NBA Player News
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Luke Kornet C | SA
Spurs' Luke Kornet: Season-best performance
Kornet ended with 23 points (10-12 FG, 3-3 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and five blocks across 31 minutes before fouling out of Saturday's 115-110 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Kornet erupted for a season-high 23 points while also matching his season high with five blocked shots. Victor Wembanyama missed his second straight game due to a knee injury, affording Kornet starter-level minutes. It appears as though Wembanyama could return as soon as Tuesday, meaning Kornet's run of production could come to an end sooner rather than later. With that said, he is worth holding, at least until Wembanyama is back to playing starter-level minutes himself.
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Yang Hansen C | POR
Trail Blazers' Yang Hansen: Muted role continues
Hansen provided two points (0-1 FG, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 11 minutes during Saturday's 115-110 win over the Spurs.
Hansen played at least 10 minutes for the fourth time in the past five games, although his production has not followed suit. During that time, the rookie has averaged just 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds, highlighting just how far he has to go before he becomes a viable NBA center.
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Donovan Clingan C | POR
Trail Blazers' Donovan Clingan: Goes for season-high 24 points
Clingan closed Saturday's 115-110 win over the Spurs with 24 points (9-12 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 3-6 FT), 12 rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes.
Clingan did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 18 of his season-high 24 points. He finished with what was his fourth double-double in the past five games, all of which have resulted in victories for the Trail Blazers. While he does have some offensive limitations, Clingan has been able to maintain consistent fantasy value, averaging 11.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks through 32 games.
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Nikola Vucevic C | BOS
Bulls' Nikola Vucevic: Matches season high in scoring
Vucevic finished Saturday's 112-99 loss to the Hornets with 28 points (11-15 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and one block across 34 minutes.
Vucevic matched his season scoring high, posting 28 points for the third time. After slumping in early December, Vucevic has been able to turn things around in recent times, averaging 17.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 three-pointers in eight games over the past two weeks. Chicago's frontcourt is depleted at the moment, meaning Vucevic is likely to get all the playing time he can handle. If he can maintain his current momentum, he could prove to be an excellent sell-high candidate.
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Joel Embiid C | PHI
76ers' Joel Embiid: Double-double in win
Embiid closed with 26 points (9-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-12 FT), 10 rebounds and five assists across 33 minutes during Saturday's 130-119 win over the Knicks.
Embiid notched his third double-double of the season with an efficient showing from the field while repeatedly getting to the free-throw line. The 76ers have carefully managed the oft-injured center, and while he's been productive when available, his 6.8 rebounds per game through 16 appearances sits well below his career norm and would be the lowest mark of his career, with his previous low being 7.8 boards in 31 contests as a rookie in 2016-17. Embiid has appeared in all three games over the past five days, so it remains to be seen whether Philadelphia opts to rest him in Monday's matchup against Denver.
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Anthony Davis C | WAS
Mavericks' Anthony Davis: Swats five shots vs. Houston
Davis posted 26 points (9-15 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists and five blocks over 39 minutes during the Mavericks' 110-104 win over the Rockets on Saturday.
Davis came out strong with 12 points in the first quarter and finished with his 11th double-double of the season. He made most of his presence felt defensively with five blocked shots, which is a season high and his most in a game since April 11. Davis has played 37 and 39 minutes over his last two outings, indicating that he is past the right adductor injury that caused him to miss two games.
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Nikola Vucevic C | BOS
Bulls' Nikola Vucevic: Sniffs double-double
Vucevic posted 28 points (11-15 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and a block across 34 minutes in Saturday's 112-99 loss to the Hornets.
Vucevic was the Bulls' best player by a wide margin in this loss, ending just two assists away from a double-double. Vucevic should be one of the Bulls' most reliable offensive weapons for the time being due to the absences of Josh Giddey (hamstring) and Coby White (calf). However, Vucevic has scored 20 or more points in only two of his last six contests.
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Karl-Anthony Towns C | NY
Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns: Posts impressive double-double
Towns delivered 23 points (6-16 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 11-12 FT), 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals across 34 minutes in Saturday's 130-119 loss to the 76ers.
Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks with a 31-point performance, but Towns posted an impressive stat line en route to his eighth double-double across 13 appearances since the beginning of December. The star big man has also reached the 20-point mark in four of his last six contests.
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Alperen Sengun C | HOU
Rockets' Alperen Sengun: Won't return Saturday
Sengun (ankle) has been ruled out for the rest of Saturday's game against the Mavericks, Tim MacMahom of ESPN reports.
Sengun left early in the first quarter of Saturday's game due to a right ankle sprain, which medical staff deemed too severe for the fifth-year center to return. Clint Capela will see a heavy dose of minutes off the bench the rest of the way due to the absences of Sengun and Steven Adams (ankle). Sengun's injury puts him in jeopardy of missing Monday's game against the Suns.
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Naz Reid C | MIN
Timberwolves' Naz Reid: Big game from second unit
Reid finished with 29 points (10-15 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds, three assists and two blocks across 25 minutes off the bench during Saturday's 125-115 victory over the Heat.
The rest of the Minnesota second unit managed only 11 points combined, but they didn't need to do much with Reid carrying the load. It was the 26-year-old center's second-best scoring effort of the season after a 33-point eruption against the Bulls on Monday, and Reid has delivered double-digit points in nine of the last 11 games, averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 boards, 2.6 threes, 2.5 assists and 1.5 combined blocks and steals in 28.3 minutes per contest during that span.