168 NBA players sit out games due to illness, injury as playoffs approach

[aggregator] downloaded image for imported item #63568

This post was originally published on this site.

TheNBAregular season ends Sunday, but dozens of players appear to have wrapped up a bit early.

In fact, 168 total players sat out games Friday night due to either a listedinjury or illness.

Among those 168 players were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, the last two league MVPs whose teams faced off against one another.

Read More → Border czar Homan fires back at Pope Leo, explains what Vatican leaders ‘don’t know’ about immigration

Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jalen Williams, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seated on the Oklahoma City Thunder bench at Ball Arena

Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder watch a game against the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., April 10, 2026.(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Reigning championOklahoma City Thunderhead coach Mark Daigneault, whom Gilgeous-Alexander plays for, said his stars “earned the right to sit” considering they again snagged the top seed in the Western Conference.

“If we didn’t clinch [the No.1 overall seed] coming into tonight, everybody would be playing,” Daigneault told reporters ahead of a game against Jokic’s Denver Nuggets,via ESPN. 

“We’ve earned the right through 80 games to manage their bodies and stuff like that.”

Read More → Rick Harrison of ‘Pawn Stars’says gambling isn’t dying even as Las Vegas poker rooms close one by one

Stars to take the floor on Friday includedLeBron Jamesamid his Los Angeles Lakers’ injury woes and Victor Wembanyama, who needed to play 20 minutes to be eligible for season awards and admitted he would not have played if he had already met the criteria.Jokic must play Sunday if he wants to be considered for awards.

Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, Nikola Jokic, Christian Braun and Julian Strawther sitting on the bench during a basketball game.

Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, Nikola Jokić, Christian Braun and Julian Strawther of the Denver Nuggets sit on the bench during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., April 10, 2026.(AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

NBA HITS ORLANDO MAGIC WITH HEFTY FINE AFTER TEAM FAILED TO ACCURATELY DISCLOSE PLAYER’S AVAILABILITY

With the new wave of load management, another form of today’s basketball was on display as theBoston Celticsmade 29 3-pointers, tying an NBA record, against the New Orleans Pelicans.It was the fourth time in the history of the NBA this had been accomplished.

The Memphis Grizzlies converted 29 on Monday.

On April 3, at least nine games had an average margin of victory of at least 24 points for the second time in league history.The first time was five days earlier.

A basketball placed on the court next to an NBA logo during a break in a basketball game.

A basketball is placed on the court next to an NBA logo during a break in the first half of a 2023 NBA Summer League game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets at the Thomas &Mack Center July 7, 2023, in Las Vegas.(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Read More → Minnesota Dems unite to block Walz, Ellison impeachment push, sparking online outrage: ‘They’re panicking’

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

Read More → Complete mastodon jaw found in New York homeowner’s backyard: ‘Remarkable discovery’

All 30 NBA teams played in their 81st games Friday and will play in their 82nd and final games of the regular season Sunday.

�s 

Must Read

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top