168 NBA players sit out games as season wraps
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The NBA regular season ends on Sunday, but dozens of players appear to have finished the season a little early.
In fact, a total of 168 players did not play Friday night due to listed injury or illness.
Among those 168 players were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, the last two league MVPs their teams faced.
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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., on April 10, 2026. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Mark Daigneault, head coach of the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, where Gilgeous-Alexander plays, said his stars have “earned the right to sit in” considering they have once again captured first place in the Western Conference.
“If we didn’t hug [the No. 1 overall seed] Speaking to reporters before Jokic’s game against the Denver Nuggets, Daigneault said, “Starting tonight, everyone will play.” via ESPN.
“We earned the right to manage their bodies and things like that for 80 games.”
Among the stars to take the field on Friday were LeBron James, who has injury problems for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Victor Wembanyama, who had to play 20 minutes to qualify for season awards and admitted that he would not have played if he had already met the criteria. Jokic must play on Sunday to be deemed worthy of the award.
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., on April 10, 2026. (AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post)
NBA HIT ORLANDO MAGIC WITH HEAVY PENALTY AFTER TEAM FAILURE TO ACCURATELY DECLARE PLAYERS’ ELIGIBILITY
With the new wave of load management, another form of modern-day basketball was on display as the Boston Celtics tied the NBA record by making 29 three-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans. This is the fourth time this has been accomplished in NBA history.
The Memphis Grizzlies reached 29 points on Monday.
On April 3, for the second time in league history, the average margin of victory in at least nine games was at least 24 points. The first one was five days ago.
A basketball is placed on the court next to the NBA logo during a timeout in the first half of the 2023 NBA Summer League game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on July 7, 2023. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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All 30 NBA teams played their 81st game on Friday and will play their 82nd and final game of the regular season on Sunday.
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