NBA Player News

Jemison (illness) recorded four points (2-3 FG) and five rebounds across 16 minutes Thursday in the Lakers' 118-89 loss to the Bucks.

After missing each of the Lakers' last four games while recovering from an illness, Jemison made his return to the rotation Thursday, stepping in as the backup to Jaxson Hayes. A two-way player, Jemison will be eligible to be active for just eight of the Lakers' remaining 13 contests, so he could be in store for some unannounced absences over the next few weeks. Even if he wasn't approaching his active games limit, Jemison likely would have been at risk of falling out of the rotation in the near future anyway with Rui Hachimura (knee) and LeBron James (groin) set to return from multi-game absences as soon as Saturday.

The Mavericks assigned Gafford (knee) to the G League's Texas Legends on Friday to participate in a 3-on-3 practice and will recall him after, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports.

Gafford hasn't played since Feb. 10 due to a right MCL sprain but appears to be ramping up toward a return to action. With Dereck Lively (ankle) and Anthony Davis (adductor) also set to practice in the G League, Dallas could receive a massive boost in their frontcourt before the end of the regular season.

Vucevic ended with 24 points (9-14 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds and eight assists in 32 minutes during Thursday's 128-116 victory over the Kings.

Vucevic stuffed the stat sheet en route to his 39th outing with a double-double or better across 62 regular-season appearances. The big man posted game-high marks in rebounds and assists, and he also finished as the Bulls' third-leading scorer behind Coby White (35 points) and Kevin Huerter (25 points). Vucevic has made six appearances (five starts) since returning from a seven-game absence due to a calf injury, during which he has averaged 15.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 three-pointers across 28.2 minutes per contest.

The Mavericks assigned Lively (ankle) to the G league's Texas Legends on Friday to take part in a 3-on-3 practice and will recall him after, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports.

Lively hasn't played since Jan. 14 due to an ankle injury but appears to be ramping up toward a return to action and will practice alongside Daniel Gafford (knee) while Anthony Davis (adductor) participates in a 5-on-5 scrimmage in the G League. Although there is no timetable for Lively's return, it appears that he will attempt to play before the end of the regular season.

The Mavericks assigned Davis (adductor) to the G League so he can participate in a second round of 5-on-5 practices with the Texas Legends on Friday and will recall him after, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports.

Davis continues to ramp up toward a return to action and will take part in a 5-on-5 practice in the G League for the second time this week. Although there is no official timetable for the star big man's return, it appears that he will attempt to play before the end of the regular season.

Poeltl ended Thursday's 117-114 loss to the Warriors with 18 points (8-9 FG, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 28 minutes.

The veteran center has been getting every other game off lately for load management purposes, and he looked fresh in this road matchup after not having suited up since Sunday. Poeltl is on pace to post career-best averages in points (14.3), boards (9.6) and steals (1.2) on the season. However, with the Raptors remaining on the fringes of the race for a spot in the Play-In Tournament despite periodically resting their regulars recently, it's unclear whether the organization will reverse course on his cautious usage down the stretch.

Williams logged 19 points (8-14 FG, 3-3 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks across 31 minutes during Thursday's 115-98 win over New York.

Williams bounced back admirably in this game, as the big man posted a mere stat line of four points, five rebounds and five assists across 23 minutes in a loss to the Hawks on Tuesday. Over his last 11 appearances, Williams has recorded nine double-doubles, averaging 16.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 blocks and 0.8 steals in 28.0 minutes per game.

Turner posted 23 points (8-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 10 rebounds, five blocks, one assist and one steal over 40 minutes in Thursday's 105-99 overtime win over Brooklyn.

Turner held things down in the paint for Indiana, leading all players in blocks while finishing second among Pacers in scoring and rebounds during a double-double effort. Turner recorded at least five blocks for the fifth time this season, doing so for the first time since Feb. 20. He has now recorded at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in three contests while posting a double-double on 12 occasions.

Castleton will come off the bench Thursday night against the Warriors, Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic reports.

With Jakob Poeltl getting a night off, Castleton drew a spot start Monday, but the Florida product will rotate back to his usual bench role Thursday now that Poeltl is back in action. Castleton played well in his last appearance as a reserve Sunday, finishing with eight points, 12 rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.

Plumlee (quadriceps) has been ruled out for Friday's game against Cleveland.

The big man will miss his second consecutive contest due to a left quadricep strain. His next chance to suit up will come Monday against Milwaukee. Oso Ighodaro could see a slight uptick in playing time due to Plumlee being sidelined.