NBA Player News

There are no reports yet on whether Spalding ruptured his Achilles, and we certainly hope that’s not the case. He just inked a two-way deal with the Rockets last week and this would be a major blow for Houston and him. We’ll have more after Spalding undergoes an MRI.

In a two-man race for the NBA’s most prestigious regular season award, SGA emerged victorious behind averages of 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.1 triples. He shot 51.9% from the floor, 89.8% from the charity stripe and 37.5% from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander powered Oklahoma City to the NBA’s best record with a franchise-high 68 wins and the top seed in the Western Conference. SGA finished as fantasy’s third ranked player on a per-game basis behind only Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.

Edwards briefly went to the locker room in the first half to tend to an ankle injury that’s bothered him since the first round series against the Lakers. The story of this game, though, was the 23-year-old shooting guard’s inability to stop the Thunder’s runs in the second half. Edwards was a game-worst -23 in 37 minutes and only attempted one field goal in the fourth quarter. He’ll need to have better games than this if the Timberwolves are going to make this a series.

Randle kept the Timberwolves afloat in the first half. Anthony Edwards headed to the locker room with an ankle injury in the first half, but Randle made five three-pointers and the Timberwolves were clinging to a four-point lead at halftime. That lead wasn’t nearly enough to withstand how the Thunder outplayed the Timberwolves in the second half, but ultimately Minnesota has to be satisfied with another quality performance from Randle in these playoffs.

Williams, 24, became the youngest player in NBA history with at least 15 points, five assists, five steals and zero turnovers in a playoff game. Much like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he struggled in the first half but was a major factor in the Thunder blowing out the Timberwolves in the second half. While Williams has struggled with inconsistency in these playoffs, when he turns it on, the Thunder are tough to beat.

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in the first half, but the Thunder only trailed by four points. In the second half, he erupted with 20 points on 14 shots, four rebounds and five assists. The Thunder won the third quarter by 14 and the fourth quarter by 16. The overwhelming favorite for this year’s MVP award was electric in the second half as the Thunder put Game 1 away at home. Oklahoma City is now three wins away from reaching the NBA Finals with Game 2 on Thursday.

The 2008 first-round pick has had a lengthy career, and after nearly two decades, it may be coming to a close. Batum’s most productive seasons came in Portland, though he was still excellent with Charlotte and has been a valuable role player with the Clippers and 76ers in the later years of his career. His 17.5 minutes per game this season were a new career-low, and he will likely continue to play a small reserve role next season. Though he hasn’t added a ring to his resume, Batum has had a lot of success in his basketball career, including helping France to the silver medal in both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.

Caruso was one of the “game changers” in Game 7, as the decision to have him defend Nikola Jokic shifted momentum in Oklahoma City’s favor. The veteran guard did not record any rebounds, but he made the most of his scoring opportunities and was responsible for three steals. How the Thunder use Caruso in the Western Conference Finals remains to be seen, but he’ll have a crucial role off the bench. The Thunder host Minnesota in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Holmgren hit double digits in rebounds in five games this series, recording four double-doubles. While he missed all three of his three-point attempts in Game 7, the second-year forward/center filled the stat sheet otherwise. Holmgren will face a far different defensive challenge in the Western Conference Finals, as Minnesota’s Julius Randle is a more skilled offensive talent than Denver’s Aaron Gordon. Game 1 of the series is on Tuesday night.

After playing poorly in Oklahoma City’s Game 6 defeat on Thursday, Williams shouldered the blame for the result. He struggled in this series, so it had to feel great to play as well as he did on Sunday. Williams shot over 50 percent from the field and finished one blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. He’ll need to be more consistent in the Western Conference Finals if the Thunder are to advance past the Timberwolves, who visit Oklahoma City for Game 1 on Tuesday.

After scoring 32 points in Game 6, Gilgeous-Alexander was three better in Sunday’s decisive Game 7. Scoring efficiently, the Thunder star leads the league with seven games of 30 points or more in these playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander will look to add to his tally when the Thunder host the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday.