NBA Player News
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Brook Lopez C | LAC
Clippers' Brook Lopez: Contributes 17 points in win
Lopez contributed 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT), three rebounds and two assists over 21 minutes during Wednesday's 130-107 victory over the Pacers.
Lopez didn't do much outside of scoring, but his contributions were enough to finish the game as the Clippers' third-best offensive weapon behind Kawhi Leonard and Bennedict Mathurin. Since moving to a permanent starting role Feb. 4, Lopez has scored in double digits in six of his last 12 outings. Consistency from game to game is lacking, but he should remain a secondary scoring option. He has decent fantasy upside, but he's more of a backup center rather than someone you'd want to have in your lineup every night.
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Jay Huff C | IND
Pacers' Jay Huff: Scores 18 points in loss
Huff notched 18 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3Pt), five rebounds, one assist and one block in 25 minutes during Wednesday's 130-107 loss to the Clippers.
Huff seems to have a tight grip on the starting center role in Indiana, at least until Ivica Zubac (ankle) is ready to make his Pacers debut. Huff has started in all but one of the Pacers' last 13 games, averaging a solid line of 11.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. Huff has scored in double digits eight times in that span.
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Robert Williams III C | POR
Trail Blazers' Robert Williams: Double-doubles in win
Williams notched 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three blocks and one steal over 23 minutes during Wednesday's 122-114 victory over the Grizzlies.
Williams logged a handful of additional minutes as a result of Donovan Clingan being ejected. Having been mostly healthy this season, Williams has been able to demonstrate his elite per-minute ability, putting up top-100 value in just 16.5 minutes per game. However, the fact that he has yet to play in both games of a back-to-back makes him a tough player to roster permanently.
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Xavier Tillman C | CHA
Hornets' Xavier Tillman: Goes scoreless in win
Tillman produced one block in five minutes during Wednesday's 118-89 victory over the Celtics.
Tillman's time in Charlotte has yet to yield anything of significance, and he typically plays as the third-string center behind Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner. In seven appearances as a Hornet, Tillman has scored a total of just two points, exceeding five minutes only once.
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Ryan Kalkbrenner C | CHA
Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Backup role continues
Kalkbrenner totaled six points (3-4 FG), two rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal across 14 minutes during Wednesday's 118-89 win over the Celtics.
Kalkbrenner continues to play a limited role as the backup center, having logged fewer than 19 minutes in six straight games. Charlotte has won 16 of its past 19 games, with Moussa Diabate playing a huge part in the recent success. With Diabate seemingly locked in as the starter, Kalkbrenner should be viewed as nothing more than a blocks streamer.
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Yanic Konan Niederhauser C | LAC
Clippers' Yanic Konan Niederhauser: Out for two-game road trip
The Clippers announced after Wednesday's 130-107 win over the Pacers that Niederhauser will remain in Los Angeles to undergo further evaluation for his right foot injury and won't travel with the team for its upcoming two-game road trip, Farbod Esnaashari of SI.com reports.
The rookie first-round pick will sit out Friday in San Antonio and Saturday in Memphis after playing just eight minutes and recording six points (2-2 FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and two blocks before exiting Wednesday's win with the injury. A clearer timeline for Niederhauer's return should become available once the Clippers return to Los Angeles. In the meantime, the Clippers could lean on Nicolas Batum and Isaiah Jackson to play backup minutes at center when starter Brook Lopez is off the court.
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Yanic Konan Niederhauser C | LAC
Clippers' Yanic Konan Niederhauser: Exits game early with foot injury
Niederhauser won't return to Wednesday's game against the Pacers due to a right foot injury, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports. He will finish with six points (2-2 FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and two blocks across eight minutes.
Niederhauser landed awkwardly on his right foot after blocking a shot and required assistance getting back to the locker room. His status will be worth monitoring ahead of Friday's game in San Antonio. If the rookie big man is forced to miss time, Isaiah Jackson would likely see a bump in minutes behind Brook Lopez.
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Yanic Konan Niederhauser C | LAC
Clippers' Yanic Konan Niederhauser: Leaves for locker room
Niederhauser exited to the locker room in the second quarter of Wednesday's game against the Pacers due to an apparent lower right leg injury, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Niederhauser came down awkwardly after blocking a shot and required assistance getting back to the locker room. If the rookie big man is unable to return, Brook Lopez and Isaiah Jackson should pick up the slack the rest of the way.
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Karl-Anthony Towns C | NY
Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns: Double-doubles in loss
Towns totaled 17 points (7-8 FG, 3-4 FT), 17 rebounds and one assist in 33 minutes before fouling out of Wednesday's 103-100 loss to the Thunder.
Towns dominated the glass, notching his league-leading 43rd double-double of the season, but he also made a fair amount of mistakes in the narrow loss. Towns fouled out for the first time since the All-Star break, finished with a team-worst minus-18 differential, and with him unavailable down the stretch, the Knicks had their three-game win streak snapped. They'll look to get things back on track Friday in Denver.
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Isaiah Hartenstein C | OKC
Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein: Won't return Wednesday
Hartenstein won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Knicks due to tightness in his left calf, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports.
This is the same calf that caused Hartenstein's most recent lengthy absence, so the Thunder will proceed with caution and hold him out of the remainder of the game. Hartenstein will finish with five rebounds, two assists and one turnover across 17 scoreless minutes, and for now, he should be considered questionable for Saturday's game against the Warriors.