168 players miss games as the NBA season concludes

Nearing the End of the NBA Regular Season

The NBA regular season is wrapping up this Sunday, but a significant number of players, around 168, have already exited games due to various injuries or illnesses as of Friday night.

Among those players were notable stars like two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, who faced off against each other during their games.

Mark Daigneault, the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, where Gilgeous-Alexander plays, mentioned that his key players had “earned their right to play,” especially after securing the top seed in the Western Conference again. He stated, “If we don’t clinch [the No. 1 overall seed], everyone is going to play if they show up tonight. We’ve earned the right to manage their bodies through the rigors of the season.”

Star players participating included a recovering LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers and Victor Wembanyama, who needs to play at least 20 minutes to qualify for a season award. Wembanyama hinted he might have opted out if he’d already met that requirement. As for Jokic, he must take the court on Sunday to maintain his eligibility for his award.

In a notable shift, the Boston Celtics recently matched an NBA record by sinking 29 three-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans. This achievement marked only the fourth time in NBA history that such a feat has occurred, with the last instance happening just a few days prior when the Memphis Grizzlies accomplished the same.

On April 3, the NBA noted an unprecedented event where, for the second time, the average margin of victory across nine or more games reached 24 points or more—a statistic that, oddly enough, had been replicated just five days earlier.