標籤: encouraging

MIAMI – With Miami Heat star center Kel’El Ware out for Tuesday’s contest against the Washington Wizards, there’s no doubt that fans are holding their breath wondering the severity of his injury. As the Heat enter a crucial week to solidify their position in the Eastern Conference, the team needs as much as possible to knock themselves out of the play-in tournament, as head coach Erik Spoelstra has good news on Ware.

The young center came into Tuesday’s game with a right shoulder strain, an injury he suffered in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, as the team cannot afford any more injuries with Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and others missing time. However, Spoelstra would tell ClutchPoints that “it feels encouraging” about Ware.

“It happened on one of those rebounds, but he was able to check everything out today. It feels encouraging,” Spoelstra said before the Wizards contest. “So he’ll just get treatment, and then we’ll figure out when he can get back out there. I know he wants to get back out there.”

Erik Spoelstra on Kel’El Ware being out tonight:

“He was going to check everything out today, it looks encouraging…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/0LnYC8Iwgx

– Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) 10 March 2026

Ware has been on a roll since the All-Star break, recording five double-doubles and making a winning impact in every game, even playing well with Bam Adebayo on the same floor. With some attention being paid to the two-big man lineup, Ware has also gained more trust from the team when Adebayo is off the field, which hopefully the second-year player can regain once he returns.

“He’s starting to come along… there’s not going to be 20 and 15 every night, but his presence was felt today… and that’s what I look for for him, like making the right plays, being out there a lot, running in transition, blocking shots, and that gives me time to relax,” Adebayo said after the win over the Pistons.

The Heat’s Tyler Herro is also missing more time.

Another injury for the Heat is star Tyler Herro, who has been excellent since returning from a 15-game absence, but is now dealing with quadriceps soreness and has been ruled out, missing his 46th total game this season. Since he has been so impressive over the past nine games, especially last week, earning the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week award, should Herro step back from performing at 100 percent every game?

As for Spoelstra, he said before Tuesday’s game that Miami will continue to be “responsible” with Herro.

“I mean, we’ll see how things go,” Spoelstra said. “He’s been going through his full practices and going through his process with the coaches. He wants to be there. He understands this time of year. And, you know, he’s missed so much time that he just…he wants to go for it. You know, that’s the way he’s wired. He sees that we’re playing good basketball right now, but we’ll see, we’ll be responsible for it.”

Erik Spoelstra talks about Tyler Herro having quadriceps pain and having to step back from his workload to prevent further injuries: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/IDJsZuWuwG

– Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) 10 March 2026

It’s been a disappointing season for Herro, but there’s no denying how difficult the recovery process has been, which Spoelstra was reminded of after the win over the Pistons.

“It’s definitely not easy,” Spoelstra said. “You see it all the time in this league. Players, they’re the best in the world at what they do, and when they miss extended time, it’s really tough. You hear it all the time. There’s nothing like game conditioning, game rhythm. But the way he works is as close as you can get to that. Everything is a full speed rep.”

At any rate, Miami will be without Ware and Herro on Tuesday, as it remains to be seen how much more time they could potentially miss.

Crystal Palace have received encouraging news regarding Daniel Munoz’s shoulder injuryReports from Colombia suggest the defender will not face a long spell on the sidelines.

The latest update comes from the journalist pipe sierrawho first disseminated the information reported by a fellow Colombian journalist Julian Capra. According to him, the injury suffered by the Crystal Palace right back is not considered serious.

Capera said: “Daniel Munoz’s injury is not serious and does not involve any ligament or bone damage.”

This immediately reduces the likelihood of prolonged absence. The expected recovery timeline is also relatively short, with the estimated recovery time being between 10 and 12 days.

Hope to return before team announcement

Piper Sierra expanded on that information while discussing the potential impact on the upcoming international break.

“Daniel Munoz will be out for a little less than two weeks and will return just before the publication of Colombia’s squad call for March,” Sierra wrote on social media, citing Caprera’s reporting.

That timeline means the Crystal Palace defender could still be in the talks for the national team, depending on how his recovery progresses. “He will be available to Nestor Lorenzo only when called upon.”Sierra said.

Colombia manager Lorenzo is expected to soon announce his squad for international matches in March, meaning Munoz’s recovery will be closely monitored by the national team medical staff over the next few days.

Encouraging result for Crystal Palace

For Crystal Palace, the update represents a positive development after initial concerns over a shoulder problem.

Earlier discussions in the Colombian press suggested three possible diagnoses. Simple injury, dislocation, or ligament injury. The last of those would have been the most serious scenarios.

Ligament damage has now been ruled out and a recovery window of around 10–12 days has been suggested, with the expectation that Munoz’s absence will be brief.

This should allow the right-back to return relatively quickly and avoid a lengthy disruption for Oliver Glasner’s side.

If the current timeline holds, Palace could have their defender back available soon, with the focus now on ensuring he completes his recovery properly before returning to action.

After missing the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 104-97 win over the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Golden State Warriors, Chet Holmgren could return for Monday night’s contest against the Denver Nuggets. Holmgren, who is battling the flu, is listed as questionable on the Thunder’s injury report along with Alex Caruso (left hip injury). Starters Jalen Williams (right hamstring) and Isaiah Hartenstein are out with a left calf injury.

