Northwest Notes: Avdija, Edwards, Gobert, Shannon Jr., Braun
Trail Blazers breakout star forward Deni Avdija won’t play tonight against Golden State. He’s sidelined with lower back soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. Avdija is averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season. Avdija has appeared in all 40 of Portland’s previous games.
Another key 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 tonight 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 reports that the one-game ban will cost Gobert $201,149 (Twitter link). The Timberwolves 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. He’s appeared in 22 games off the bench this season but the 2024 first-round pick 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.
Deni Avdija Leaves Game With Lower Back Injury
Trail Blazers star Deni Avdija was forced out of Sunday’s game after injuring his back late in the fourth quarter, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
Avdija told reporters it’s “nothing major,” adding, “I’m not really concerned,” but he was visibly in pain in the locker room, Freeman observes. The forward went through an extensive session of postgame treatment, and all but two of his teammates were gone by the time he left the trainers’ area with a wrap around his midsection. He couldn’t bend over to take off his socks or sit down to do his interviews.
The injury occurred with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter as Avdija jumped to pull down a rebound. He grabbed the left side of his lower back after landing and rolled the ball to teammate Caleb Love. He pointed to the sideline to request a substitute and then hobbled to the locker room.
“I’m going to recover as fast as I can and try to come back,” Avdija said. “I just felt my back give up on me and I couldn’t straighten up. … “I’m a tough guy. I’m going to be all right. … I’m telling you, as soon as I’m walking on two feet, I’ll be able to play.”
Avdija added that he has played with lower-back pain before, but characterized his potential return as “TBD.”
An extended absence for Avdija would be a serious blow for the surging Blazers, who had won five straight games before Sunday’s loss to New York and have a solid hold on a play-in spot at 19-21. Avdija has been a huge part of their success, making a strong bid for an All-Star spot by averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists while playing all 40 games.
While Avdija downplayed the seriousness of his injury, interim coach Tiago Splitter took a different tone, per Freeman.
“It’s a tough one, a tough hit, after what he’s doing for us,” Splitter said. “I don’t want to sound (the alarm) too early. But I’m definitely worried.”
Avdija’s injury put a damper on a night that began with the return of Jrue Holiday, who was back on the court after missing 27 games with a right calf strain. The veteran guard played 16 minutes off the bench and contributed eight points, two rebounds and four assists.
“I don’t have too many years left, so I’d love to play as many games and minutes as I can,” Holiday told reporters, including Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscription required). “This team, they’re fun to watch, but I’d rather have fun playing with them.”
Holiday was originally expected to miss a week or two with the injury, but he said the calf often flared up after he participated in practices and scrimmages. The team’s medical staff wasn’t comfortable clearing him to play considering his age and the prevalence of calf and Achilles injuries around the league.
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.
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.
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.
Trail Blazers Notes: Billups, Dundon, Clingan, Avdija
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who was placed on unpaid leave by the NBA following his October 23 arrest on federal charges related to gambling, has reached an agreement to sell his home in Oregon, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscription required). A listing on Redfin states that the seller has accepted an offer on the Lake Oswego property, which had a $4.275MM list price.
Highkin suggests that the pending sale could be a sign that Billups has accepted that he no longer has a coaching future with the team, even if he’s acquitted on the charges he’s facing. Billups’ next court appearance isn’t until March 4, and the judge in the case has indicated that the trial won’t start until September. Tiago Splitter has been serving as interim coach since Billups was arrested.
Highkin states that Blazers officials may wait until the sale of the team to Tom Dundon‘s group becomes official before they announce a final decision on Billups. He adds that the team’s performance under Splitter for the rest of the season will help determine if the new ownership group decides to remove the interim tag and keep him in place or start fresh with a new coaching staff.
Billups is among 31 defendants in a case involving illegal poker games connected to the mafia that were allegedly rigged through the use of doctored shuffling machines, marked cards and tables with built-in X-ray machines. He’s accused of being a “face card” whose reputation helped to attract big-money players to the games, and he could face up to 20 years in prison for each of two charges if convicted.
