NBA Player News
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Nikola Jokic C | DEN
Nuggets' Nikola Jokic: Another massive triple-double
Jokic racked up 34 points (11-22 FG, 12-13 FT), 21 rebounds, 12 assists and one steal across 38 minutes during Saturday's 127-126 loss to the Magic.
Jokic posted a triple-double for the third time over his last four outings, and the star big man continues to unlock new levels of dominance on a game-to-game basis. Opposing defenses have been unable to stop him, and Jokic continues to find ways to impact the game on both ends of the court -- regardless of who he has in front of him. Jokic has six triple-doubles and four double-doubles across 12 appearances in December.
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Victor Wembanyama C | SA
Spurs' Victor Wembanyama: Drops 32 points
Wembanyama generated 32 points (12-21 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 8-8 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and five blocks across 28 minutes of Saturday's 127-114 loss to Utah.
Wembanyama's 28 minutes played were his most since returning from a 12-game absence Dec. 13. He hit the five-block milestone for the fifth time this season and scored at least 30 points for the fifth time. Now back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in six straight games, Wembanyama will likely still have his minutes monitored moving forward, but it looks like the Spurs are slowly easing him into a larger role.
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Zach Collins C | CHI
Bulls' Zach Collins: Exits in final minutes of loss
Collins limped to the locker room in the closing minutes of Saturday's 112-103 loss to Milwaukee due to an apparent lower body injury, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports.
Collins suffered an apparent lower body injury late in the contest and did not return. He logged 10 points (5-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-1 FT), 10 rebounds and two assists across 24 minutes before exiting. He'll have minimal time to rest and recover, as the Bulls face Minnesota on Monday.
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Mark Williams C | PHO
Suns' Mark Williams: Ejected Saturday
Williams has been ejected from Saturday's game against the Pelicans following an altercation with Jose Alvarado, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.
Williams and Alvarado exchanged punches late in the third quarter, resulting in an ejection for both players. Williams will finish the night with 10 points (4-9 FG, 2-2 FT) and eight rebounds across 11 minutes. His ejection will mean more minutes for Oso Ighodaro and Nick Richards. If further punishment isn't handed down by the league, Williams will be back in action Monday against Washington.
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Robert Williams III C | POR
Trail Blazers' Robert Williams: Sitting front end of B2B
Williams (injury management) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Celtics.
Williams will be inactive for the first leg of Portland's back-to-back set, and he has yet to play in both sides of a back-to-back this season. His absence leaves more minutes available for the likes of Duop Reath and Yang Hansen. Williams' next chance to play will come against the Mavericks on Monday.
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Chris Boucher C | BOS
Celtics' Chris Boucher: Ruled out for Sunday
Boucher (personal) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Portland, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.
Boucher will miss his second consecutive contest due to personal reasons, though his absence shouldn't affect the Boston rotation. His next opportunity to suit up will come Tuesday against Utah.
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Jaxson Hayes C | LAL
Lakers' Jaxson Hayes: Unlikely to face Kings
Hayes (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against Sacramento.
Hayes is slated for a second consecutive absence due to a left ankle injury. If the backup center winds up missing Sunday's matchup, Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber would likely see a bump in playing time.
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Mark Williams C | PHO
Suns' Mark Williams: Not starting Saturday
Williams is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the Pelicans.
Even though Williams was cleared to play in the second leg of a back-to-back set for the first time this season, it seems the Suns will monitor his minutes closely by having him come off the bench. This means Oso Ighodaro will start at center. Williams will play off the bench for the fourth time this season, and he averaged 11.0 points and 9.3 boards per game in the previous three.
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Luke Kornet C | SA
Spurs' Luke Kornet: Back to bench Saturday
Kornet is not starting against the Jazz on Saturday, according to NBA reporter Matthew Tynan.
Kornet will return to his regular bench role with Victor Wembanyama back in the first unit. This will limit Kornet's fantasy upside considerably, as he's averaging just 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game when playing off the bench.
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Steven Adams C | HOU
Rockets' Steven Adams: Starting sans Sengun
Adams is in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Cavaliers, Tanner Nichols of IE Sports Radio reports.
The veteran big man will move to the first unit due to the absence of Alperen Sengun (calf). Adams doesn't bring the same skill set as Sengun, but he's an excellent rim protector and rebounder. Adams is averaging 5.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.6 blocks per game across 23 appearances (five starts) this season.