Sunday’s Brooklyn Nets-Sacrmato Kings matchup will have a significant impact on the NBA’s draft lottery race. The Kings will be without Russell Westbrook, one of their top contributors, during the game. Westbrook was forced out of the game due to right leg pain.

The Kings are already without Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, De’Andre Hunter and Drew Eubanks.

Westbrook played 28 minutes during the Kings’ 139-118 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. He posted 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, three rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and one steal. The veteran guard has appeared in 64 games with 58 starts this season, averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists on .427/.338/.694 shooting splits.

Russell Westbrook out of Kings-Nets matchup due to foot illness

Sacramento entered Sunday’s game one spot behind Brooklyn in the draft lottery standings. The Kings have lost their last two games 4-1, slipping from first place to fourth. They have one more win than the Nets in third.

The Nets have lost six games after consecutive wins over the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month. They recently ruled out Igor Demin and Deron Sharp for the season, while Michael Porter Jr. is out for 2-3 weeks with a hamstring strain. Brooklyn also will be without Noah Clowney (right wrist sprain) and Nic Claxton (rest) on Sunday. Terrence Mann (illness) is probable for the matchup.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Kings enter Sunday’s game as 5.5-point favorites. They have another meeting with the Nets in Brooklyn a week from Sunday.

Max Strauss was back as if he had never left. In his Cleveland Cavaliers season opener after missing the first 67 games of the campaign due to the recovery of his broken left foot, the 29-year-old swingman brought his signature energy and hustle as if he had been playing this entire time.

“I played hard,” Strus said after the Cavs’ 130–120 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

“They’ve put in a lot of time and effort, and we’ve had a lot of conversations and conversations about what that looks like for them,” Donovan Mitchell said. “It’s easy for a guy to get discouraged, and he’s not one to give up, but put himself in a bad situation. But watching him keep working — obviously when I was out, we played pickup and played 1-on-1 and played 2-on-2, 3-on-3. So to see him do what he did tonight, it’s the same thing he’s been doing for about two and a half weeks, honestly. Y’all just don’t get it.” And that’s the Max Strauss we know.”

Fighting back tears, Strus talked about his confidence out of the gate.

“It was a long road,” Strus said. “I only know one way to work, and that’s go as hard as possible. I do that every day, and tonight too. I’m happy to play. I had a good night, but it doesn’t matter; we lost. I work out at the same rate every day and try to implement game speed reps and push myself to the max. I think tonight was a good demonstration of why it works and why I push myself to be that player.”

Brimming with anticipation as he waited at the scorer’s table, the Rocket Arena crowd roared as the horn sounded, and Strus checked in at the 4:53 mark of the first quarter for PA announcer Sean Peebles’ re-introduction. Immediately, with Cleveland trailing by 10, the veteran forward scored three balls in 30 seconds on a pass from James Harden on the left wing, drawing a loud ovation.

“I felt the energy,” Strus said. “It was special from the moment I went there to shoot the pregame. It shows you how much Cleveland loves their game and how much they care. I’m so grateful to be in Cleveland for this reason and to play for this organization. Our fans are second to none. I love being here and I love playing for them.”

“I loved the crowd,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “That was a really great moment, him coming in, and then hitting the first two threes. So it’s a shining light on a good day for us.”

Strus missed his next three attempts from long range at the same spot, including a transition pull-up and Donovan Mitchell’s catch-and-shoot from 27 feet. He finished the first half with 16 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes of action on 4-of-5 from the field.

Despite the Cooper flag and the Mavs pulling away in the second half, Strus continued his attack with two more corner threes and a sky-high putback to try to keep the Cavs within reasonable limits. It ultimately wasn’t enough to push his team over the edge, but those familiar Strus traits were back again.

He shot 7 of 9 from the field with 24 points, 8 rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes.

“I think you learn a lot about yourself when something is taken away from you,” Strus said. “I think I understand how important it is and how much it means to me that I want to come back, I want to make an impact, I want to help this team win. I love playing basketball, and I love doing it with a group of good guys. I’m happy to be back to be able to do that.”

“It was an amazing performance after seven months without playing an NBA game,” Atkinson said. “That may have been the best I’ve seen during that period of absence, and then coming into an NBA game and performing like that.”

