NBA Player News

Claxton chipped in 16 points (6-15 FG, 4-8 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and one steal across 28 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 loss to the Heat.

Claxton was limited to just four points and five rebounds in Tuesday's game against the Heat, and while the Nets suffered another blowout loss, at least Claxton had a better performance this time around. With double-digit points in all but one of his last 11 appearances, Claxton should continue to handle a decent workload on offense for Brooklyn. That, coupled with his starting role and consistent playing time, makes him an interesting frontcourt option across all formats.

Ware contributed 16 points (7-9 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist, seven blocks and five steals across 32 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 win over the Nets.

Ware finished just three blocks away from recording a triple-double and also added five steals, so his impact on both ends of the court was massive for the Heat. The second-year big man has three straight double-doubles and has notched that feat in seven of his last 10 appearances. The defensive impact can't be overlooked either -- he has seven blocks and 10 steals over his last two contests, both coming off the bench.

Ayton went to the locker room during the second quarter of Thursday's game against the Nuggets for an undisclosed reason, Khobi Price of The California Post reports.

It's not clear whether Ayton picked up an injury, but he wasn't sitting on the bench in the final few minutes of the first half. He can be considered questionable to return until more information surfaces.

Niederhauser has been diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot and will require surgery. He's been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.

This is a tough blow for Niederhauser, who suffered the injury during Wednesday's matchup against the Pacers. It's still too early to talk about whether the big man will be available for the start of next season, though the team could provide an estimate following the procedure.

Gafford amassed 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-4 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 25 minutes during Thursday's 115-114 loss to the Magic.

Gafford missed just one shot from the field and secured his first double-double since Feb. 5. He was also involved as a rim protector, accounting for two of his team's nine swats on the night. Gafford is averaging 11.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks over his last four outings.

Gobert finished Thursday's 115-107 win over the Raptors with 18 points (7-8 FG, 4-6 FT), 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and one steal over 35 minutes.

It was an efficient game for Gobert, who finished Thursday's win as the Timberwolves' leader in rebounds and with the second-most points behind Anthony Edwards (22). It was Gobert's 27th double-double of the season -- eighth-most in the Association -- and the 14th time he's recorded at least three blocks. He has averaged 12.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.8 steals over 31.9 minutes per game since Feb. 2.

Wembanyama finished with 38 points (12-24 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 10-11 FT), 16 rebounds, three assists and five blocks in 39 minutes during Thursday's 121-106 win over Detroit.

Wembanyama put together a strong shooting performance from the field and recorded double-digit attempts from the charity stripe for the first time since Feb. 11. He also looked more comfortable from downtown after going just 2-for-12 from deep over his previous three outings. Shifting to the other end of the court, Wembanyama continues to put together eye-popping production, as he's tallied 15 swats over that same three-game stretch.

Valanciunas is not in the Nuggets' starting lineup against the Lakers on Friday, Trevor Lane of LakersNation.com reports.

Valanciunas was in the Nuggets' starting five in Monday's 128-125 win over the Jazz, when he finished with 13 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal over 17 minutes. He'll revert to a bench role for Thursday's contest while Zeke Nnaji starts alongside Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Nikola Jokic.

Missi is starting Thursday's game against the Kings.

Missi will make his first start since Jan. 2 as he'll rotate into the first unit with Dejounte Murray (rest) sidelined Thursday. Missi is averaging 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in three games since returning from a left calf strain.

Ighodaro is in the Suns' starting lineup against the Bulls on Thursday.

The 2024 second-rounder will make his eighth start of the season Thursday (and first since Dec. 29 against the Wizards) due to the absence of Mark Williams, the latter of whom is expected to miss at least 2-to-3 weeks due to a left foot injury. Ighodoro is coming off a strong performance against the Kings on Tuesday, when he logged 14 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and one block over 26 minutes.