NBA Player News
-
Myles Turner C | MIL
Pacers' Myles Turner: Leading scorer in Game 1 defeat
Turner tallied 23 points (8-16 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), three assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal over 35 minutes in Monday's 121-117 loss to New York in Game 1 of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Turner did all he could to help Indiana to a road victory in Game 1 against New York, leading the club in scoring to go along with a team-high-tying pair of threes while ending as the lone Pacer with 20 or more points in the losing effort. Turner bounced back well after a pair of low-scoring outings in the final two games of the first-round series, posting his fourth game of the postseason with at least 20 points. Indiana will hope for a similar performance from Turner offensively in Game 2, and he may need to improve his presence on the glass to help the Pacers own the battle on the boards.
-
Rudy Gobert C | MIN
Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert: To miss Game 2
Gobert (personal) has been ruled out for Monday's Game 2 against the Nuggets, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Gobert was added to the team's injury report earlier in the day due to a personal matter, and he's since been downgraded to out after Charania confirmed the birth of Gobert's first child. Look for Naz Reid, who put up 16 points in Game 1, and Kyle Anderson to see an increased workload in the frontcourt Monday night.
-
Victor Wembanyama C | SA
Spurs' Victor Wembanyama: Brings home ROY honors
Wembanyama (ankle) was named the 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Wembanyama was the clear favorite for this year's Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.6 blocks in 29.7 minutes per appearance over 71 games during his first NBA campaign. It's also worth noting that the 7-foot-4 center is one of three finalists for the 2023-24 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, which speaks to the monumental impact he had on both ends of the court this season for the Spurs.
-
Jarrett Allen C | CLE
Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen: Iffy for Game 1
Allen (ribs) is questionable for Tuesday's Game 1 against the Celtics.
Allen averaged 17.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks in 31.8 minutes through the first four games of Cleveland's opening-round series versus the Magic. However, after taking a shot to the ribs from Franz Wagner, the Cavaliers' starting center was sidelined for the final three matchups. Allen was also listed as questionable ahead of all the games he missed, so the tag doesn't provide much optimism heading into the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If Allen gets the green light, he'll look to take advantage of a Boston frontcourt that'll be without Kristaps Porzingis (calf).
-
Rudy Gobert C | MIN
Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert: Late addition to injury report
Gobert is questionable for Monday's Game 2 against the Nuggets due to personal reasons.
Gobert's partner is due to give birth this month, per Jack Borman of Canius Hoopus, so that's likely the reasoning behind the big man missing the team's morning shootaround. Gobert has the full support of his team, and it's still possible he's able to return in time for the 10 p.m. ET tipoff. However, if Gobert is unavailable, Naz Reid, who had a stellar fourth quarter in Game 1, would be a candidate for increased minutes, but Karl-Anthony Towns would likely start at center.
-
Wendell Carter Jr. C | ORL
Magic's Wendell Carter: Close to double-double in Game 7
Carter produced 13 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and three steals across 35 minutes during Sunday's 106-94 loss to Cleveland in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Carter started each of Orlando's final five games of the series and scored in double digits in three of those starts, so it's safe to say he was an upgrade over Jonathan Isaac, who started at center in the first two contests. Across his five starts in the series, Carter averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
-
Jarrett Allen C | CLE
Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen: Remains out for Game 7
Allen (ribs) has been ruled out for Sunday's Game 7 against the Magic, Serena Winters of Bally Sports Cleveland reports.
Allen has been downgraded from questionable to out and will miss a third straight game due to a right rib contusion. Marcus Morris started Cleveland's Game 6 loss, but Isaac Okoro will move back into the lineup for Game 7 while Evan Mobley operates as the primary center.
-
Maxi Kleber C | LAL
Mavericks' Maxi Kleber: Out at least three weeks
The Mavericks announced Sunday that Kleber (shoulder) has been diagnosed with a right shoulder AC joint separation and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
As expected, Kleber will miss significant time after a scary fall during the Mavericks' series-clinching Game 6 win over the Clippers on Friday. Given the timetable, Kleber will miss all of the second-round series against Oklahoma City and would likely remain sidelined for at least the first few games of the Western Conference Finals if Dallas can advance past the top-seeded Thunder.
-
Nikola Jokic C | DEN
Nuggets' Nikola Jokic: Nears triple-double in Game 1 loss
Jokic notched 32 points (11-25 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 8-8 FT), eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals in 41 minutes during Saturday's 106-99 loss to Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Jokic led all Nuggets players in scoring, rebounds and assists to go along with a team-high-tying trio of steals in a well-rounded performance that nearly resulted in a triple-double in Saturday's Game 1. Jokic struggled a bit from the field but still finished north of 30 points for the third time this postseason and concluded one assist and two boards shy of a triple-double. Jokic has a tough matchup against Minnesota's big men, so it will be key to keep an eye on how he is able to perform against a strong defense in the semifinals.
-
Naz Reid C | MIN
Timberwolves' Naz Reid: Big fourth quarter in Game 1
Reid ended Saturday's 106-99 win over Denver in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 0-1 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 23 minutes.
Reid struggled over the first three quarters of Saturday's contest but showed up in a big way in the fourth frame, scoring 14 of his 16 points and giving the Timberwolves a boost off the bench in a winning effort. The Sixth Man of the Year ended as one of four Minnesota players with 10 or more points in the road victory, notching his third game of the postseason in double figures in scoring.