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Bam Adebayo C | MIA
Heat's Bam Adebayo: Close to double-double
Adebayo notched 20 points (8-12 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one steal in 25 minutes during Thursday's 128-115 loss to the Pacers.
Adebayo was efficient on offense and active on the glass, but he ended just two rebounds shy of recording what would've been his 10th double-double across his last 15 outings since the beginning of December. Over that 15-game stretch, the star big man is averaging 17.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
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Kel'el Ware C | MIL
Heat's Kel'el Ware: Shines off bench vs. Indiana
Ware posted 25 points (9-11 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 4-5 FT), one assist, three blocks and one steal over 21 minutes during Thursday's 128-115 loss to the Pacers.
Ware had the best game of his young career by a sizable margin. The rookie struggled to crack the rotation in the first weeks of the season but has logged double-digit minutes in each of his last seven games, averaging 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game off the bench in that span. He should continue to see minutes off the bench going forward, especially if Miami trades Jimmy Butler ahead of the deadline.
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Christian Koloko C | NO
Lakers' Christian Koloko: Season highs in win
Koloko posted eight points (4-8 FG), eight rebounds, three assists and one steal over 18 minutes during Thursday's 114-106 victory over Portland.
The big man set season highs in points, rebounds, assists and minutes while seeing extended run due to Anthony Davis (ankle) being sidelined. Koloko has received inconsistent playing time this season, and over his last five outings, he has averaged 2.8 points and 3.2 rebounds across 7.8 minutes per game.
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Myles Turner C | MIL
Pacers' Myles Turner: Productive in win Thursday
Turner closed Thursday's 128-115 win over the Heat with 21 points (8-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 35 minutes.
Turner couldn't record what would've been his fourth double-double across his last five outings, but still, the star big man has been playing very well in recent weeks. Turner has scored in double digits in eight of his last 10 contests, a span in which he's averaging 14.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.6 assists per contest.
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Nicolas Claxton C | CHI
Nets' Nic Claxton: Continues strong two-way play
Claxton produced 16 points (5-9 FG, 6-8 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal over 33 minutes during Thursday's 113-110 victory over Milwaukee.
Claxton recorded a similar stat line to the one he posted in the 130-113 loss to the Raptors on Jan. 1, and he played a prominent role in the Nets' win over the Bucks thanks to his impressive two-way play. Claxton has recorded two straight double-doubles and three over his last four outings. Plus, he's posted double-digit points and/or rebounds in six of his previous seven contests.
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Jaxson Hayes C | UTA
Lakers' Jaxson Hayes: Middling numbers in spot start
Hayes posted four points (2-4 FG), six rebounds, one steal and one block across 18 minutes in Thursday's 114-106 win over the Trail Blazers.
With Anthony Davis (ankle) sitting out the front end of a back-to-back set, Hayes entered the starting five and made his first appearance since Nov. 26. The center had missed 13 straight games with a right ankle sprain/contusion, but he was available for both of the Lakers' two contests prior to Thursday. Though Hayes has been serving as Davis' primary backup when healthy this season, his standing in the rotation could vary from game to game now that he's healthy. The Lakers recently acquired Dorian Finney-Smith and could occasionally deploy him as a small-ball center in certain matchups when Davis is off the floor, and the eventual returns of Christian Wood (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) from injuries are also likely to hurt Hayes' playing-time outlook.
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Joel Embiid C | PHI
76ers' Joel Embiid: Logs third double-double of season
Embiid (foot) registered 28 points (8-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 11-14 FT), 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 31 minutes during Thursday's 139-105 loss to Golden State.
After sitting out Wednesday's loss to the Kings to rest his foot, Embiid tallied his third double-double of the season in Thursday's rout, providing a team-high 28 points as well as a full stat line for the 76ers. The superstar big man is starting to round into form lately, averaging 31.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.8 threes in 33.0 minutes over his past four games. Philadelphia's next back-to-back set doesn't arrive until Jan. 14 versus the Thunder and Jan. 15 against the Knicks, so fantasy managers hope to have Embiid available consistently up until that point.
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Ivica Zubac C | IND
Clippers' Ivica Zubac: Narrowly misses double-double
Zubac finished Thursday's 116-98 loss to Oklahoma City with 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-3 FT), nine rebounds and two assists across 23 minutes.
After scoring just five points in Tuesday's blowout loss to the Spurs, Zubac fell one board shy of his 23rd double-double of the campaign, although he likely would have attained that feat had Thursday's contest been more competitive. Over his last 10 contests, the veteran big man is averaging 16.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals and is shooting 62.4 percent from the field. Zubac has been a steal thus far for fantasy managers who selected him in the later rounds of drafts this past fall, and the 27-year-old should remain a force when it comes to swats and boards while producing a high field-goal percentage.
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Naz Reid PF | CHA
Timberwolves' Naz Reid: Reaches 20 points off bench in loss
Reid notched 20 points (6-11 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds and three assists across 26 minutes during Thursday's 118-115 loss to the Celtics.
Reid provided a needed spark off the Timberwolves bench in Thursday's outing, leading all second-unit players in threes made and scoring while ending as one of two Minnesota players with 20 or more points in a losing effort. Reid has scored 20 or more points in four contests this season, including in two of his last six contests. Reid also matched his second-highest three-point total of the year. He has connected on at least four threes in six games.