Hayes finished Thursday's 120-113 loss to Denver with 19 points (8-10 FG, 3-5 FT), five rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes off the bench.

Deandre Ayton (knee) was able to play only four minutes, opening the door for Hayes to see his biggest workload since Feb. 12 and set a new season scoring high. Hayes hasn't scored more than eight points in any of his prior six games, but if Ayton winds up missing more time, he's likely to be the biggest beneficiary in the Lakers' frontcourt.

Ayton left Thursday's game against Denver due to left knee soreness, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.

It appears that Ayton was able to avoid a serious injury. He'll presumably be re-evaluated Friday to determine his status for the second half of a back-to-back Friday against the Pacers.

Jokic totaled 28 points (10-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-8 FT), 12 rebounds, 13 assists, one steal and one block in 38 minutes during Thursday's 120-113 victory over the Lakers.

Jokic nearly committed double-digit turnovers, but he shot the ball with efficiency, which was evident by a perfect 8-for-8 night at the charity stripe. He also led the Nuggets in rebounds and assists. Jokic is averaging 27.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.0 blocks over his last five matchups.

Ayton won't return to Thursday's game against Denver due to a knee injury, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports. He'll end the night with two rebounds in five minutes.

The severity of Ayton's injury is unclear at this time. Jaxson Hayes started the second half in Ayton's place and will presumably be leaned on heavily during the final two periods of play.

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.