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.
Kawhi Leonard Sprains Left Ankle
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard set a new franchise record on Saturday vs. Sacramento by scoring at least 20 points for a 45th consecutive game, eclipsing the mark Bob McAdoo set during the 1974/75 season when the team was known as the Buffalo Braves, per an Associated Press report.
However, there was little to celebrate for the Clippers and Leonard, who exited the game with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter after suffering an injury later diagnosed as a left ankle sprain. Without the star forward, who had 31 points before the injury, the Clippers were unable to complete a fourth-quarter comeback and saw their four-game winning streak snapped by the 17-51 Kings, the worst team in the Western Conference.
While the home loss to Sacramento is a disappointing setback for a Clippers team looking to solidify its hold on the No. 8 seed in the West – and gain a little ground on the No. 7 Suns – Leonard’s health is the more pressing concern going forward.
Leonard’s injury occurred while he was defending Kings wing DeMar DeRozan. He went up to contest the ball as DeRozan looked to shoot or pass, but landed awkwardly on DeRozan’s foot and came up limping (video link via NBA.com).
Although the Clippers confirmed that Leonard wouldn’t return to Saturday’s game and later confirmed that he suffered a sprain, the team has yet to indicate whether he’ll miss additional time.
After being limited to 37 games last season for health reasons, Leonard has made 53 appearances and has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his 15-year NBA career in 2025/26. The 34-year-old has averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.0 steals in 32.3 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .501/.378/.897.
Leonard has played a key part in helping L.A. turn things around after a disappointing 6-21 start to the season. The club has a +4.1 net rating when he’s on the court and a -5.9 mark when he’s not, so his absence will be felt if he has to sit out games this week. The Clippers will host the Spurs on Monday before embarking on a three-game road trip to New Orleans (Wednesday and Thursday) and Dallas (Saturday).
Pacific Notes: Kerr, Lakers, Clippers Investigation, Kings
With Jimmy Butler out for the season due to an ACL tear and Stephen Curry sidelined by a knee injury, Warriors coach Steve Kerr feels the need to send a positive message to his team, Matt Leland of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. Explaining his animated reaction to a Kristaps Porzingis three-pointer on Tuesday, Kerr made his comments during an interview on the 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs” show.
“I’m just trying to really fire the guys up,” Kerr said. “We were, I thought, demoralized at times [in Tuesday’s loss to Chicago]. The Bulls had a big run at the end of the second quarter and I could just feel the air leaving our balloon. Without Steph, without Jimmy I think I have to take on more responsibility, just keeping the guys’ spirits up, that sort of thing. So, that’s probably what you were looking at.”
Golden State has lost three straight and five of its last six games.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers have shown progress on the defensive end in their last two outings, holding the Knicks to 97 points and the Timberwolves to 106 points. Is their defensive improvement sustainable? Even head coach JJ Redick isn’t sure about that. “We’re not gonna be the No. 1 defense in the league,” he said, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “But to be above average, have those two performances against those two teams back-to-back, is really encouraging.” Redick said the team especially needs to improve its rim protection. “Just the consistency of our low man, you know,” he said. “We’re one of the worst teams at defending the rim. That’s not on our bigs, that’s on everybody. So we’ve had stretches, I thought, if you look at our good defensive games, our low man’s really active, our low man is giving paint consequences.”
- The NBA’s investigation into allegations that the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard used a no-show endorsement deal with fintech company Aspiration to circumvent the salary cap has dragged on since September. Investigative journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre, who originally broke the story during the offseason, continues to find more evidence pointing to wrongdoing (YouTube link). Torre uncovered that a 2023 whistleblower complaint was made to the Security and Exchange Commission, accusing Aspiration of fraudulently misusing funds to assist the Clippers’ efforts to circumvent salary cap restrictions to pay star Leonard “an incentivized bonus,” as Mike Vornukov of The Athletic relays.
- The Kings became the first Western Conference to be officially eliminated from playoff contention. Their loss to the Hornets on Wednesday made that a reality, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith notes (Twitter link). Indiana was the first team to get mathematically eliminated this week.
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.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Green, Porzingis, Kawhi, Moody
The Warriors entered Thursday’s game in Houston having gone 23-16 with Stephen Curry available and just 8-14 in games he has missed. However, the shorthanded club, playing without Curry for a 12th straight game due to his knee injury, pulled out a surprising overtime win over the Rockets, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater writes, after the two-time MVP texted Draymond Green some words of encouragement before the game.
“Keep going,” Curry told his teammate, according to Green. “I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back.”
