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.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Harper, Kornet, Three-Point Shooting
After missing Thursday’s game with soreness in his right ankle, Victor Wembanyama appeared to be back to 100% as he dominated the Hornets on Saturday, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The star big man posted 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and two steals as the Spurs improved to a league-best 17-2 since the start of February.
“It’s been really good for us to go through these games and find out about other teams and find out about ourselves,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “We’ve had to be in a lot of different types of games, whether it’s a little bit open or having to cover a lot of distance defensively, matching some physicality, late-game execution, seeing different ways that people guard us. All these experiences are, hopefully, lessons we turn into knowledge and wisdom moving forward.”
Wembanyama will be a top contender for Defensive Player of the Year honors and may be an MVP finalist as well, but only if he reaches the 65-game minimum to qualify. He can miss two more games over the rest of the season, and Johnson talked about the challenge of getting Wembanyama to that mark while still protecting his health.
“Victor has the longest things he wants to do that are important probably in the history of basketball,” Johnson said. “They all are important to me as well. There’s a lot that goes into that, and at times, we have to make tough decisions. Because on that long list, there are still things that we prioritize and put on the top of the list. But that guy, I think, is going to challenge us as long as we’re all here to continue to match that desire to keep checking things off that list.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Rookie guard Dylan Harper was held out of the game with a right calf contusion, Wright adds. Johnson called him day-to-day and said there’s “no long-term concern.”
- Wembanyama rekindled his “French Vanilla” connection with Luke Kornet on Saturday, setting Kornet up for a pair of alley-oop dunks in the third quarter, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The double-big lineup is popular with fans, but Johnson said it’s a “math problem” to keep both players on the court at the same time because Kornet plays most of his minutes when Wembanyama is resting. The scarcity of practice time that affects all NBA teams is also an issue. “If we haven’t trained and worked it out and really have a clear direction of what we’re looking for in certain situations,” Johnson said, “it’s tough than to ask them to go out in a game like that and execute at high level.”
- Three-point shooting was a weakness for the Spurs in the past, but coming into today they were tied with Charlotte for the league lead in that category since the All-Star break, McDonald states in a separate story. San Antonio hasn’t made any significant roster moves to add shooting, so Johnson believes the improvement is a result of playing faster. “Our pace has been great, so we’re getting probably higher shot quality,” he said. “I think our offense has continued to clean up in terms of spacing, execution, awareness. And then that typically flows into expectation of where people’s shots come from.”
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Bryant, K. Johnson, Barnes
Victor Wembanyama was a late scratch before the Spurs’ loss to Denver on Thursday due to soreness in his right ankle, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News states in a subscriber-only story. The star big man was ruled out after participating in warmups while wearing a brace to protect the ankle. He was placed on the injury report after playing 37 minutes Tuesday against Boston.
“It was a close call because there was a chance he could play,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “But, yeah, it was clear it was the right decision in terms of there was nothing we wanted to risk. (That’s) kind of been the north star of every decision we’ve made (regarding his health).”
Johnson added that he doesn’t expect the ankle issue to be a “long-term thing.”
It was the first time Wembanyama has missed a game since January 30, when he sat out against Portland due to a knee injury. Orsborn notes that the 30 consecutive games mark the longest stretch of his NBA career. San Antonio let a 20-point lead slip away on Thursday and surrendered two 40-point quarters without its defensive anchor.
Johnson is hopeful that Wembanyama can return for Saturday afternoon’s contest against Charlotte, saying, “I do, but that doesn’t mean he will. It’s going to be a wait-and-see thing. But, yeah, he was pretty close (to playing) tonight.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Johnson has been experimenting with small-ball lineups recently, but he hasn’t decided if they’ll be used in the playoffs, Orsborn adds in a separate story. Forwards Carter Bryant and Keldon Johnson both saw time in the middle on Thursday. “It’s going to be something that’s going to be discussed amongst the staff and we’ll talk through it, I’m sure,” Johnson said. “Different games will have different personalities and different matchups. But I think we have seen some positivity when we’ve gone small at times and tonight was probably the largest sample size in a given game.”
