NBA Player News

Ware produced 10 points (4-12 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over 26 minutes during Friday's 102-86 loss to Brooklyn.

After failing to score a point in Wednesday's win over the Sixers, Ware bounced back with his sixth double-double of the season, albeit in a losing effort. Five of them have come in the last nine games since moving into Miami's starting lineup, a stretch in which Ware has averaged 11.8 points, 10.7 boards, 1.2 assists, 1.2 threes, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals. With Jimmy Butler on his way to Golden State, Ware and frontcourt mate Bam Adebayo figure to become the focal point of the Heat offense along with Tyler Herro.

Drummond (toe) tallied two points (1-2 FG), four rebounds, two assists and one block across eight minutes in Friday's 125-112 loss to the Pistons.

Despite being listed as doubtful heading into Friday, Drummond was upgraded to questionable and got the green light to play against the Pistons. He handled only a light role in the rotation in his return from an eight-game absence due to the left toe injury, playing a handful of minutes as Joel Embiid's backup. So long as Embiid is available, Drummond will likely struggle to earn more than 15 minutes in a given game.

Holmgren (hip) tallied four points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt), five rebounds, four blocks, two steals and one assist across 22 minutes in Friday's 121-109 win over the Raptors.

After sustaining a right iliac wing fracture Nov. 10, Holmgren was generally expected to be sidelined through the All-Star break, but he made his surprise return to the action Friday, joining Isaiah Hartenstein as a starter in the frontcourt. Though he was operating under a minutes limit in his first game in three months, Holmgren made an immediate impact with his length on the defensive end. He recorded six defensive counters during his time on the floor while holding opposing Raptors to 1-for-8 shooting in the paint as a contesting defender, per Second Spectrum. Holmgren should see his minutes steadily ramp up in the games to come, though the Thunder could opt to hold him out of action entirely for maintenance purposes Saturday versus the Grizzlies on the second leg of a back-to-back set.

Bol totaled 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-5 3Pt), three rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 24 minutes during Friday's 135-127 overtime win over the Jazz.

Bol played a meaningful role for the first time this season in a performance that basically came out of nowhere. Prior to Friday, Bol had appeared in just 14 games, exceeding 10 minutes only once. While this was an intriguing effort, there is no reason to think it will be anything more than an outlier.

Filipowski logged 11 points (5-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist and one block across 15 minutes during Friday's 135-127 overtime loss to the Suns.

Filipowski recorded just the third double-double of his career despite playing limited minutes off the bench. While there have been a few positives to come out of the season, Filipowski has found himself well down on the depth chart for much of the campaign. The Jazz are playing arguably their best basketball of the season right now, further complicating things for the rookie.

Kessler provided 19 points (9-17 FG, 1-1 FT), 22 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal over 38 minutes during Friday's 135-127 overtime loss to the Suns.

Kessler pulled down a career-high 22 rebounds, continuing his recent domination on the glass. Over the past four games, he is averaging 12.8 points, 17.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 35.1 minutes per game. Although the threat of missed games remains front and center, Kessler should continue to play heavy minutes for a Utah team that has shown promise of late, delivering four straight competitive performances.

Holmes supplied 12 points (4-7 FG, 4-6 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists and one block over 31 minutes during Friday's 134-124 loss to the Cavaliers.

Holmes held things down in the paint Friday despite entering the contest questionable with a non-COVID illness, leading all Wizards players in rebounds en route to a double-double showcase. Holmes set season-high marks in both scoring and rebounds while recording his first double-double of the year. He has now hauled in 10 or more boards on three occasions.

Duren tallied 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-3 FT), 13 rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 20 minutes during Friday's 125-112 win over Philadelphia.

Duren played only 20 minutes Friday, but he made the most out of his playing time. He led the Pistons with a season-high seven assists, finished with a game-high plus-26 point differential and recorded his 22nd double-double of the regular season, 10 of which have come over his last 12 games. Over that span, Duren has averaged 14.5 points on 72.1 percent shooting, 12.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 blocks over 27.5 minutes per game.

Embiid finished Friday's 125-112 loss to the Pistons with 23 points (7-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 8-10 FT), seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks over 30 minutes.

Embiid was limited to just three points in the first half as the 76ers found themselves down by as many as 34 points. The former MVP came out firing out of halftime, scoring 20 points in the third quarter while going 6-for-8 from the field, though he couldn't carry that momentum into the fourth quarter. Embiid has played in two of the Sixers' last three games, and how his left knee responds over the next couple of days will determine whether he'll be available for Sunday's game against the Bucks.

Turner has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Lakers due to a cervical strain, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.

Turner will be sidelined for just the fifth time all season after he departed Thursday's win over the Clippers early to be checked for a concussion. Though he appears to have avoided a brain injury, Turner hurt his neck and will need at least one game off to recover. Thomas Bryant and Obi Toppin will likely absorb most of the minutes at center Saturday.