NBA Player News

Nurkic had 12 points (4-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 32 minutes during Thursday's 120-111 loss to Indiana.

The big man posted his eighth double-double of the season and tied Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen for the team-high mark in rebounds Thursday. Nurkic has struggled with efficiency and is on pace to shoot 45.2 percent from the field this season, though he delivered a productive performance against Indiana. The veteran center has played in three consecutive outings following a five-game absence due to a right thigh contusion, during which he has averaged 11.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 60.9 percent from the field across 29.7 minutes per contest.

Turner provided 19 points (5-10 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT), six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in 34 minutes during Thursday's 120-111 win over the Suns.

The big man tied Andrew Nembhard for the second-highest mark in scoring on the Pacers behind Pascal Siakam (25 points) on Thursday. Turner also tied his season high in three-point attempts, and he is on pace to shoot a career-high 40.9 percent from downtown while putting up 5.1 attempts per game. Over his last 10 outings, the 28-year-old has averaged 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.0 assists while shooting 39.2 percent from deep across 30.6 minutes per contest.

Hukporti (ankle) played the final 1:50 of Thursday's 133-107 win over the Timberwolves, finishing with one point (1-2 FT) and two rebounds.

Hukporti wasn't available for the Knicks' previous two games with a left ankle sprain, but he was given the green light to play Thursday and ended up seeing the court at the tail end of the blowout win. Though he's now healthy again, Hukporti will remain on the outside of head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation.

Carter contributed 10 points (2-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 6-9 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists and one block over 30 minutes during Thursday's 105-99 loss to the Thunder.

Carter secured his first double-double since Oct. 28 despite a rough shooting night from the field. It's been a struggle for the Duke product to produce on a consistent basis, and it's clear that the team's starting center, Goga Bitadze, is performing at a higher level across the board at this point in the season. Even so, perhaps Thursday's showing will be a stepping stone to a hot stretch for the 25-year-old, who has yet to live up to expectations this year.

Bitadze closed Thursday's 105-99 loss to the Thunder with 15 points (6-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and one block across 27 minutes.

Bitadze notched his third double-double over his last four appearances, and he continues to make the most of his opportunities on the offensive end, hitting 55.8 percent of his tries from the field over this brief hot stretch. He's putting together a solid month of December, averaging 11.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocks over seven games. While Bitadze isn't a sure thing to log 30-plus minutes on a nightly basis, he's shown that he only needs 20-to-25 minutes to be productive across the board.

Hartenstein produced 12 points (5-9 FG, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, four assists, one block and four steals across 33 minutes during Thursday's 105-99 win over Orlando.

Hartenstein secured his fifth double-double of December by turning in an efficient scoring performance and continuing to make his presence felt on the glass. He also played well on the defensive end, tying Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a team-high four steals, which marks Hartenstein's best showing of the season in this category.

Sabonis registered 18 points (8-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-4 FT), 12 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks over 38 minutes during Thursday's 113-100 loss to the Lakers.

Sabonis is a big reason why the Kings have 13 wins, but he lost the battle inside against Anthony Davis on Thursday night. Sabonis currently leads the league with 23 double-doubles, and he was very close to notching his fifth triple-double. He currently ranks fourth in that category behind Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Cade Cunningham.

Davis contributed 21 points (7-20 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 20 rebounds, four assists, six blocks and three steals over 35 minutes during Thursday's 113-100 win over the Kings.

Although Davis (shoulder) exited the game briefly, he turned in a masterful total in a key victory over the Lakers' intrastate rival. His 20 rebounds were a season high by a wide margin, and he easily won the interior duel with Domantas Sabonis, who managed a lesser 18/12 total. Davis and LeBron James both have lingering injuries but are managing to play through them, although James' injury appears to be more serious. Despite being a regular on the injury report, Davis has missed only one game this season, a significant achievement for the veteran.

Jokic closed with 34 points (13-18 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 37 minutes during Thursday's 126-124 loss to Portland.

Jokic had an excellent shooting night, but the Nuggets were solidly outclassed off the glass in the loss, mostly due to Jokic's poor result in the category. Jokic has dipped below 10 rebounds only five times this season, and his inability to reach a double-double should be considered an outlier event. He currently ranks fifth in the league with 18 double-doubles, but he leads the league with 10 triple-doubles.

Ayton (illness) notched 15 points (7-14 FG, 1-2 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal in 35 minutes during Thursday's 126-124 win over the Nuggets.

Ayton returned after missing the Trail Blazers' last two games with a non-COVID-related illness. He seemed to be operating at 100 percent Thursday, as he saw ample minutes while matching his third-highest rebound total of the season. Ayton began the season with a five-game double-double streak, and he could be on his way to building another run now that he's back in action.