Strus’ usual backtaps, strength as a screener, and overall destructiveness were on full display on each end. Immediately, the sentiment changed, and this is the kind of game-changer the Cavs are adding to the mix as the season winds down and the playoffs approach.

“It was the little things, the tip-outs, the two threes he hit back-to-back off our zoom action,” Mitchell said. “I set fire [screen] For that, and then he did a set and slid into the corner. Like, whether the shot is going in or not, these are the things you miss with him. And of course, Sam [Merrill] “He’s been phenomenal in that as well, so now that we have two of those guys, it’s great to see him back and be an even bigger threat for us.”

“They’re another reason I want to come back this year,” Strus said of his teammates. “I could dress it up and say, ‘Ah, I’ll be back next year.’ But I’m motivating myself to play, I want to play and everyone here is supporting me the whole time. So they wanted me to come back and be myself and help this team win. And we have a few fun months left and we are ready to do well in the playoffs. So I’m just happy to be back with the guys and help us win some games.”

The Brooklyn Nets will have a good chance of getting a valuable selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, but before adding to their roster this summer, it would clearly be beneficial to take a closer look at the young talent already on the roster. Unfortunately, the evaluation period has ended for one player this season. Rookie point guard Egor Demin will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, he developed plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Jamal Murray suffered a foot injury during Friday night’s clash between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

Murray suffered the injury in the final minutes of the first half. He was on defense when he contested a shot from New York’s OG Anunoby. However, he injured his left leg as he needed assistance to get to the locker room. According to reporter Rachel Strand, Denver provided an update on whether Murray could return.

“A sight that will make you sick to your stomach. Jamal Murray needs help off the court with a foot injury. He’s heading to the locker room immediately. #MileHighBasketball,” Strand wrote.

“Jamal Murray is questionable to return with a left ankle sprain.”

A sight that will make you feel sick to your stomach. Jamal Murray needs help getting off the court with a foot injury. He is immediately heading to the locker room. #milehighbasketball pic.twitter.com/1Ge61r2ecu

– Rachel Strand (@MileHighRachel) 7 March 2026

How the Nuggets played against the Knicks amid Jamal Murray’s injury

The Nuggets collapsed without the services of Jamal Murray due to injury, and suffered a crushing 142–103 loss to the Knicks at home.

Things were close between the two teams as Denver led 29–27 after the first quarter. However, their defense suffered without Murray as they lost 115–74 over the final three periods of regulation.

Four players, including Murray, scored in double figures for Denver in the loss. Before the injury, he finished with 12 points and three assists on 5 of 10 shooting from the field. Nikola Jokic led the team with 38 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Darron Holmes II was next with 11 points while Cameron Johnson added 10 points and five assists.

Denver fell to a 39–25 record on the season and finished fifth in the Western Conference standings. They are above the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns while trailing the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nuggets will look to bounce back in their next matchup while on the road. They will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder as tip-off takes place on March 9 at 7:30 PM ET.

The LA Clippers have been trending in the right direction over the past few months and were finding their rhythm after acquiring Darius Garland, Benedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson at the trade deadline. But the franchise was dealt a blow on Thursday when they received news of his latest injury.

With 8:32 minutes remaining in the second quarter of the Clippers’ home win against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, center Yannick Konan Niederhauser went up for a blocked shot and landed very strangely On his right leg. The Clippers’ promising young backup center immediately began screaming in pain and clutching his right ankle.

Conan Niederhauser had to be helped off the floor by head athletic trainer Jason Powell after he was unable to put any weight on his injured right leg. The team immediately ruled Konan Niederhauser out for the remainder of the game with an undisclosed right foot injury.

Yannick Konan Niederhauser comes off awkwardly from the chased block, as his foot got caught during it (with replays). He was taken to the locker room, but did not return.

Poor man 🙁 pic.twitter.com/vnzzEPKlJZ

– MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) 5 March 2026

After the game, the team announced that Penn State’s 22-year-old big man would not travel on the team’s upcoming two-game road trip, but would instead remain in Los Angeles for further evaluation of his injured right foot.

on thursday night Clippers announced Yannick Konan Niederhauser was diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. He will undergo surgery and be out for the rest of the 2025-26 season

Yannick Konan Niederhauser was diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot.

