NBA Player News

Jokic closed Friday's 142-103 loss to New York with 38 points (14-21 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 9-10 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 31 minutes.

The perennial MVP candidate led all scorers on the night, but Jokic didn't get a lot of help, especially after Jamal Murray (ankle) headed to the locker room after playing just 18 minutes and didn't return. Jokic has scored more than 20 points in 14 straight games, averaging 27.8 points, 13.7 boards, 9.3 assists, 1.4 threes, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks over that stretch.

Towns finished Friday's 142-103 victory over the Nuggets with 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 27 minutes.

The veteran center extended his double-double streak to five games, and it was Towns' league-leading 44th of the season -- three ahead of Nikola Jokic. Since the beginning of February, Towns has 13 double-doubles in 15 games, averaging 18.7 points, 12.0 boards, 2.5 assists, 1.2 threes and 1.0 steals over that stretch while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor.

Vucevic underwent surgery Saturday to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger and will be re-evaluated in 3-to-4 weeks.

Vucevic suffered the injury during the first quarter of Friday's 120-100 win over the Mavericks. The timeline will keep the veteran center sidelined until at least late March, so Luka Garza should step into a more prominent role in the rotation for as long as Vucevic is sidelined.

Maluach logged four points (2-3 FG), four rebounds, one assist and five blocks across 20 minutes during Friday's 118-116 win over New Orleans.

With Mark Williams (foot) sidelined, Maluach finally has a chance for consistent minutes at the NBA level. The rookie's 20 minutes Friday marked a career high, and it was only the sixth time the Duke product has exceeded double-digit minutes. If Maluach can continue to protect the paint like he did Friday, he should see steady playing time until Williams can return to action.

Ighodaro ended with 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-5 FT), six rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 27 minutes before fouling out of Friday's 118-116 victory over New Orleans.

With Mark Williams (foot) sidelined, Ighodaro has a clear path to consistent production. Over the past four games (two straight starts), Ighodaro has averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals in 30.8 minutes per game. He's shooting a phenomenal 77.8 percent from the field but only 37.5 percent from the free-throw line (3-for-8) during this stretch of extended playing time.

Cisse notched six points (3-5 FG), seven rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal across 25 minutes during Friday's 120-100 loss to Boston.

With Daniel Gafford (ankle) and Marvin Bagley (neck) sidelined for the second leg of this back-to-back set, Cisse saw increased playing time and even logged more minutes than starter Dwight Powell (15 minutes). Cisse was fairly productive, grabbing seven boards and recording a game-high three blocks. The big man has just four games of eligibility left at the NBA level while on a two-way contract, so he isn't likely to suit up unless Gafford and Bagley both continue to miss time.

Wembanyama supplied 27 points (11-21 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, four blocks, one assist and one steal across 22 minutes in Friday's 116-112 win over the Clippers.

After scoring 38 points in 39 minutes during Thursday's win over Detroit, Wembanyama saw limited minutes in the second leg of this back-to-back set. However, he made the most of his playing time, leading San Antonio in scoring while fueling the team's comeback victory after the Spurs faced a 20-point deficit at halftime. Wembanyama also grabbed a game-high 10 boards en route to his sixth double-double across nine outings since the All-Star break. He has recorded at least four blocks in all but one of those nine games.

Clingan logged 18 points (5-10 FG, 1-4 3PT, 7-11 FT), 13 rebounds and one block over 25 minutes during Portland's 106-99 loss to Houston on Friday.

Clingan led the Trail Blazers in rebounds Friday (including seven offensive boards) while finishing as the team's third-leading scorer behind Jerami Grant (21 points) and Jrue Holiday (20 points). It was Clingan's 25th double-double of the season, which is tied with Bam Adebayo for 10th most in the Association. Since Feb. 1, Clingan has averaged 14.1 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 threes and 2.1 blocks over 27.2 minutes per game.

Sengun logged 28 points (11-15 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 5-8 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block over 26 minutes during the Rockets' 106-99 win over the Trail Blazers on Friday.

Sengun dropped 15 of his game-high 28 points in the second half of Friday's game. It could have been a larger performance for the fifth-year center, but his playing time was limited as he battled through foul trouble. Sengun has averaged 19.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals over 33.0 minutes per game since the All-Star break.

Hayes is in the starting lineup for Friday's matchup with the Pacers, Trevor Lane of LakersNation.com reports.

Hayes will draw the start with Deandre Ayton (knee) unavailable and could be headed for major minutes due to Maxi Kleber (back) also being out. Through seven starts this season, Hayes has registered averages of 11.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.