Head coach Steve Kerr referred to it as the “best game of the season” for Brandin Podziemski, who scored a team-high 26 points and grabbed five offensive rebounds in 40 minutes of action, and said Golden State got a “vintage” performance from Green. Two-way player LJ Cryer, who had played eight total minutes in three games and had been out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury, also came up big with 12 points in 20 minutes off the bench, Nick Friedell of The Athletic notes.
While Curry’s return still isn’t imminent and there’s no specific timeline for when he’ll be back, Green said he knows the star guard is doing everything he can to play again in the coming weeks.
“My confidence level is high, ultimately, because I know (Curry)’s going to put in all the work and do everything he can to get back,” Green said. “If his body allows him to get back, I know he will come back. He’s not wanting to just shut it down. For us, just got to stay afloat. Nobody’s expecting us to go on a 10-game win streak, but you just got to stay afloat. Tonight’s a big step towards that.”
We have more on the Warriors:
- Kristaps Porzingis has been able to do more on the court in recent days and the Warriors are hopeful that will trend will continue, Friedell writes for The Athletic. Porzingis is on Golden State’s three-game road trip and told The Athletic he’s feeling better after missing the last six games due to an illness, but Kerr was noncommittal on a timeline for the big man. “He’s gonna get a workout today, and we’ll just take it day by day from there,” Kerr said. ESPN’s Slater and Ramona Shelburne took a more in-depth look at the “mysterious” illness that has affected Porzingis over the past year and limited him to one appearance since the Warriors acquired him from Atlanta last month.
- Within that story on Porzingis, Slater and Shelburne cite league sources who say the Warriors were among the teams to inquire on Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard prior to last month’s deadline. Leonard ultimately stayed in Los Angeles even though L.A. traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac.
- Fifth-year Warriors wing Moses Moody sat out on Thursday due to a right wrist sprain, but he shouldn’t require an extended absence. Kerr referred to Moody last night as day-to-day, tweets Slater.
- During a radio appearance this week on 95.7 The Game, Kerr responded to criticism about the way the Warriors have developed young players in recent years, as Florito Maniego of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I think we’ve really addressed that over the last four or five years,” Kerr said. “We felt like there were some improvements we could make, and we changed some things organizationally. We brought in a couple of people to put them in charge of player development. I think we’ve done a pretty good job with that over the last few years. … I think part of the frustration of our fans probably stems from the fact that we have the three lottery picks coming at a time when we were winning a championship. And it’s just hard to play 19-year-olds on championship teams. The development that comes is going to be different than it would come on a team that’s in the lottery, where you just put a guy out there for 35 minutes and let him make his mistakes.”
Cunningham, Wembanyama Earn Player Of The Month Honors
Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham has become the first player to be named Player of the Month twice this season, earning the Eastern Conference award for February after also having done so in October/November, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
Cunningham’s Pistons maintained their comfortable lead atop the Eastern Conference standings by going 9-2 in March. The former No. 1 overall pick led the way, averaging 25.4 points, 9.9 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks in 33.5 minutes per contest, with a .472/.373/.769 shooting line.
Cunningham’s biggest game of the month came after the All-Star break when he racked up 42 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds in a victory over the Knicks in New York. That was one of six double-doubles he recorded in February.
Cunningham beat out fellow nominees Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers), Desmond Bane (Magic), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Brandon Ingram (Raptors), Brandon Miller (Hornets), and Ryan Rollins (Bucks) to claim the monthly award in the Eastern Conference, according to the league (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama – another former first overall pick – was recognized for the second time this afternoon, earning Player of the Month recognition in the Western Conference after also having won the Defensive Player of the Month award.
In addition to anchoring the West’s best defense in February, Wembanyama put up big offensive numbers, contributing 22.5 points and 3.5 assists to go along with his 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game. It was enough to earn the 22-year-old the first Player of the Month award of his career.
San Antonio has dominated the Western Conference’s monthly awards after enjoying an 11-0 February — while Wembanyama took home Player of the Month and Defensive Player of the Month, his teammate Dylan Harper was named Rookie of the Month.
The other nominees for Player of the Month in the West were Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Lakers guard Luka Doncic, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.
Clippers Notes: Lopez, Leonard, Collins, Garland
Brook Lopez joined the Clippers to serve as a veteran backup to Ivica Zubac, but now it looks like he’ll be the starting center for the rest of the season, Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes in a subscriber-only story. Lopez started a few games after Zubac hurt his ankle in December, but he also spent time out of the rotation, with rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser as the first center off the bench. Everything changed when Zubac was dealt to Indiana at the deadline, and L.A. will be counting heavily on Lopez in its bid to reach the playoffs.