- Harrison Barnes returned from a five-game absence due to a left ankle impingement, raising questions about how he and Bryant will split time for the rest of the season, per Jeff McDonald of The Express-News (subscription required). Barnes scored 20 points off the bench in 27 minutes, while Bryant was limited to nine minutes of action.
- The Spurs and Wembanyama plan to make sure he reaches the 65-game minimum to qualify for postseason awards, according to McDonald. Thursday marked his 15th missed game of the season, meaning he can only sit out three more the rest of the way.
Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Fox, Plumlee, Ingram
The Spurs are the hottest team in basketball, thanks in large part to the play of Victor Wembanyama. As San Antonio’s stock has risen, so have the MVP chants for the young Frenchman, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
“Of course it’s one of my goals,” Wembanyama said of being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. “I also understand I need to press down the gas a bit in the last part of the season to win that award.”
Wembanyama has averaged 24.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game this season on .506/.360/.810 shooting splits while playing just 29.3 minutes per game. The Spurs have won 16 of their last 17 games and hold the NBA’s second-best record (48-17).
McDonald notes that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic make for some formidable competition for MVP recognition, but Wembanyama’s teammates believe their leader’s case is a strong one.
“We went from not making the playoffs to the second seed,” rookie Dylan Harper said. “There’s not a whole lot to debate.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- De’Aaron Fox is thriving as a play-maker for the Spurs of late, and it’s helping to drive their success, Tom Orsborn writes for the Express-News. “I just want to be at my peak physically and mentally towards the end of the season,” he said. “We’re getting there.” Fox’s coaches and teammates have been more effusive in their praise. Head coach Mitch Johnson said that the star guard had hit another gear, while Wembanyama chalked it up to a higher operating level. “What I see from him is great decision-making and really being at peace with the basketball gods, not forcing things, doing the right play,” Wembanyama said. Fox has had at least 19 points and nine assists in each of San Antonio’s last three games, all wins.
- Johnson values the experience that veteran center Mason Plumlee brings to the Spurs, Orsborn notes (via Twitter). “He was a rookie for (Kevin Garnett) and Paul Pierce in Brooklyn, so there’s quite a bit of experience and stories,” the 39-year-old coach said. “(He’s) played with high-level players and played a few different types of roles and has seen different levels of success.” Plumlee saw his first playing time with San Antonio on Tuesday night, grabbing one rebound in one minute of action as the Spurs took down the Celtics, 125-116.
- Coming into Wednesday, it had been 459 days since Brandon Ingram took the court in New Orleans, Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes, and his time there shouldn’t be undervalued by Pelicans fans, even though he’s now wearing a Raptors jersey. Walker calls Ingram one of the best players to ever play in New Orleans, noting that he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and was named to his first All-Star team as a Pelican. “He shares a lot of relationships here, so it should be a fun game,” interim head coach James Borrego said before the game. “I hope more than anything the city welcomes him back and embraces him. He gave a lot to this city. Blood, sweat, and tears. He was a competitor.”
Spurs Notes: Contender Status, Plumlee, Bryant, Ingram, Wembanyama
The Spurs have been nearly unbeatable since the start of February, and every win makes them believe their window as title contenders may already be open, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The latest impressive performance came Sunday night against Houston as the Spurs set season highs in points (145), assists (38) and three-point shooting (52.5%) in a 25-point victory over their division rivals.
“Over the last 15, 20 games we’ve been super comfortable in every single game and given ourselves a chance to win,” Stephon Castle said. “We have nothing but confidence coming into every single game.”
At 47-17, San Antonio holds the league’s second-best record and the No. 2 spot in the West with a little more than a month left in the season. The only concern is a lack of playoff experience, but Luke Kornet sees parallels to what his former Celtics team was able to do on its way to becoming a championship team in 2024.
“The (20)22 season we went on a roll from January on and were playing a high level of basketball,” Kornet said. “It’s been a cool thing to be a part of this, especially because of how much we are growing and how young we are.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Mason Plumlee expects to make his Spurs debut tonight against Boston, according to Tom Orsborn of The Express-News (Twitter link). The veteran center, who joined the team on a 10-day contract last month and then signed a rest-of-the-season deal, hasn’t played since undergoing groin surgery on December 31 while he was still with Charlotte. “My body feels great,” Plumlee said. “(The Spurs) had a good plan to get me back to playing shape, and I’m ready to go.”
