Friday’s NBA slate was heavily impacted by player unavailability, with no fewer than 168 players held out of games across the league.
Among the most notable names sidelined were reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, underscoring the scale of the league-wide absences.
Grizzlies hit especially hard
No team was more affected than the Memphis Grizzlies, who had 14 players held out on Friday. The volume of absences across the league shaped rotations and availability from game to game, with multiple teams forced to navigate shorthanded lineups.
The widespread list of players out served as a defining storyline of the night, with star power and depth impacted in equal measure.