NBA’s penultimate night features 168 players sidelined across the league
nba-friday-injury-illness-168-players-sidelined
April 10, 2026 — With every NBA club playing its 81st game on Friday, a minimum of 168 players were listed out because of injury or illness, emptying starting lineups and forcing makeshift rotations around the league.
Thunder and Nuggets rest entire starting fives
In Oklahoma City, a matchup that could have showcased the league’s two most recent MVPs never materialized. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets forward Nikola Jokić sat, and all other regular starters for both teams were also held out.
Oklahoma City had already locked up the No. 1 overall seed. “We’ve earned the right through 80 games to manage their bodies,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said before tip-off.
Denver still has seeding to play for, and Jokić needs one more appearance to meet the 65-game threshold for award eligibility. “We’re all aware of that,” Nuggets coach David Adelman noted, hinting Jokić will play in Sunday’s finale.
Wembanyama hits award threshold, then erupts for 40
San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama needed 20 minutes of action to reach 65 games and qualify for postseason honors. After hitting the mark he briefly exited, then returned and finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. “If I had 65 before, I for sure wouldn’t have played,” Wembanyama said. Interim coach Mitch Johnson added, “We need as much on-the-court experience together as we can.”
Celtics tie NBA record with 29 threes
Boston connected on 29 three-pointers, matching the league record for a single game and becoming the fourth team to reach that figure. “Hopefully, we didn’t use them all up in one game,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.
Warriors test new starting look before play-in
Preparing for next week’s play-in tournament, Golden State started Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porziņģis together for the first time this season. “Some decisions are just a hunch, so we have to give them a look,” coach Steve Kerr explained.
Eastern Conference standings tighten
Atlanta became the 11th team to claim one of the 12 guaranteed playoff spots, defeating a Cleveland squad that rested Donovan Mitchell. “The guys did a great job of rallying together,” guard CJ McCollum said after the Hawks clinched a top-six seed.
Other positioning news:
- Detroit remains No. 1 in the East; Boston secured No. 2.
- New York locked up the third seed; Cleveland will be No. 4.
- Atlanta will finish fifth or sixth.
- Charlotte is headed to the play-in after losing to Detroit.
- Orlando can finish no worse than the 7-vs-8 play-in slot.
- Miami is locked into the 9-vs-10 play-in game.
All 30 teams are idle Saturday before closing the regular season with Game 82 on Sunday.
Source: ESPN