- Rookie Carter Bryant got a chance to match up with his basketball idol when the Spurs faced Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers on Friday, per Mike Finger of The Express-News. Bryant finished with five points and three rebounds, but he made several impactful plays to help San Antonio overcome a 25-point deficit. “It gives you a different feeling,” Bryant said. “It gives you a different confidence. You walk with a different swag, you talk with a different swag. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, and it’s one of those things that gets addicting.”
- Harrison Ingram earned G League Player of the Week honors last month, but the 2024 second-round pick is more focused on getting regular playing time in the NBA, Orsborn adds in a full story. Coach Mitch Johnson envisions him as a blue-collar player who can handle some of the game’s underrated tasks. “It’s rebound, space the floor, off-ball impact, and it’s being, I wouldn’t say a dirty player, but like a Dillon Brooks sort of player,” Ingram said.
- James Jackson of The Athletic details Victor Wembanyama‘s MVP case, stating that he has one of the largest on-off differentials in the league. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Spurs had a net rating of plus-15.5 in 1,426 minutes with Wembanyama on the court and minus-0.3 in 1,603 minutes when he’s on the bench.
And-Ones: Extensions, Draft Sleepers, Edwards, Partizan
In a subscriber-only story for The Third Apron, Yossi Gozlan takes a look at 11 players around the NBA who are currently eligible for veteran contract extensions.
According to Gozlan, Spurs wing Julian Champagnie has been a complete bargain on his current deal and should be in line for a considerable raise. San Antonio holds a $3MM team option on Champagnie for 2026/27, which the team would have to decline to extend him.
As Gozlan writes, the maximum the 24-year-old could receive on an extension would be $87MM over four years. Gozlan suggests a four-year deal in the $75-76MM range could be a reasonable compromise for both sides.
Gozlan also projects extensions for Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (two years, $24MM) and Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (exact same structure), among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic lists nine of his favorite sleepers ahead of the 2026 draft. Hollinger acknowledges that some of the players on his list, including Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, may decide to return for another college season in 2026/27. A couple other sleepers Hollinger mentions (Corey Camper and Emanuel Sharp) will be automatically draft-eligible, as they’re both fifth-year seniors.
- Former NBA big man Jesse Edwards, who spent last season on a two-way deal with the Timberwolves, is in advanced talks with Spanish club Baskonia about a rest-of-season contract, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The Dutch center played for Melbourne United in Australia in 2025/26, averaging 13.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 35 games (22.4 MPG).
- In an extensive interview with Milun Nesovic of Serbian outlet Meridian Sport, Partizan Belgrade president Ostoja Mijailovic discussed a number of current and former NBA players, as Eurohoops and Sportando relay. The Sixers were limited to offering Partizan $875K as part of a buyout for Cameron Payne, yet the EuroLeague club received $1.75MM in that agreement. According to Mijailovic, the remaining $875K came from Payne himself. Mijailovic confirmed Partizan forward Isaac Bonga received NBA interest last month, but the team had the option to decline the $875K buyout it was offered for Bonga and did so because it values him. However, the former second-round pick could be on the move this summer, as Partizan will no longer have the option to turn down a buyout offer for Bonga once ’25/26 ends.
- Mijailovic also expressed regret for the lucrative deals given to Jabari Parker and Shake Milton, and said the team remains fond of Dante Exum, who was waived by Washington last month after being traded by Dallas. Exum hasn’t played at all this season due to a knee injury. “It is certainly our desire to bring back players who left a mark at Partizan and who can help the team on the court,” Mijailovic said, per Eurohoops. “Exum is one of the players we all adored, and we still adore him.”
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.
Victor Wembanyama Was Exuberant After Friday's Huge Comeback
- The Spurs continued their remarkable season by erasing a 25-point deficit in Friday’s win over the Clippers, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. Victor Wembanyama said after the game that he was “about to pass out” and called it one of the high points of his time in the NBA. “That was one of the best wins,” he added. “That was one of the best games, best parts of my career, my basketball life.”
