Luka Doncic, LaMelo Ball Named Players Of The Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has won the award in the East, the NBA announced today in a press release.
It’s the second straight week Doncic has claimed the award. The 27-year-old had a spectacular showing from March 16-22, helping guide Los Angeles to a 4-0 road record by averaging 42.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 3.0 steals on .500/.390/.723 shooting in 38.5 minutes per contest.
The highlight of Doncic’s week came on Thursday in Miami, when he poured in a season-high 60 points. The Slovenian superstar has now won Player of the Week four times in 2025/26, moving past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has three.
Ball helped lead Charlotte to a 3-0 record last week, averaging 26.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.0 RPG and 2.3 SPG on .500/.412/.846 shooting in just 27.3 MPG. This is the first time the former All-Star point guard has claimed the weekly award in 2025/26 (and in his career).
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Ayo Dosunmu, Rudy Gobert, Gilgeous-Alexander, Amen Thompson and Victor Wembanyama. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Duren, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Karl-Anthony Towns were nominated in the East.
Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Duren, Jenkins, Injuries, Robinson
With Cade Cunningham likely to miss out on postseason awards, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said this week that he’d like to see some alterations to the current rules.
Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung this week and won’t be reevaluated for two weeks. He needs to play in five more games to reach the 65-game minimum to be eligible for most postseason awards. He had been a candidate for Most Valuable Player, as well as a surefire pick for an All-NBA team.
“There are so many different things now that you have to take into consideration that you shouldn’t have to take into consideration,” Bickerstaff said. “The guys are good enough. They deserve certain things. They play a certain way. Guys shouldn’t have to feel like they have to play hurt or injured to make something like that happen.
“I don’t have an answer for you as to what the best thing is moving forward, but I do think if you have serious injuries and you’ve played a certain way throughout the season and you’ve played a certain amount of games, a certain amount of minutes, whatever it may be, you should still be able to qualify for those awards. Again, I get the intent behind it. I just think there has to be a better way.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Detroit’s other All-Star, center Jalen Duren, had a team-high 23 points and six rebounds in Friday’s 115-101 victory over the Warriors. Duren, who is averaging 19.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest, has led the team in scoring during their three-game winning streak. “For me, I’m just proud of my group. Proud of where I’m at now,” said Duren, who will be a restricted free agent after the season. “This is something that I’ve always known I can be. I’ve always known I can be one of the better players in this league, and I’ve still got a lot of room to grow. I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near as good as I can be. There’s still a lot of things I can get better at, but I’m proud of everybody… From where we’ve started to now, I’m proud of everybody who has been a part of it.”
- Starting in place of Cunningham, Daniss Jenkins supplied 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against Golden State. It’s the fourth time this season Jenkins has reached the 20-point mark. “It’s just a different challenge,” Jenkins said during a TV interview regarding the loss of Cunningham. “We get to test ourselves, how can each guy take their game to the next step to pick up for that missing piece in Cade. We know he’s a big piece – that’s our guy. So we’ve just all got to step up in different ways to pick up for his loss. That’s all we’re trying to do. It’s a challenge.” Jenkins was promoted from a two-way deal to a two-year contract last month.
- Along with Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain), they played the second game of a back-to-back without guards Marcus Sasser (right hip soreness) and Kevin Huerter (right shoulder contusion).
- In case you missed it, the Pistons clinched a playoff spot with their victory on Friday. Detroit was knocked out during the first round by the Knicks last season and Bickerstaff believes that experience in the postseason will pay off this spring. “I do still believe that you have to have experience,” Bickerstaff said, per Jeff Zillgitt of NBA.com. “But that experience that we had last year versus the Knicks is enough. That experience gave our guys an opportunity to understand exactly what playoff basketball looks like and how to win in the playoffs. Our guys were able to go on the road and win two playoff games in the Garden, with all the allure that comes along with that and the pressures of the moment. That says our guys have what it takes to do it and then do it again. That’s the thing that gives me such belief that we’re capable of doing that.”
- Duncan Robinson wasn’t on the roster when the Pistons won a league-low 14 games two seasons ago. He sees the franchise’s dramatic turnaround as part of a culture shift, he told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “Having an identity is a big piece,” Robinson said. “We know who we are, and we know what’s required night to night in order to win games. Having guys you can really rely on on a night-to-night basis. A guy like Cade, that’s your leader. (Duren) has obviously flourished into that role as well. So it’s fun, man.”
Pistons First East Team To Clinch Playoff Spot
The Pistons became the first team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot when they defeated Golden State on Friday.
