NBA Player News

Sochan (quadriceps) played the final 3:45 of Saturday's 138-125 win over the Mavericks and finished with zero points (0-1 FG) and one block.

Cleared to play for the first time since Jan. 25 after a five-game absence due to a left quad strain, Sochan remained outside of head coach Mitch Johnson's rotation but was able to make a cameo in garbage time when the Spurs had the win in hand. After averaging at least 25 minutes per game through his first three seasons in the league, Sochan has dropped down to 12.8 per contest over his 28 appearances in 2025-26 while San Antonio has emerged as a leading contender in the Western Conference. The 22-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Spurs declined to extend him a qualifying offer or eventually rescinded a qualifying offer to allow him to explore his options on the open market.

Tatum (Achilles) has progressed to taking part in controlled 5-on-5 scrimmages against the Celtics' coaching staff, Shams Charania reported Sunday on ESPN's "NBA Countdown."

While Tatum remains without a timeline to make his 2025-26 debut after undergoing surgery May 13 to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon, he's continuing to reach new milestones in his rehab process and thus far appears to have avoided any major setbacks. Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, Tatum said Jan. 29 that he hasn't decided whether he'll attempt to play at any point this season, and if he does make a late-season return, the Celtics aren't expected to clear him until he's 100 percent confident in his surgically repaired Achilles. The rehab and recovery process for Achilles surgeries is typically around 9-to-12 months, with Wesley Matthews and Kobe Bryant being the lone past examples of NBA players who have returned from the injury in eight months or fewer.

Scheierman is in the Celtics' starting lineup against the Knicks on Sunday, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Sam Hauser (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's contest, so Scheierman will enter the Celtics' starting five for the seventh time this season (all of which have come since Jan. 12). Scheierman's last start was in Wednesday's 114-93 win over the Rockets, when he posted 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal over 23 minutes in what was the first double-double of his two-year NBA career.

Hardaway accumulated 23 points (6-11 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 8-12 FT), three rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes during Saturday's 136-120 win over the Bulls.

Hardaway led the Nuggets' bench in scoring and finished on the team in that category. It was his 12th game of at least 20 points, three of which have come over his last six outings. Hardaway has connected on 40.4 percent of his three-point attempts since the new year, and since then has averaged 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 3.1 threes over 29.1 minutes per game.

Jokic closed with 22 points (7-12 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 14 rebounds, 17 assists, four blocks and one steal in 33 minutes during Saturday's 136-120 victory over Chicago.

It was another masterful performance out of the three-time MVP, who set a season high with 17 dimes en route to his league-leading 18th triple-double of the season while leading the Nuggets with a plus-36 point differential. In his five outings since returning from a 16-game absence due to a left knee bone bruise, Jokic has averaged 24.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.8 threes, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks over 33.0 minutes per contest while connecting on 51.3 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Johnson (knee) racked up 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3Pt), four rebounds and one assist over 27 minutes during Saturday's 136-120 win over the Bulls.

Johnson was given the green light to return Saturday from a 23-game absence due to a right knee bone bruise. He rejoined the starting five and turned in a modest stat line, though he finished second on the Nuggets' with a plus-21 point differential. Johnson will likely have his minutes monitored for another game or two while he works his way back into top condition.

Shamet is in the Knicks' starting lineup against the Celtics on Sunday, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.

OG Anunoby (toe) has been ruled out for Sunday's game, so Shamet will take the former's place in the Knicks' starting lineup alongside Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. It will be Shamet's seventh start of the season and first since Nov. 22 against the Magic. He has averaged 14.5 points, 2.0 assists. 1.8 rebounds and 3.8 threes over 26.0 minutes per game over his last four outings.

Konchar ended with four points (2-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt), seven rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 18 minutes during Saturday's 120-117 loss to the Magic.

Cleared to make his Jazz debut after he was acquired from the Grizzlies on Tuesday, Konchar was part of the team's initial 10-man rotation to open the first half of Saturday's contest. The defensive-minded wing produced well during his time on the court, but Konchar's minutes could still remain volatile over the final few months of the season. The Jazz are clearly prioritizing player development over wins, and the 29-year-old Konchar may not be part of the club's long-term plans, so it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually fell out of the rotation.

Green (hip/hamstring) logged eight points (2-6 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three assists and three rebounds over 17 minutes during the Suns' 109-103 loss to the 76ers on Saturday.

Green was cleared to return from a three-game absence due to a left hip contusion and right hamstring and hip injury management, making what was just his sixth appearance of the 2025-26 regular season. Given the extensive time he's missed over the last few months, the fifth-year guard will likely continue to come off the bench for the foreseeable future and will have his minutes monitored while he rebuilds his conditioning. The Suns' last two games before the All-Star break will be part of a back-to-back set Tuesday and Wednesday versus the Mavericks and Thunder, respectively, and Green will be a candidate to sit out one of those contests.

Spencer accumulated 14 points (6-12 FG, 2-5 3Pt), five rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 28 minutes during Saturday's 105-99 loss to the Lakers.

After signing a standard contract with the team for the rest of the season, Spencer could be in line for games like this on a consistent basis. Over his last three games, he's averaging 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.7 made threes . While Stephen Curry recovers from a knee injury, Spencer could assume lead backcourt duties for Golden State.