Trail Blazers’ Justise Winslow has ankle procedure, likely done for season NBA fines Dillon Brooks $35,000 for shoving cameraman Watch Vucevic poster dunk seal Bulls 2OT win over Timberwolves Watch Maxi Kleber’s 3-point game winner at buzzer, Mavericks beat Lakers Anthony Edwards has to leave game after rolling ankle

Days before Christmas the Trail Blazers wing Justice Winslow suffered a grade 2 ankle sprain against the Thunder. Since then, he has not set foot on the court.

He has now undergone ankle surgery that will likely sideline him for the rest of this season. From trailblazers official release:

After the All-Star break, Winslow received a second opinion and a follow-up procedure of a bone marrow aspirate concentrate was performed in March to address ongoing discomfort in his left ankle.

A bone marrow aspiration procedure involves taking bone marrow from another part of the body, distilling it into a concentrate, and then injecting that marrow into the injured area to promote healing. It’s not uncommon in the NBA, Dwight Howard had it back in 2015 and the recovery time is traditionally 4-6 weeks.

In this case it will be the end of the season. It’s doubtful we’ll see Winslow again this season at Portland. Winslow averaged 6.8 points and five rebounds for the Blazers when he played.

Trail Blazers 13th in the West Despite Brilliant Play Damian Lillard this season and the team is 2.5 games away from the final play-in point. Portland desperately needs wins to stand a chance.

Winslow became an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Dillon Brooks was chasing a lost ball in the second quarter against the Heat on Thursday night, an innocent enough play, but Brooks crashed into a cameraman crouched next to the court table.

Brooks then pushed the operator. This earned him a $35,000 fine from the league.

Dillon Brooks was fined $35,000 for pushing this operator.

pic.twitter.com/tsPjox8Dsl

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 17, 2023

The cameraman was injured and was still undergoing a medical examination two days later, according to Jason Jackson, the play’s host on Heat radio.

I rarely comment on such things, BUT this is personal. Our Veteran @BallyHEAT the camera operator was injured and is under surveillance.

The fine was in the order of things, but the maximum would have been like a pinch of justice after neglecting another person – unbelievable in that regard. https://t.co/cF6YzyCTda

— Jason Jackson (@TheJaxShow) March 17, 2023

I couldn’t agree more with you @TheJaxShow I said the same thing on our show today. If it was a fan, he would have received the max. The league has to take care of itself too.

— Antonio Daniels (@adaniels33) March 17, 2023

The Heat won that game 138–119, keeping them firmly in seventh place in the East with an outside chance to move up to the top six. Memphis is tied with Sacramento for 2-3 spots in the West and could get I am Morant back from its suspension next week.

CHICAGO (AP) – DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 49 points, Zach LaVine finished with 39 points as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 139–131 in double overtime on Friday night.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, DeRozan and LaVine joined Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as the only Bulls duo to score 39 or more points in a single game. Two Hall of Famers did so against the Indiana Pacers on February 18, 1996, with Jordan scoring 44 and Pippen finishing 40.

“When we go like this, it becomes much easier not only to score, but also to involve everyone else,” said DeRozan, who was visually impaired after being hit in the eye.

Nikola Vucevic scored 21 points, 11 rebounds, and a game-sealing dunk.

BEWARE BEWARE pic.twitter.com/kL6eDBKQ5S

— Bull Talk (@NBCSBulls) March 18, 2023

Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards left with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter as the Timberwolves lost for the fourth time in five games.

Mike Conley led Minnesota with 28 points, hitting a career-high 8 of 12 3-pointers. Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds before a foul in the first OT, and Jayden McDaniels scored 25 points.

The Bulls led 130–125 in the second overtime before Conley hit a 3-pointer. Minnesota Naz Reed a rim fell out and DeRozan made a jumper turnaround to extend Chicago’s lead to 132–28 with 1:27 remaining.

He is the decisive factor pic.twitter.com/Aow0E81YIU

— Bull Talk (@NBCSBulls) March 18, 2023

Nikeil Alexander-Walker made a second free throw after the airball to draw the Timberwolves back by three, but Vucevic put the Bulls’ bench on their feet with a thunderous one-handed dunk and played three points with just over a minute left.

Reed made it easy to make a four-point game. But DeRozan made four free throws in the last 36 seconds to help Chicago walk away with a wild win.

Edwards was injured late in the first quarter when he landed badly from a jump during a pass. He remained prone, clutching his ankle before being helped back onto his back, and coach Chris Finch wasn’t sure how long he would be out, though Edwards didn’t rule out playing Toronto on Saturday.

“I’ll see what it’s like tomorrow,” he said. “I hope I can play.”

The loss of Edwards, who entered the game averaging 25 points and was named to the All-Star team for the first time this year, would be a big blow to the Timberwolves, especially given Karl-Anthony Towns He appears poised to return from a calf injury that has kept him out of action for most of the season. The Timberwolves are trying to avoid docking and gain momentum after the end of the regular season.

“You want guys to be healthy and play at their best, guys with great rhythm,” Conley said. “Obviously being without KAT and then losing Ant, two of our best players, at such an important time in the season is very hard. This team must be persistent. It will be a great time for us to grow up together and understand this.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Clay worked out the winning three-pointer on the siren when passing through the court from Kyrie Irvingscored 38 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ stunning 111-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

When Luka Doncic was suspended, Kleber was a wonderful emulator of the injured superstar who had beaten the Lakers repeatedly with big shots over the years. The German big man’s teammates turned on him, celebrating after he silenced the Lakers crowd with his only 3-pointer of the night.

Maxi Kleber lowers the CLUTCH trio to raise @dallasmaws until victory 🔥#TissotBuzzerBeater | #TimingEmotions pic.twitter.com/WiFSpMLG8o

— NBA (@NBA) March…