Detroit, which was playing without star guard Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung) and backup center Isaiah Stewart (calf strain), received key contributions from several players in the win. Jalen Duren (a team-high 23 points in 21 minutes), Daniss Jenkins (22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) and Ausar Thompson (career-high seven steals) were among the standouts.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff discussed the achievement after Friday’s game, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic tweets.
“They’ve been a joy to coach,” Bickerstaff said. “They’ve been one of the most connected teams I’ve ever been a part of. I feel fortunate every single day I get to come to work with these guys. … The spirit they play with every night is just different here.”
The Pistons improved to 51-19 with the victory. They currently have a four-game lead over Boston for the top seed in the East.
The Thunder and Spurs, the only teams ahead of Detroit in the standings, both clinched spots in the West earlier this week.
No matter what happens the rest of the regular season, the Pistons can finish no worse than No. 6 in the East, which guarantees a playoff berth. They’re in a strong position to finish first, though their remaining schedule is pretty difficult.
2025/26 continued a dramatic turnaround for Detroit, which had the worst record (14-68) in the NBA just two years ago. The Pistons improved by 30 wins last season, going 44-38 en route to the sixth seed and a first-round playoff loss to New York. They have a chance to win 60-plus games this season.
Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Duren, Bickerstaff, Thompson
The Pistons were dealt a major blow on Thursday when Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung. However, there was some relief in Detroit that the star guard didn’t sustain a broken rib, Vincent Goodwill of ESPN said on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
According to Goodwill, Cunningham appears likely to miss the remainder of the regular season, but the team is hopeful its best player will recover from the ailment in time for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, which will begin on April 18.
When the Pistons announced Cunningham’s injury, they said he’d be reevaluated in two weeks. Goodwill hears they’re optimistic Cunningham’s lung will have healed by that point, and then he’ll ideally begin doing non-contact work for a week, followed by a week (or more) of contact work ahead of the playoffs.
“It’s tough. Tough for Cade to go through what he’s going through now,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to Thursday’s game at Washington (Twitter link via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic). “… He’s a huge part of what we do from a leadership standpoint. The talent’s there, but being around him every single day makes people’s days better. We’ll miss that.”
We have more on the Pistons:
- Bickerstaff said before the game that Detroit will be playing through All-Star center Jalen Duren more often with Cunningham sidelined, per Patterson (Twitter link). “That’s what it’s going to be,” Bickerstaff said. “The ball is going to be in his hands a ton, and he has the ability. It’s been great to see his growth overall as a connector. … He’s a guy we’ll play through.” Duren had a strong performance against the tanking Wizards, recording 24 points, 11 rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes in the 22-point victory.
- The Pistons collected their 50th win of the season on Thursday. It’s the first time they’ve won 50-plus games since 2007/08, when they went 59-23, the team noted (via Twitter). Detroit now has a four-game lead over Boston for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
- In his third game back from a right ankle sprain, third-year wing Ausar Thompson finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 22 minutes. The team’s top perimeter defender discussed Cunningham’s absence after the win, as Patterson tweets. “We play with him in our mind,” Thompson said. “How hard he goes every day, his energy, we’ve got to step up as a collective and bring that. … When he comes back we’re going to be very excited and ready for him to step in and do what he does.“
Pistons’ Cade Cunningham Exits Early Due To Back Spasms
Pistons All-Star guard and Most Valuable Player candidate Cade Cunningham departed his team’s game against the Wizards on Tuesday during the first quarter due to back spasms, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
He asked to sub out with 6:40 remaining in the quarter. Moments earlier, Cunningham collided with Wizards rookie Tre Johnson when the two were attempting to corral a loose ball, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
Afterward, coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not provide an update on Cunningham’s condition or availability for upcoming games. Detroit defeated the lottery-bound Wizards 130-117 behind a career-high 36 points from its other All-Star, Jalen Duren.
Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons. He needs to play in at least five more games to meet the NBA’s 65-game rule regarding eligibility for major awards. Detroit has 14 regular season games remaining.
The Pistons play the Wizards in Washington, D.C. once again on Thursday before beginning a four-game home stand against Golden State on Friday. If Cunningham needs to miss some time, they will have to rely on Marcus Sasser and Daniss Jenkins to run the point. The duo combined for 24 points and 11 assists on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, we’ve dealt with a lot this season and had to call on different guys throughout the year,” Bickerstaff said, per Patterson. “Tonight was an opportunity to do that, give guys minutes and give guys opportunities to see what they could do.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Pistons announced that key reserve Isaiah Stewart would miss at least a week of action due to a calf strain.