NBA Explores Launching Streaming RSN Hub For 2026/27
The NBA has let its teams know that there’s a chance it will introduce a streaming hub for local broadcasts as soon as next season, sources tell Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. Many clubs’ local broadcasts have been thrown into disarray due to the fact that Main Street Sports Group, which has regional TV agreements with 13 NBA teams, is likely headed for insolvency.
That group of 13 teams – which includes the defending champion Thunder, along with the Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Bucks – would be the most likely candidates to be involved in the NBA’s new streaming hub.
As Friend points out, there are a few more teams (the Suns, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Pelicans) who have already abandoned their respective regional sports networks and could be candidates for the new venture as well. On top of that, Friend’s sources suspect the four teams who have deals with NBC Sports – the Celtics, Warriors, Sixers, and Kings – could be in play due to a sense that NBC may want out of the regional sports network business.
The other eight teams broadcast games on their own networks, which doesn’t necessarily rule them out, but would make it more complicated for the league to negotiate deals with each of them.
While it remains unclear exactly what the new setup will look like, Friend hears that the NBA has engaged in talks with potential partners like YouTube TV, DAZN, Amazon, and ESPN as it considers a package that might resemble NFL Sunday Ticket.
The total number of teams that opt in figures to be a major factor in determining the viability of this new streaming hub, Friend writes, citing sources who think the NBA would need to guarantee a broadcast partner a certain threshold of clubs in order to secure a significant deal. With enough teams involved, industry insiders believe an agreement would be worth billions, Friend adds.
Due to its financial woes, Main Street has missed payments to its teams on January 1, February 1, and March 1, per Sports Business Journal. The NBA originally didn’t plan on launching this sort of streaming hub until down the road, Friend writes, but it has become a higher priority in order to help teams make up for those lost rights-fee payments.
Although the league has informed its teams that it’s trying to get something together for the 2026/27 season, there’s no guarantee that will happen, so Main Street clubs have been advised to explore lining up a bridge deal for their local broadcasts. Those teams are exploring both linear and streaming options, Friend notes.
Friend also points out that, since a new league-wide streaming hub may overlap with League Pass, the NBA may need to either restructure League Pass or eliminate it all together down the road. Amazon currently distributes League Pass as part of its national broadcast agreement with the NBA, so those negotiations would be simpler if the league ultimately strikes a deal to make Amazon its partner on a new streaming RSN.
Southwest Notes: Barnes, Flagg, Poulakidas, Finney-Smith
Spurs forward Harrison Barnes saw his ironman streak end on Tuesday. He missed his first game since 2021 because he woke up from a pregame nap with a sore left ankle, according to The Associated Press.
Barnes had a streak of 364 consecutive games played before sitting out against the Sixers. He missed his first game since Dec. 4, 2021, when he was a member of the Kings.
Knicks wing Mikal Bridges has the longest active consecutive games streak at 616. Barnes also trailed only Bridges for most total games played since 2021 with 382.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Cooper Flagg should make his first appearance since the All-Star break during the team’s current trip, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. Flagg has been out since Feb. 10 due to a midfoot sprain. “He’s ramping up. Everything is going well,” Kidd said. “Today was to kind of get back in his routine and hopefully as we go on this road trip he can get in and play a game or two.” Dallas opened the six-game road swing with a loss to Charlotte on Tuesday.
- Both of the two-way contracts that the Mavericks gave to John Poulakidas and Tyler Smith this week are two-year deals, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Poulakidas, an undrafted rookie guard out of Yale, made his NBA debut on Tuesday. He went scoreless in 14 minutes but had five rebounds and two assists.
- Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is still dealing with left ankle pain after undergoing offseason surgery, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle reports. “Of course, me being me, I expect more but I’m just happy to be back out there on the court,” he said. “Got great teammates who [have had] my back even though I haven’t been shooting the ball as well as I want to. But you got to take your wins and my win is that I’ve been back on the court.” It’s been a struggle since he returned to action. He’s averaging a career-low 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 16.7 minutes while coming off the bench in 26 games.