“It’s just been about staying ready for me,” Lopez said. “Obviously, my goal is to help my team win by whatever means possible, so on a nightly basis, whatever’s required of me, I’m going to go out there and do it.”
Lopez, 37, was a starter throughout his career before signing with the Clippers last summer, so he’s ready for a heavy workload. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds in Friday’s loss to the Lakers, and the offense ran through him after Kawhi Leonard left the game with stiffness in his left ankle and Bennedict Mathurin fouled out.
“I’m comfortable in a lot of different roles,” Lopez said. “It’s something I got to do for a good decade in my career, so I’m confident doing that. Again, whatever’s required of me.”
There’s more on the Clippers:
- Leonard, who’s listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Orlando, drew high praise from long-time rival LeBron James after the game, Carr adds. James said that even with Leonard’s lengthy injury history, he’s one of the league’s best players. “There’s things you can’t control. You only can control the controllables and the things that he’s been controlling is how he comes back and how (much) perseverance he (has) every single time,” James said. “That guy’s awesome. I swear, I have nothing but great things to say about Kawhi and the type of basketball he’s been playing over the last couple months. I mean, he is who he is for a reason, so I’m not surprised by it.”
- John Collins will be held out of Sunday’s contest after suffering a head laceration and neck soreness against the Lakers, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Murray notes that there’s no indication of a concussion in the injury report.
- Darius Garland tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he knew a trade out of Cleveland was imminent, and he blames a recurring toe issue that limited him to 26 games this season. “It was going to happen regardless, either at the (trade) deadline or this summer. (My agent) Rich (Paul) had that conversation with me last summer,” Garland said. “But yeah, the toe definitely had a factor in it. They didn’t know if I was going to be healthy for this season, which I will be. But they thought that James (Harden) had something that I didn’t, I believe. He has experience in playoffs and All-Star numbers still to this day, even though he wasn’t an All-Star this year. But yeah, they want to win right now. They have a group, too. And I guess I really wasn’t part of the plan.”
Clippers Notes: Aspiration Investigation, Mathurin, Jackson
Earlier in the season, there was a sense around the NBA that the investigation into allegations that the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard used a no-show endorsement deal with fintech company Aspiration to circumvent the salary cap wouldn’t lead to a serious punishment for the team, says Sam Amick of The Athletic.
However, according to Amick, that thinking has evolved in recent months. During the weeks leading up to the All-Star break, Amick writes, there was a “significant” uptick in speculation that “the NBA’s hammer is likely to fall” on the Clippers upon the conclusion of the probe.
Many people across the league theorized that the NBA would wait until sometime after the All-Star break to announce the results of the investigation, so as not to distract from the mid-season festivities at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome. Commissioner Adam Silver insisted over the weekend that wasn’t a consideration and reiterated that the probe isn’t being directly run by the NBA — the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was hired by the league to conduct the investigation.
“I think, as I’ve said before, it’s enormously complex,” Silver said over the weekend. “You have a company in bankruptcy (Aspiration). You have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed. I will say, just in case anyone is wondering, the fact that All-Star is here (in L.A.) has had no impact on the timeline of the investigation. Our charge to the Wachtell law firm is (to) do the work and then come back and make recommendations to the league office, and that’s where things now stand.”
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- In his home debut as a Clipper, recently acquired guard Bennedict Mathurin set a new personal season high and matched a career best by pouring in 38 points in 34 minutes, writes Doug Padilla of The Associated Press. Coming off the bench, Mathurin made 12-of-22 shots from the floor and 12-of-13 from the free throw line to help lead the club to a one-point win over Denver. “It’s great to have another scorer that can get you 30 points,” Leonard said after the game (Twitter video link via Law Murray of The Athletic). “I watched him in the (2025 NBA) Finals. He was doing it in the Finals last year, all year last year for the Pacers. It’s great to have him.”
- Before the Clippers’ second-half schedule got underway on Thursday, Janis Carr of The Orange County Register (subscription required) explored how the team was working on integrating trade deadline additions Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and injured point guard Darius Garland. “Everybody is pretty familiar with my game, so it kind of helps a lot,” said Mathurin, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason. “I think that there’s still a lot more to do, still a lot more to learn with the system, offensive, defensive and especially off the court as well. … I just feel like I kind of get the chance to do it even more over here (with the Clippers). I think it is going to go to a different level.”