The Clippers center will require surgery and be out for the remainder of the season.

-Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 6 March 2026

In 41 appearances this season, Yannick Konan Niederhauser averaged 4.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 10.3 minutes per game off the bench. Over his last 12 games, Konan Niederhauser was averaging 6.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in 15.7 minutes per game.

Brook Lopez has been the Clippers’ starting center since the trade of Ivica Zubac at the NBA trade deadline, and will likely play a bigger role with more playing time. Since December 20, 2025, López has started 19 of his 34 games played, averaging 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

The Los Angeles Clippers are unable to catch any breaks this season. The Clippers were playing against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The game also marked former Clipper Ivica Zubac’s debut with his new Indiana team. However, during the game, LA lost one of its key centers to injury. According to Tomer Azzarly of ClutchPoints, Yannick Konan Niederhauser, who backed up Zubac in LA, missed the game with a foot injury.

“Yannick Konan Niederhauser is out for the remainder of Clippers-Pacers with a right foot injury,” Azarly posted.

More coming soon.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are making their playoff push coming out of the All-Star break, and are trying to do so with Donovan Mitchell in and out of the lineup, as well as James Harden. The player fans have been eagerly waiting for is shooting guard Max Strus.

Strus has been out of the Cavs’ lineup the entire season as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left foot to repair a Jones fracture. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Cavs guard had surgery in August 2025 and was expected to return after three or four months.

But seven months later, Strus has still not returned to court. On Tuesday, the Cavs provided an injury update on Strus:

Cavaliers guard/forward Max Strus continues his recovery after offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. Recent imaging has shown progressive healing, and in consultation with Dr. David Porter and team physician Dr. James Rosneck, Strus has made progress in individual on-court workouts as part of a structured ramp-up program.

The program will include controlled team activities and practice sessions with both the Cavaliers and the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

Strus will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning under the supervision of the Cavaliers’ medical and performance staff, with continued evaluation. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.

Strus, who will turn 30 on March 28, is in the third year of a four-year, $63 million deal that was signed July 6, 2023. If he is able to return at some point in the final few months of this season, the Cavs will have plenty of rotational pieces to figure out.

Max Strus started 70 games at 32 minutes a night for the Cavs in the 2023–24 season, averaging career highs of 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Entering Tuesday’s slate of games, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the second seed in the East, just 2.5 games behind the Eastern Conference’s fourth-seeded Boston Celtics.

The Sacramento Kings entered the season fresh on Wednesday, ending a 16-game losing streak in the NBA. Now they’ve seen Keegan Murray exit the Houston Rockets game with a possible foot ailment.

Murray suffered an NBA injury with about 3:25 left to play in the first quarter at Toyota Center.

Keegan Murray headed to the Kings locker room after getting into the game awkwardly.

Hope he is okpic.twitter.com/KQi9RSYPNe

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 26 February 2026

Murray averages 14.5 points per game for Doug Christie and Sacramento. But now he has been officially ruled out due to a left ankle injury.

UPDATE: The Kings announced that Keegan Murray (left ankle) is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Rockets. https://t.co/9qeVZ3CuYW

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 26 February 2026

He was satisfied with only three points in a span of nine minutes. Murray grabbed a rebound and blocked a shot on the defensive side.

Kings are trending towards landing the top pick of the NBA draft

Murray has emerged as one of the better performers in a lost season in Sacramento.

Despite this, the Kings are on their way to achieving another feat: capturing the No. 1 spot in the NBA Draft.

ClutchPoints’ Eric Slater reveals where the Kings stand in the race for the top pick.

The nets lost. The Pelicans won.

Brooklyn is getting more segregation in third place in the lottery standings. pic.twitter.com/Ny0H3aSZ3L

– Eric Slater (@erikslater_) 25 February 2026

Based on current projections, Sacramento remains ahead of the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets. However, finishing with the league’s worst record does not guarantee the top pick in this scenario.

The Dallas Mavericks benefited from the lottery system last season – earning the top spot despite finishing at 39-43. Cooper Flagg arrived at the move a month later.