NBA Player News
-
Jalen Duren C | DET
Pistons' Jalen Duren: Registers double-double Thursday
Duren finished with 15 points (7-11 FG, 1-1 FT), 13 rebounds and two assists over 30 minutes during Thursday's 129-115 loss to Indiana.
Duren notched his 28th double-double of the season as the young center continues to make strides in his second year in the league. He's averaging career highs with 14.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists while playing 30.1 minutes per game. Duren could see more minutes over the next two games while Isaiah Stewart is serving his suspension.
-
Xavier Tillman C | CHA
Celtics' Xavier Tillman: Gets light run in blowout
Tillman (knee) tallied two points (1-1 FG) and one block in three minutes Thursday in the Celtics' 129-112 win over the Bulls.
Tillman made his Celtics debut Thursday after he hadn't been available since being acquired from the Grizzlies on Feb. 7 while he continued to recover from a left knee injury. He found himself outside of head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation, however, as Tillman didn't check into the game until 2:33 remained in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics were up by 18 points. Tillman looks like he'll need at least one or two of Boston's regular rotation players to be out for a given game in order to play meaningful minutes.
-
Victor Wembanyama C | SA
Spurs' Victor Wembanyama: Records double-double in loss
Wembanyama provided 19 points (8-21 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists, five blocks and five steals in 31 minutes during Thursday's 127-122 loss to the Kings.
Wembanyama added five blocked shots to his total as he continues to blitz the rest of the league in the category. The sizzling rookie is averaging 3.2 blocks per game, far ahead of Brook Lopez, Walker Kessler and Chet Holmgren. Wembanyama is also 12th in the league with an average of 10.1 rebounds per game. Although the rookie had some shooting struggles in the loss, his stellar secondary contributions boosted his total, and they'll also provide padding for subpar scoring nights in the future.
-
Domantas Sabonis C | SAC
Kings' Domantas Sabonis: Records 19th triple-double
Sabonis logged 22 points (11-15 FG), 11 rebounds, 11 assists and one block in 33 minutes during Thursday's 127-122 victory over San Antonio.
Although Sabonis began the day on the injury report, he played through his non-COVID illness and built on his lead in the category with his 19th triple-double. Nikola Jokic is hot on his heels for top honors but trails Sabonis with 16 triple-doubles. Despite the big man's effectiveness, the Kings are 5-5 over the past 10 games and are treading water near the cut line in the Western Conference. Superior results should be expected for Sabonis as he helps his team make the final playoff push.
-
Isaiah Hartenstein C | OKC
Knicks' Isaiah Hartenstein: Logs just 11 minutes in return
Hartenstein (Achilles) played 11 minutes and recorded two rebounds and one steal in Thursday's 110-96 win over the 76ers.
The Knicks cleared Hartenstein to play after he had missed the final three games before the All-Star break with left Achilles tendinopathy, but the center appeared to be operating with some restrictions in his return. Hartenstein will likely see his minutes get ramped up in the games to come as he gets further removed from the Achilles injury, but his playing-time ceiling may be lower than it had been prior to getting hurt. In addition to Precious Achiuwa (38 minutes Thursday) starting to earn the trust of head coach Tom Thibodeau while dabbling between the two frontcourt spots, the Knicks also could get Mitchell Robinson (ankle) back in the fold at some point in the next few weeks.
-
Anthony Davis C | WAS
Lakers' Anthony Davis: Props up team in loss
Davis amassed 27 points (11-19 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 15 rebounds, one assist and three blocks across 33 minutes during Thursday's 128-110 loss to Golden State.
With LeBron James (ankle) sidelined, Davis was forced to shoulder the load and finished as the only Laker to score over 20 points. He picked up where he left off before the break, notching his third consecutive double-double. Although Davis is an elite fantasy option on his own, production tends to increase for the All-Star when James is absent.
-
Trayce Jackson-Davis C | TOR
Warriors' Trayce Jackson-Davis: Solid contribution in win
Jackson-Davis closed with 17 points (8-10 FG, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist and two blocks across 15 minutes during Thursday's 128-110 victory over the Lakers.
The Warriors ran with Draymond Green as the starting center, but Jackson-Davis continues to make his presence known with the second unit. Coach Steve Kerr favored Jackson-Davis over Kevon Looney and Dario Saric in the contest, but the 2023 second-round pick may have been more effective than the taller options without LeBron James (ankle) on the floor. Despite the encouraging line, Jackson-Davis doesn't move the needle as a fantasy target at this point.
-
Ivica Zubac C | IND
Clippers' Ivica Zubac: Records double-double in loss
Zubac totaled 13 points (5-12 FG, 3-4 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist and one block across 29 minutes during Thursday's 129-107 loss to the Thunder.
Zubac led all players in rebounding in the contest, finishing with his second straight double-double and his third straight game with double-digit boards. The big man's 29 minutes of court time were notable, as that marked his highest total since he returned from a nine-game injury absence Feb. 4. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said earlier Thursday that Zubac will no longer be on a minutes restriction, so his fantasy managers can look forward to him being a reliable source of rebounds, with enough points and swats mixed in to make him a must-roster asset moving forward.
-
Chet Holmgren PF | OKC
Thunder's Chet Holmgren: Swats three shots in double-double
Holmgren ended with 17 points (6-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks over 33 minutes during Thursday's 129-107 win over the Clippers.
Holmgren led Oklahoma City on the boards in the victory and tied for the team lead with three blocks. He added a healthy 17 points, ranking fourth on the team in that category. Holmgren finished with the 15th double-double of his impressive rookie campaign.
-
Moe Wagner C | ORL
Magic's Moritz Wagner: Leading scorer off bench in victory
Wagner ended with 22 points (7-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds and one steal over 25 minutes in Thursday's 116-109 win over Cleveland.
Wagner led all players in Thursday's contest in scoring while playing a bench-leading minutes total en route to the lone 20-point performance in a winning effort. Wagner, who also hauled in a team-high-tying rebound mark, has scored 20 or more points in four games this season, with the most recent such performance before Thursday occurring Jan. 9 against Minnesota. He has now recorded at least 15 points and seven rebounds in seven outings.