESPN (YouTube link), Edwards talks about the benefits of playing for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics. Edwards says it was inspiring to experience Stephen Curry‘s work ethic up close, and he learned how to be a better leader by watching his veteran teammates. “I think probably being with the USA team,” Edwards responded when asked about his leadership skills. “Just seeing like everybody got their own way of leading. You gotta learn how to talk to everybody. Some guys you can be super hard on and some guys you’ve got to pull to the side and talk to them one on one.”
- Former owner Glen Taylor is glad to see that Kevin Garnett will rejoin the organization as a team ambassador, even though he and Garnett never resolved the dispute that drove him away, Hine adds in a separate story. “I always thought he should be there,” Taylor said. “That he wanted to wait until now is fine. It’s his decision. Overall, I like the guy, respect the guy, and I’m happy for him.”