NBA Player News

Jokic finished Friday's 139-136 loss to San Antonio with 21 points (7-10 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 6-8 FT), nine rebounds, 10 assists, one block and one steal across 36 minutes.

The All-Star center fell one board short of his 11th triple-double of the season. Jokic has reached double digits in either rebounds or assists -- or both -- in 10 straight games, averaging a blistering 32.9 points, 12.4 boards, 10.5 dimes, 2.4 threes and 1.2 steals over that stretch while shooting 62.3 percent from the floor and a stunning 53.3 percent (24-for-45) from beyond the arc.

Okongwu recorded 18 points (8-14 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 0-1 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in 34 minutes during Friday's 130-123 win over Cleveland.

Okongwu got the start Friday due to the absence of Kristaps Porzingis (illness), and the former made the most of his opportunity by filling up the stat sheet during Atlanta's win. Okongwu has scored at least 15 points in each of his last eight outings (five starts), and over that span he has averaged 21.8 points on 58.2 percent shooting (including 48.2 percent from three on 7.0 3PA/G) along with 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals over 30.1 minutes per game.

Davis (injury management) won't play in Saturday's game against the Clippers, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

As expected, Davis will take a seat for the tail end of the Mavericks' back-to-back set. The veteran big man returned from a 14-game absence due to a calf strain Friday night and logged 12 points (6-10 FG, 0-1 3PT), five rebounds, five assists and three blocks across 28 minutes. Davis was under a minutes restriction for the contest. His absence should open up more opportunities for Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson and Moussa Cisse. Davis' next chance to play will come Monday at Denver.

Nurkic amassed nine points (4-8 FG, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals over 27 minutes during Friday's 128-119 win over the Kings.

While Nurkic has been doing a decent job operating as a playmaker and glass eater in Utah this season, he's also been struggling to impact other areas of the stat sheet, and he's been averaging a career-low 0.4 blocks per game. He's also committing a career-high 2.8 turnovers a night, to go with a career-worst free-throw percentage of 57.5 percent. Nurkic may not be worth the headache in standard fantasy leagues unless rebounds are a priority.

Duren logged 16 points (5-8 FG, 6-6 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and one steal over 31 minutes during Friday's 112-109 loss to the Magic.

Duren has been one of the best two-way bigs in the NBA this season, and he's a double-double threat every time he steps on the hardwood. He's recorded eight double-doubles over his last 10 games dating back to Nov. 5, but that wasn't the only area in which he stood out in this loss Friday. His four blocks were a season-high output as well.

Huff racked up 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt), six rebounds, two assists and four blocks over 22 minutes during Friday's 119-86 victory over Washington.

Huff moved back into the starting lineup, just the third time he has assumed that position all season. On the heels of some encouraging performances, Huff was rewarded and made the most of his opportunity. In three games over the past week, he has averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.7 three-pointers in 22.7 minutes per game. While the rotation could certainly change again, Huff is worth adding in standard fantasy leagues, at least for the time being.

Bradley chipped in five points (2-2 FG, 1-2 FT), two rebounds and one assist in eight minutes during Friday's 119-86 win over the Wizards.

Bradley appears to have fallen to third in the center stakes, having now played fewer than 10 minutes in five straight games. During that time, he has averaged just 1.8 points and 0.6 rebounds, ensuring managers can move on in all fantasy formats.

Kalkbrenner recorded seven points (2-2 FG, 3-4 FT), five rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes during Friday's 123-116 win over the Bulls.

Kalkbrenner got back to doing what he does best, scoring efficiently and blocking shots. After a strong start to his rookie season, Kalkbrenner had been in somewhat of a slump of late, failing to record a block in three straight appearances. Perhaps what was even more encouraging here was the fact that he logged 30 minutes for the first time in his past nine games.

Gafford will come off the bench for Friday's game against the Lakers.

The Mavericks will go with a starting frontcourt featuring Anthony Davis and P.J. Washington on Friday night, so Gafford will be operating as Davis' backup. However, with Davis set to be confined to 24-27 minutes in his first game back, Gafford should still see quality minutes in the reserve role.

Hayes isn't part of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Mavericks, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.

Hayes made a spot start Tuesday, but he'll return to the second unit for Friday's matchup against Dallas, with Deandre Ayton returning to action following a one-game absence. The center logged eight points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block over 30 minutes during the start.