Outside of Holmgren’s potential return, second-year guard Ajay Mitchell has been cleared to return from an abdominal strain and left ankle sprain that have sidelined him since January.

The Nuggets will look to avenge last week’s 127-121 loss in overtime, where Holmgren helped make things closer with Gilgeous-Alexander, in his first game back from injury, sitting on the bench due to a minutes restriction. Chet finished with 15 points, a career-high 21 rebounds, three assists and three blocks against the Nuggets.

Chet Holmgren reacts to career milestone in Thunder’s win

After Thunder All-Star Chet Holmgren recorded a career-high 21 rebounds in a six-point overtime win against the Nuggets, he discussed the importance of reaching such a milestone. Following his first All-Star selection, Holmgren says the success he has had this season is a testament to hard work.

Holmgren said, “I try to put a lot into my body, making sure I get stronger each time. Continue to be as healthy as I can. Take care of yourself.” “I definitely think it’s benefited me, and I’ve gotten better in a lot of different areas, but I think I still have a long way to go with my body, with my game. I don’t want to let one night get too excited for me. I still have work to do.”

Chet Holmgren on his career-high 21 rebounds: “I try to put a lot into my body, making sure I get stronger every time out. Just continuing to stay as healthy as I can. Take care of yourself.”

I definitely think it has paid off for me and I have improved in many different areas… pic.twitter.com/hsvOB6tE12

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 28 February 2026

Holmgren and the Thunder will host the Nuggets on Monday at Paycom Center.

The Los Angeles Lakers received a somewhat encouraging update on center Deandre Ayton after he sat out Thursday’s 120-113 loss against the Denver Nuggets due to a knee problem.

Ayton’s night lasted only five minutes, during which the 7-footer collected two rebounds and missed his only field-goal attempt before heading to the locker room. The Lakers did not immediately rule him out, but ultimately he did not return.

After the game, head coach JJ Redick confirmed that Ayton’s early departure was due to left knee soreness, although the exact severity of the problem is unclear. Without his starting center, Redick adjusted the rotation by giving extended minutes to Jackson Hayes and deploying several small-ball lineups.

Hayes took advantage of his opportunity and produced 19 points, five rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes, while shooting 8 of 10 from the field. Los Angeles outscored Denver by seven points while Hayes was on the floor.

Ayton has been a regular presence in the lineup this season and has started more games than any other Laker. Over 54 games, he has averaged 12.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.9 blocks while shooting 66.7% from the field. However, injuries have occasionally hampered his campaigns. Of the eight games he has missed, five were related to knee problems, while four games early in the season were related to right knee soreness. He also sat out two games before the All-Star break due to the same issue.

Recent performance has also declined. In the seven games following the All-Star break, the 27-year-old averaged 9.9 points on 61.6% shooting and 7.6 rebounds, which is below his season production.

Los Angeles lost despite LeBron James’ historic milestone. The 23-year-old veteran passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals made in NBA regular season history, recording the 15,838th basket of his career. James finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, shooting 7-for-11 (63.6%) from the field before leaving the closing moments with elbow trouble. Luka Doncic contributed 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets were paced by Nikola Jokic, who recorded his 23rd triple-double of the season with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, while Jamal Murray also scored 28 points.

The Lakers, now 37-25, will turn their attention to Friday night’s home game against the Indiana Pacers, when Ayton’s status will become more clear.

Nolan Traore is finding his feet with the Brooklyn Nets. The 19-year-old rookie has impressed with his composure as the team’s primary ball-handler after earning the starting role. He put in another encouraging performance against fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama during Brooklyn’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

Wembanyama, who first met Traoré during the French national team’s preparations for the 2024 Olympics, spoke highly of his potential future teammate.

“[Nolan’s] Very young, and he was even younger when we were preparing for the Olympics in 2024,” he said, “and already, what I saw in him was maturity and the way he could control the game. And by the way, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. He has real guts, and I believe he is someone who will make incredible growth in his career.

Victor Wembanyama has high praise for Nolan Traore as he trains in the lead up to the 2024 Olympics:

“What I saw in him was maturity and the way he could control the game. And the way he could control the game, no matter who the opponent was. He has real guts. I believe… pic.twitter.com/rAr5i8lfj4

– Eric Slater (@erikslater_) 27 February 2026

Many considered Traore to be one of the top five prospects at the start of the 2025 pre-draft process. However, after an up and down 2024-25 season, he dropped to number 19 in the nets.

Nolan Traore impresses in starting point guard role in Nets’ rebuild

Traore struggled during his first NBA appearance and the Nets assigned him to the G League at the beginning of the season. After a highly productive extension with Long Island, the rookie point guard has emerged as the focal point of Brooklyn’s offense during the second half of the season.

Traore is averaging 11.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 44/30/76 shooting splits in 15 starts. The French floor general is the only NBA rookie to average 11 points and five assists during that span. His 6.2 assists per 100 possessions this season ranks third among all rookies who have played more than 800 minutes, trailing only Walter Clayton Jr. (6.6) and Dylan Harper (6.2).

“Nolan always believed he belonged,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “He always fights back, and he’s becoming the voice and presence that we believe he is. He’s not there yet because we also believe his ceiling is very high. These last 23 games are huge for him, huge for this group going into the summer, which will be the greatest summer of our lives.”