“The most important thing is health and habits,” Bickerstaff said of approaching the postseason. “We’ve got to make sure, this month has been a lot of games for us, it will be a lot of games for us. So, making sure that we’re doing things right on the off days, how we’re recovering and all those things, to get guys opportunities to get on the floor, so that we can continue to work those habits. That’s priority number one for us.”
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.
Pistons Notes: Thompson, Holland, Cunningham, Huerter
The Pistons, who hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, lost their second straight game on Thursday at San Antonio. They also lost their best perimeter defensive player — third-year wing Ausar Thompson — to a right ankle sprain just two minutes into the contest, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.
“Ausar obviously means a lot to us,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “What we were able to do defensively, what he does defensively, the impact he has, obviously, you miss. We just had to figure out a way collectively to pick it up.”
Thompson has already been ruled out of Saturday’s contest vs. Brooklyn, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. The 23-year-old will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- Second-year forward Ron Holland was also forced out of Thursday’s game after sustaining a left eye injury, the team announced (via Twitter). “He got hit in the eye and it was blurred vision. I didn’t want to put him out there, didn’t feel comfortable putting him back in the game if he couldn’t see straight out of that eye,” Bickerstaff said (Twitter link via Patterson). However, Holland should be ready to go on Saturday, as he’s not listed on tomorrow’s injury report, Patterson tweets.
- Guard Cade Cunningham (left quad contusion) is questionable to suit up against the Nets, while center Jalen Duren is probable because of low back spasms, as Patterson relays (via Twitter).
- Veteran guard Kevin Huerter showed on Thursday why the Pistons traded for him last month, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Huerter had been out of the team’s rotation of late, receiving a DNP-CD in six of his last seven games heading into Thursday, but he capitalized on his opportunity with Thompson out, contributing seven points (on 3-of-4 shooting), five rebounds, two assists and a steal. He was plus-15 in 17 minutes in the 15-point loss to the Spurs. “It’s different, it’s for sure different,” Huerter said of his role. “I think I also know at this point how to be a pro, how to keep myself ready, staying in the gym. It’s my job to be there and try to learn this offense, figure out our identity on the defensive side of the ball and watch film when I can. But obviously keep myself in shape and sharp as much as I can and control the things I can control.“
Anthony Edwards, Jalen Duren Named Players Of The Week
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Week, while Pistons center Jalen Duren has claimed the award in the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Edwards, who was named to his fourth straight All-Star team this season, helped Minnesota go 3-0 in a trio of road games played from February 23 – March 1. The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 28.7 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .457/.357/.667 shooting in those three appearances (37.7 minutes per game).
Duren, a first-time All-Star in 2025/26, helped guide Detroit to a 3-1 record last week. The 22-year-old big man averaged 25.8 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 34.0 MPG. He shot 63.9% from the field and 73.5% on free throws over the four games.
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Saddiq Bey (Pelicans), Luka Doncic (Lakers), Kevin Durant (Rockets) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder).
Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Duren’s teammate Cade Cunningham, Jonathan Kuminga (Hawks), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Brandon Miller (Hornets) were nominated in the East.
Central Notes: Harden, Thompson, Duren, Bulls
James Harden never considered getting surgery on the thumb he fractured in a Cavaliers game against the Knicks last week, Chris Fedor writes for Cleveland.com. Returning to play on Sunday in a matinee matchup with the Nets, Harden scored 22 points on nine shots while adding eight assists and nine rebounds. After the game, he broke down why, for him, it was a simple decision not to opt for surgery.
“That’s too much time out,” Harden explained. “Thought about playing last game (on Friday). Thought about playing in Milwaukee (on Wednesday). There’s going to be some discomfort, so just figuring out ways to fight through… Got no other choice.”
On Saturday, he went to the NBA Players Association in Manhattan to get an individual workout, with the intent of seeing if he could dribble.
“If I can dribble, I can play,” he said. “I still couldn’t dribble how I wanted to, but it was good enough.”
Harden finished the game with five turnovers, which is where head coach Kenny Atkinson saw the effects of the injury shining through.
“Just fumbling the ball,” Atkinson said. “Couple of those turnovers weren’t his. Then I noticed him kind of deferring a couple times when bringing the ball up. Which he never does. Just probably needed to give it a break. It’s a tough one, especially for a guy that handles it as much as he does. But we needed him. He played handicapped. But he still played well.”
We have more from around the Central Division:
- While his stats might not always jump off the page for the Pistons, Ausar Thompson is Detroit’s floor-raiser and defensive heart, Hunter Patterson writes for The Athletic. He had a team-high 144 combined steals and blocks coming into Sunday’s game, and the Pistons are 21-4 when he plays 27 minutes or more. “You know how people have offensive modes where they feel like they’re on fire?” Thompson asked. “I feel like I have defensive modes like that. So when I get in modes like that I’m like, ‘Yeah, this guy’s not scoring.‘” Coach J.B. Bickerstaff highlighted his pick-and-roll defense as being particularly valuable. “His ability to get through screens and get back in front of his man so you don’t ever have to bring two (defenders) to the ball lets our defense continue to play five-on-five instead of playing five-on-four or four-on-three,” Bickerstaff said.