- Jackson has played a very limited role since joining the Clippers, but he says he’s working on getting acclimated and wants to do all he can to “help the team win,” per Carr. Head coach Tyronn Lue suggested the former Pacer will keep getting opportunities to battle rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser for minutes behind starting center Brook Lopez. “Right now, I’m just thinking, just talking to our staff, about just playing three bigs,” Lue said. “We can’t continue to play Brook 34, 35 minutes a night, even though he says he’s OK. So, just given three centers, it’s a chance to play them all and then whoever’s playing the best will probably play in the second half. We’ll see how it goes.”
- In case you missed it, the Clippers are filling their open two-way contract slots by signing G League standouts Sean Pedulla and Norchad Omier.
Pacific Notes: Ishbia, Leonard, Booker, Warriors
The Suns entered the break with a 32-23 record, the seventh-best record in the Western Conference. Team owner Mat Ishbia believes his team will remain consistent during the remainder of its schedule, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“Just more of the same,” Ishbia said of his expectations. “We’re going to compete at a high level and have a team the fans can be proud of. I think we’ve done that so far, but we’ve got to consistently do it. Fifty-five games are not enough.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard entertained the home fans by pouring in 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting (6-of-7 from three-point range) across a 12-minute span against the World Team during the All-Star contest on Sunday. “When I come in to play basketball, I’ve got one way,” Leonard said, per Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register. “Obviously nobody is trying to get hurt. I’m going to try to attack, try to get some shots up. I don’t like people just scoring on me.” Leonard, 34, has proven this season that he still has plenty left in the tank. He’s averaging a league-best 30.2 points per game with 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists since late December, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register notes. “Kawhi is special man,” the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns said. “He can step up to levels at any time when he needs to. He’s one of those few players that flips a switch and turns into a different animal, a different beast.”
- Suns guard Devin Booker plans to participate in the three-point shooting contest on All-Star weekend next year when it will be held in Phoenix. However, he doubts he’ll participate in any more after that, Rankin tweets. Booker lost 29-27 to Damian Lillard in this year’s final. “This one hurt a little bit. I wanted this one bad,” he said. “Wish I was defending it in Phoenix but it’ll probably be the last time I do it next year if I get the invite. I’m looking forward to it.”
- The Warriors made a big move prior to the trade deadline, acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from Atlanta. Salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com (subscription required) discusses how Golden State has positioned itself to make another big trade during the offseason.
New All-Star Format Earns Positive Feedback From Players
The NBA may have finally found an All-Star Game format that works, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The U.S. vs. the World approach with a round-robin tournament of 12-minute games was a huge hit on Sunday, bringing the event’s competitive intensity to a level that hasn’t been seen in years.
The first three contests all came down to the wire, providing thrilling finishes that captivated the players as well as the fans. Anthony Edwards, who earned MVP honors while leading his USA Stars team to the championship, credited Victor Wembanyama with inspiring the rest of the All-Stars by going all out to win.
“[Wembanyama] set the tone, and it was definitely competitive with all three teams,” Edwards said. “He set the tone, man. And it woke me up, for sure.”
The Spurs star delivered on the promise he made Saturday to approach the event like a normal game and provide a few “exclamation-point plays.” He was noticeably upset when a defensive mix-up caused his World team to lose its opener on a three-pointer by Scottie Barnes.
“It’s a game we love — it’s a game I personally cherish — so being competitive is the least I can do,” Wembanyama told reporters.
Kawhi Leonard put on a show for his home fans in the third game, scoring 31 points in a 48-45 victory over Team World. He thanked commissioner Adam Silver for selecting him as an injury replacement.
“It was great; happy that Adam let me in,” Leonard said. “That’s what the home crowd wanted to see. I’m glad I was able to do something in that game.”
Leonard’s performance also made an impression on his fellow All-Stars.
“We were watching it … like, ‘Damn, this guy is killing,'” Barnes said. “We were just like in awe. In shock, too. When a guy has it going like that, it’s special. That’s what the people want to see.”
In addition to the competitive games, Sunday’s showcase put a spotlight on the league’s younger stars, with Edwards, Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Johnson and Chet Holmgren leading the Stars team to a dominant win over the veteran-laden USA Stripes contingent in the finals, notes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports.
Although no decision has been made, it seems likely that the new format will be retained next season when the All-Star Game moves to Phoenix.
“I think they ain’t really going to take in what I’m saying, but I like this format,” Edwards said. “I think it makes us compete because it’s only 12 minutes, and the three different teams separate the guys. I think it was really good … I feel like the old heads played hard, too. They were playing real good defense.”