NBA Player News

Ayton closed Saturday's 126-122 victory over the Mavericks with 21 points (9-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 16 rebounds, one assist, three blocks and two steals across 36 minutes.

Ayton was effective against Dallas' interior as the opponent continued to operate without Dereck Lively's (hip) services. Saturday proved to be a great opportunity to steal a win against a shorthanded Mavericks squad, and Ayton had a field day with his second-highest scoring total and his best rebounding result of the season.

Davis racked up 36 points (12-16 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 11-13 FT), 15 rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes during Saturday's 132-122 win over Sacramento.

Davis missed just four of his 16 shots from the field and ended just two assists away from a triple-double in what ended being a strong two-way effort while also limiting the impact of Domantas Sabonis. Additionally, Davis looked healthy and didn't show any lingering effects of the ankle injury that limited him to just seven minutes on Christmas Day against the Warriors. Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.0 blocks, 1.2 steals and 0.6 three-pointers made per game since the beginning of December.

Sabonis racked up 14 points (6-13 FG, 2-3 3Pt), 12 rebounds and seven assists over 26 minutes before fouling out of Saturday's 132-122 loss to the Lakers.

Sabonis returned after a one-game absence due to an illness and posted a solid stat line, ending just three dimes away from recording what would've been his fifth triple-double of the season. He extended his double-double streak to nine contests, though, averaging a robust 20.7 points, 15.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in that stretch.

Embiid recorded 32 points (10-21 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 11-13 FT), five rebounds, four assists, three blocks and four steals over 35 minutes during Saturday's 114-111 win over the Jazz.

Embiid joined Tyrese Maxey with a team-leading total of 32 points as the Sixers held off a late Jazz rally to seal the win. Embiid's rebound numbers were uncharacteristically low as Guerschon Yabusele led the team with eight boards, but Embiid mixed it up enough to earn several trips to the charity stripe, where he padded his total with 11 points. Embiid has managed to string together three starts despite his ailments, but the upcoming back-to-back against Portland may be another spot where he takes a seat.

Jokic ended with 37 points (11-17 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 11-14 FT), nine rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes during Saturday's 134-121 win over the Pistons.

Jokic delivered an impressive performance Saturday, missing just six of his 17 shots from the field while ending only one board and two dimes away from recording what would've been his 13th triple-double of the season -- and sixth since the beginning of December. The star big man, an early favorite for the MVP award, is averaging a robust 31.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game since the beginning of the month.

Plumlee notched two points (2-2 FT), nine rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal across 26 minutes during Saturday's 109-105 loss to the Warriors.

Plumlee made his eighth start of the season Saturday as Jusuf Nurkic began his three-game suspension. Plumlee co-led the Suns in rebounding with Josh Okogie, and the former tied a season high with six assists. Plumlee should remain in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Grizzlies due to Nurkic's suspension.

Adebayo posted 17 points (8-17 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 37 minutes during Saturday's 120-110 loss to Atlanta.

Adebayo needed 17 shots to score 17 points, but the star big man continues to fill the stat sheet as he did Saturday. Adebayo has scored 15 or more points in eight of his last nine outings, a span in which he's also racked up five double-doubles.

Lopez provided 22 points (9-22 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 38 minutes during Saturday's 116-111 loss to the Bulls.

Lopez led both teams with three blocks Saturday and finished as the Bucks' second-leading scorer behind Damian Lillard (29). Lopez has now scored at least 20 points in three straight games, and the veteran center has taken on a larger role on offense due to the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo (illness). Over his last six games, Lopez has averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks over 33.3 minutes per game.

Vucevic closed Saturday's 116-111 win over the Bucks with 23 points (10-24 FG, 3-7 3Pt), 13 rebounds, five assists and one steal in 38 minutes.

Vucevic led the Bulls in rebounding Saturday and co-led in scoring with Josh Giddey. It was Vucevic's 19th double-double of the regular season, four of which have come over his last five games. For the month of December, Vucevic has averaged 20.4 points on 56.4 percent shooting, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals over 32.5 minutes per game.

Hartenstein ended Saturday's 106-94 win over the Hornets with 12 points (6-7 FG), 15 rebounds, four assists and one steal over 25 minutes.

Hartenstein picked up yet another double-double during Saturday's wire-to-wire victory, now holding 12 of them in 15 games during his first year in Oklahoma City. He's now tallied eight double-doubles in his last nine games, a stretch during which Hartenstein is averaging 13.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks while shooting 61.0 percent from the floor. The 26-year-old center has been instrumental in the 25-5 Thunder's success in 2024-25, posting career highs in points (12.6), rebounds (12.8) and assists (3.7) per game overall, with the team having also gone 14-1 in his 15 appearances. Although Hartenstein won't offer fantasy managers much in outside scoring along with a weak free-throw percentage, the big man's passing contributions are a welcome addition to what he brings to the table in swats, boards and field-goal percentage.