- Jalen Duren, the first-time All-Star, got a feather in the cap of his already exemplary season on Friday, Patterson writes. With Cade Cunningham on the bench after fouling out in the fourth quarter, Duren helped the Pistons erase a nine-point Cavs lead in under three minutes. He scored 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Pistons got the three-point victory, and added 16 rebounds and three blocks. Despite watching the end of the game from the sideline, Cunningham was all smiles about his teammate’s performance. “It’s special, man,” Cunningham said. “It’s everything we talked about, everything we knew he was capable of. He’s put a lot of work in to be where he’s at.” Over his last four games preceding Sunday’s victory over the Magic, Duren was averaging 28.3 points and 14.5 rebounds on 65.2% shooting. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer.
- The Bulls got their first win since January 31 on Sunday, beating the Bucks 120-97 and snapping an 11-game losing streak. The win gave the young, awkward-fitting roster a positive moment to savor, Brian Sandalow writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. “I know it’s been frustrating for [the players], I know I’m in the locker room after a game and after a loss they feel like they’re working hard, they’re trying hard,” coach Billy Donovan said. “… To see them stick with it for a whole month like this and to go through the struggles of that, I just appreciate the way they’ve stayed together and just continued to try to come back in each day to work to get better.” Donovan says that despite the winless month, he has seen growth from the team.
Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Duren, Sasser, Huerter, Stewart, Jenkins
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff detailed during his pregame press conference on Friday his reasons why Cade Cunningham should receive the Most Valuable Player award.
“I wish I could (state Cade’s case MVP) with a better, stronger voice…I mean, he deserves it,” Bickerstaff said. “Right now, again, if the season were to end today, the best player on the team with the best win percentage, to me, is the guy that deserves to be the MVP.
“What he does for us on both ends of the floor; he doesn’t take nights, or times, or possessions off defensively. We’ll put him on the other team’s best perimeter player, and he’ll go down on the offensive end and score his 25 points but create for his teammates. He’s second in the league in assists and makes his teammates better also. And, then the game’s on the line, you can give him the ball, and he’s one of the best clutch players we have in this league. So, I’m hard-pressed to find a better example or statement of who the MVP should be.”
Cunningham is averaging 25.4 points, a career-high 9.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for the East-leading Pistons, whose 44-14 record is the NBA’s best mark.
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- All-Star center Jalen Duren said he never wanted to leave the organization, even during its franchise-worst 14-win season in 2023/24. “That’s not my character. That’s not me. I’m super loyal,” Duren told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “I hang my hat on loyalty. I was raised on loyalty. These are my brothers, man. Honestly, I don’t just say that just because we’re all on the same team. I honestly love these guys. So, in my head, looking at it, I didn’t see a bad team. I was young. I knew we had pieces. We were just missing something. Experience would be the easy thing to say. We were just missing something. We were missing a lot, actually. But for me, I just never saw it as this is not going to work. I always knew that once we figured some things out, grabbed a couple pieces, established a culture, maybe we can be something.”
- Marcus Sasser and trade deadline acquisition Kevin Huerter haven’t cracked the rotation, but Bickerstaff said there will be opportunities for both players to earn minutes next month. “We got a heavy March, right? We got a ton of games in March where everybody will get an opportunity to play,” he said. “And because of our depth, we feel confident that we can still compete at a high level with the depth that we have and get those guys some chances to play.” Sasser played 11 minutes during Friday’s overtime win against Cleveland but didn’t score.
- Isaiah Stewart, who is still serving a seven-game suspension for his involvement in a pre-All-Star break brawl with Charlotte, says he patterns his game after Hall of Famer Ben Wallace, who earned four Defensive Player of the Year awards with Detroit. “He paved the way for us undersized guys,” Stewart told Vince Goodwill of ESPN. “I’m trying to live up to that and put my name somewhere positive in this organization.”
- Daniss Jenkins, who was promoted from his two-way contract with a two-year, $8MM deal earlier this month, hit three clutch free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt in the closing seconds of regulation on Friday. That allowed the Pistons to steal a game against the Cavs in overtime. “He’s been mature. I hate to say that, but it’s not surprising anymore what he’s done,” Bickerstaff said. “When his number has been called, whatever the moment has been, he’s been a productive for us and effective for us.”