There’s more from Portland:
- Dundon is nearing an agreement to sell a limited partner stake in the Carolina Hurricanes as he gets set to take over the Trail Blazers, multiple sources tell Mike Ozanian of CNBC (Twitter link). The NHL team is being valued at $2 billion in the deal, according to Ozanian, while Dundon is buying the Blazers for more than $4 billion.
- Donovan Clingan missed Friday’s game at Detroit with a contusion on his lower left leg and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in Memphis, Highkin tweets. First-round pick Yang Hansen was recalled from the G League in case Clingan is unavailable.
- Deni Avdija‘s 35-point performance on Friday made him the highest-scoring Israeli player in NBA history, per Ethan Rubinson and Toi Staff of The Times of Israel. Avdija has 4,648 career points, six more than Omri Casspi.
And-Ones: First-Time All-Stars, 2026 Draft, NBA Cup, More
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is still over two months away, but a number of players around the league are emerging as legitimate candidates to appear in the game for the first time, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic.
Harper points to Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Heat guard Norman Powell as Eastern Conference standouts who could become first-time All-Stars, while identifying Lakers guard Austin Reaves, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray as the most plausible first-timers in the Western Conference.
Of those players, only Duren looks like a shoo-in to make the game, according to Zach Kram of ESPN, who takes his own early look at potential All-Stars and divides players into two groups — “near-locks” and “on the bubble.”
Duren is among Kram’s seven near-locks in the East, though he considers Giddey, Johnson, and Powell to have strong cases to make the cut. In the West, Kram thinks Murray could still find himself on the outside looking in despite a career-best first half, given the strength of the competition for the 12 spots. However, with eight international spots to fill and the potential for injury replacements beyond the initial 24 All-Stars, there could be multiple paths for the Nuggets guard to finally earn the honor.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Although Kansas guard Darryn Peterson has only appeared in two games so far this season, he’s the 2026 draft prospect that NBA scouts seem most excited about, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who places Peterson atop his most recent mock draft, ahead of Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Tennessee’s Nate Ament has slipped out of Vecenie’s top five, with UNC’s Caleb Wilson at No. 4, followed by Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.
- A panel of ESPN insiders answers a series of questions related to the NBA Cup, including which player was the MVP during the group stage (Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got two votes apiece) and which team has the best chance to upset Oklahoma City in the knockout round (the Lakers earned three of five possible votes).
- In an interesting story for ESPN, Kevin Pelton takes a deep dive into the data to explore the impact of familiarity on shooting efficiency and explains why a number of high-profile players who changed teams over the summer – including Cameron Johnson, Desmond Bane, and Myles Turner – may have gotten off to slow starts.
- Lindsay Schnell of The Athletic examines how former G League players became NCAA-eligible and what it means for college basketball going forward. “At the end of the day, we’re not the ones making decisions,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We either adapt to the rules or we get left behind. So until something changes, I guess all of us are watching G League games now.”
Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham Earn Player Of The Month Honors
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham are the NBA’s Players of the Month for October/November, earning the honor for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, per an announcement from the league (Twitter link).
It’s the ninth time that Jokic has won a Player of the Month award over the course of his 11-year career. He earned it in this case with a superlative start to the season that saw him comfortably average a triple-double – 28.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game – while leading Denver to a 14-5 record.
Jokic’s shooting percentages were arguably even more remarkable than his per-game averages, as he shot 63.7% from the field and converted 45.3% of his three-point attempts.
The Nuggets star came out on top of a competitive field that included nominees like fellow MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Lakers. Clippers guard James Harden, Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards were also nominated for Player of the Month in the West, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
In the East, meanwhile, Cunningham’s Pistons have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season’s first six weeks. While Detroit was viewed as a strong playoff contender, few NBA observers expected the team to win 16 of its first 20 games and sit atop the Eastern Conference at the end of November.
Cunningham was the driving force behind the Pistons’ hot start, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game across 17 outings, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 81.5% from the free throw line.
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Heat guard Norman Powell, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were also nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, which Cunningham won for the first time in his career.