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SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs weren't looking for any grace down the final seven-game stretch of their regular season. They got some anyway.
An hour prior to tipoff between the Spurs and Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, Nuggets coach Michael Malone addressed the media and delivered an unexpected injury update. Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. — all of whom were listed as QUESTIONABLE on the team's official injury report — were downgraded to OUT.
I’m told the Nuggets plan to rest most of their players tonight, including Nikola Jokic.
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) April 2, 2025
All five stars are dealing with various ailments, but after a double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night, it seems the move was made more for rest purposes than anything else.
Sorry to anyone who has tickets in Denver tonight. Here is the list of key players out for the #Spurs and #Nuggets:
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) April 2, 2025
SAS
-Victor Wembanyama
-De’Aaron Fox
-Jeremy Sochan
-Devin Vassell
DEN
- Nikola Jokić
- Jamal Murray
- Christian Braun
- Aaron Gordon
- Michael Porter Jr.
The cast and crew for both sides were already expected to be slim, as the Spurs have been without Victor Wembanyama since Feb. 20 and De'Aaron Fox since March 13. Add on Charles Bassey, who has been nursing a bone bruise on his left knee since Feb. 25, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson, and you have a skeleton crew in San Antonio.
"Jeremy is getting better," Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson assured of Sochan. "When you have a back spasm like that and then you have to travel that is not going to be setting him up in the best place."
Johnson added that Sochan will potentially be available on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but until then, his status — and the rest of San Antonio's core — remain unknown.
Tipoff from Ball Arena is set for 9 p.m. EST Wednesday afternoon.
More must-reads:
- Jimmy Butler makes bold claim about Steph Curry after loss
- New info emerges about possibility of Suns trading Kevin Durant
- The 'Most three-pointers in an NBA season' quiz
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New info emerges about possibility of Suns trading Kevin Durant
The Phoenix Suns could be headed for an offseason filled with major change, and Kevin Durant is hardly viewed as a lock to remain with the team in the coming months. That does not mean the Suns are determined to trade the 15-time All-Star, however. After losing their sixth straight game on Sunday, the Suns are 2.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. The position they are in is shocking when you consider that they have one of the highest payrolls in the NBA. In an ESPN column that was published on Monday, Brian Windhorst examined what might be next for the Suns if they miss the postseason. The reporter said Phoenix does not want to trade Durant, but that might be the team’s only realistic way of getting out of the second apron and gaining roster flexibility. The Suns have said they will not trade Devin Booker. Bradley Beal has a full no-trade clause in his contract, so he would have to sign off on any deal. That leaves the 36-year-old Durant as the most sensible trade chip the Suns have, but Windhorst says they were looking for a "massive haul" when they spoke with teams at the trade deadline in February. Durant is still playing at an elite level. He has averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season. Most teams would have no problem paying him the $55 million he is owed next year, but Durant is said to be seeking a two-year, $120 million max contract extension. "If the Suns arrive at a crossroads where they have to move Durant, they might have to make a decision between getting what they want, which is a beautiful package of players and draft capital, and settling for what they need, which is flexibility," Windhorst wrote. There is another major change the Suns could make without breaking up their Big Three, but that may not solve all of their issues. If the Suns do decide they are better off moving forward without Durant, one Western Conference contender has already emerged as the favorite to land the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Colorado OC repeats warning amid Browns' rumors regarding Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter
