NBA Player News
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Nikola Vucevic C | BOS
Celtics' Nikola Vucevic: Posts another double-double
Vucevic racked up 19 points (7-12 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal over 26 minutes during Wednesday's 124-105 victory over the Bulls.
It was a superb night for Vucevic, who recorded his second double-double in three games with Boston. More impressively, he sank four threes on 80 percent shooting from deep in the 19-point Celtics win. Vucevic has made a seamless transition to his new team so far, but he's playing fewer minutes.
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Jakob Poeltl C | TOR
Raptors' Jakob Poeltl: Quiet in return to lineup
Poeltl (back) finished with nine points (4-7 FG, 1-2 FT) and six rebounds in 20 minutes during Wednesday's 113-95 loss to the Pistons.
Seeing his first game action since Dec. 21, Poeltl was on a tight minutes restriction but didn't seem hampered by the back issues that had kept him sidelined for 24 consecutive games. The veteran center will get the All-Star break to rest up further, but he may need more time after that to ramp up before he'll be allowed to handle a full workload.
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Paul Reed C | DET
Pistons' Paul Reed: Hits for 22 in Wednesday's start
Reed produced 22 points (10-17 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists, four blocks and three steals across 33 minutes during Wednesday's 113-95 win over the Raptors.
With Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart both suspended in the wake of Monday's brawl with the Hornets, Reed made his first start since Jan. 10. He delivered a dominant defensive performance while producing his best scoring effort since Nov. 12, when he erupted for a season-high 28 against the Bulls. Duren is set to miss only one more game, but Stewart has been shelved until March 3, so Reed should see elevated usage into next month. The 26-year-old center has scored in double digits in three straight games, averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 boards, 2.7 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 threes.
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PJ Hall C | CHA
Hornets' PJ Hall: Delivers first career double-double
Hall finished Wednesday's 110-107 win over Atlanta with 11 points (3-7 FG, 5-5 FT), 10 rebounds and one steal in 17 minutes off the bench.
With Charlotte's starting frontcourt of Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate suspended after Monday's brawl with Detroit, Hall saw the court in an NBA game for the first time since Jan. 8 and produced his first career double-double. Diabate and Bridges will be sidelined until Feb. 24, giving Hall three chances to try and repeat Wednesday's performance.
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Onyeka Okongwu C | ATL
Hawks' Onyeka Okongwu: Chips in 18 in loss to Hornets
Okongwu registered 18 points (5-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), three rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 29 minutes during Wednesday's 110-107 loss to Charlotte.
The 25-year-old center scored in the teens with multiple made three-pointers in a third straight game since returning from dental surgery, and his seventh straight appearance overall. During that latter stretch, Okongwu is averaging 17.1 points, 6.3 boards, 2.9 threes, 2.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and 48.8 percent from long range.
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Alex Sarr C | WAS
Wizards' Alex Sarr: Out two weeks with hamstring strain
The Wizards announced Thursday that Sarr has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and is expected to face a two-week recovery timeline.
Sarr sat out Wednesday's 138-113 loss to the Cavaliers with what the team had classified as right hamstring tightness, but follow-up tests confirmed that the second-year big man is dealing with a strain. As a result of the injury, Sarr will sit out the Castrol Rising Stars exhibition at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, and he'll likely miss at least a handful of contests coming out of the All-Star break. Tristan Vukcevic (illness) joined Sarr on the sideline for Wednesday's loss, but Vukcevic will likely be ready to fill in for Sarr as the Wizards' starting center in the team's next game Feb. 19 versus the Pacers.
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Clint Capela C | HOU
Rockets' Clint Capela: Blocks four shots in loss
Capela posted three points (1-2 FG, 1-2 FT), five rebounds and four blocks across 16 minutes during Wednesday's 105-102 loss to the Clippers.
Capela salvaged another poor performance by matching his season-high with four blocks. Despite assuming the primary backup role behind Alperen Sengun, Capela's time as a fantasy-relevant player has certainly come and gone. At best, managers can utilize him for streaming purposes, if and when blocks are at the top of the priority list.
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Mark Williams C | PHO
Suns' Mark Williams: Held in check in defeat
Williams notched six points (3-4 FG) and one rebound across 16 minutes during Wednesday's 136-109 loss to the Thunder.
Although Williams is heading into the All-Star break on a low note, fantasy managers have to be pleased with his results as a whole over the first part of the season. The fourth-year big man has played a career-high 50 games during his first year in Phoenix, cementing himself as the Suns' top center. Williams is averaging 12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.6 minutes per contest in his last 10 games, shooting a robust 71.3 percent from the floor.
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Kel'el Ware C | MIA
Heat's Kel'el Ware: Records double-double in win
Ware notched 16 points (7-15 FG, 2-3 3Pt), 12 rebounds, two blocks and one steal across 28 minutes during Wednesday's 123-111 win over the Pelicans.
Ware's second season has been up and down, as he's been working his way back from a hamstring strain, but he's finally beginning to show some signs of life with two double-doubles in his past three games. It remains to be seen if the Heat are sticking with the 2024 first-rounder in the starting lineup out of the All-Star break, and Ware is still searching for some consistency. He's averaging 11.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 three-pointers in 19.6 minutes per game over his last six outings.
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Karl-Anthony Towns C | NY
Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns: Tallies another double-double
Towns supplied 21 points (8-13 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal over 26 minutes during Wednesday's 138-89 win over the 76ers.
Towns continues to stockpile double-doubles, having now collected 37 through 51 appearances on the campaign so far. The All-Star big man is riding a streak of six consecutive double-doubles, during which Towns is shooting a weak 25.0 percent from deep but is averaging a strong 18.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 29.4 minutes per game.