Cleveland Browns reporters such as Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand repeatedly said throughout the first week of April that it now seems more likely the club will select Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and not Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur previously warned that a team that needs a quarterback shouldn't think twice about drafting Sanders. Shurmur again addressed the topic during a recent chat with Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "This is what I’ve told all 32 teams, and I really believe, if you need a quarterback, take Shedeur," Shurmur directly said. "If you don’t need a quarterback, take Travis. I’ve said you can’t go wrong, and I think that pretty much says it all." The Browns have unofficially closed the door on their Deshaun Watson era after he suffered a pair of serious Achilles injuries during the 2024 season. That said, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave reportedly believe Kenny Pickett can revive his career with the club after he largely failed to impress across his two-season stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickett was a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles for most of the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, Shurmur has experience serving as an NFL head coach and as an assistant at the highest level. It's now no secret that the Tennessee Titans are expected to make Miami's Cam Ward the draft's first pick on the night of April 24, but Shurmur suggested Sanders would be more than just a consolation prize for the Browns. "I’ve seen him obviously at this level and certainly (I was) at the pro level for many years," Shurmur said about Sanders. "He can make every throw you need to make. So that whole lack of arm strength thing, I don’t think it’s very accurate. If you can make every throw that you need to make and if you can do it and be very precise with your ball placement, I just don’t put much stock in that." Some think Sanders could slide into at least the 20s of the draft order later in April, while others believe the New York Giants could make the polarizing prospect the third overall pick of the player-selection process. Whispers have emerged claiming the Browns or Giants could spend their top choices on Day 1 starters and then trade back into the first round for Sanders, and Grossi mentioned that he feels Cleveland's interest in Louisville's Tyler Shough "confirms they are resigned to drafting a quarterback only after using their first pick on Hunter." Shurmur isn't a fan of such a strategy for a club that has no proven long-term quarterback on its roster. "His ability to make good decisions is one of the things he does extremely well," Shurmur added about Sanders. "When you’re a quarterback, you’re constantly making decisions, and when it comes to throwing the ball, you’ve got to know what you’re looking at, know when you see what you want to throw, and then pulling the trigger. So him being able to do that smoothly is part of what makes him unique." As of late Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed a New Orleans Saints side that could move on from Derek Carr next offseason as the betting favorite at +300 odds to draft Sanders. The Giants were second at +350 odds, followed by the Browns at +425.
Wayne Gretzky followed through on his promise to Alex Ovechkin
Wayne Gretzky was on hand as Alex Ovechkin broke his all-time record by scoring his 895th career goal on Sunday. That was not the only pledge Gretzky followed through on, either. Ovechkin scored his 895th goal with 12:34 to go in the second period of Sunday’s game against the New York Islanders. The goal touched off wild celebrations, and the game was stopped for a ceremony to commemorate the achievement. Gretzky was on hand, just as he had promised, and spoke during the ceremony that followed. He made sure to follow through on something else he had said before about Ovechkin breaking his record. “Alex, I said I’d be the first guy to shake your hand when you broke the record,” Gretzky said before he did so. Gretzky added a neat touch by wearing a pin honoring Gordie Howe, who had held the record before Gretzky broke it and died in 2016. Gretzky alluded to that in his speech as well. Gretzky also predicted that Ovechkin’s record might be impossible to break. “They say records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that,” Gretzky said. Gretzky has been highly supportive of Ovechkin’s record chase. His classy gestures on Sunday only further drove that home, and it was clear that Ovechkin was deeply appreciative of that support.
Report: Aaron Rodgers possibility 'all but dead' for the Minnesota Vikings
Like a mail carrier, we show up at your door almost every day of the week and sometimes the things we drop off are junk. In Vikings land, the equivalent to junk mail are stories about Aaron Rodgers. Today's junk comes from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who said on SportsCenter Sunday that Minnesota considers the Rodgers possibility "all but dead" at this point in the offseason. "The Minnesota Vikings, is [Rodgers] waiting them out? That is sort of a lingering question out there, but when I talked to people with the Vikings, this is all but dead for them, essentially," Fowler said. "Maybe if he's available later in the summer they would revisit, but that just seems unlikely at this point, so it's Steelers, retirement or bust." Fowler is hearing that the Steelers "remain optimistic" that Rodgers will sign with them in the near future, while NFL Network's Ian Rapoport pointed out Monday that the Steelers would prefer to know before draft so they're not feeling pressure to select a quarterback with a high draft pick. For what it's worth, Rapoport made no mention of the Vikings, perhaps signaling that the Rodgers junk mail will stop coming to Minnesotans doors in the very near future. Vikings news, rumors and analysis
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