NBA Player News

Harden totaled 23 points (7-13 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight assists, two rebounds and one steal in 32 minutes during Saturday's 132-126 win over the Kings.

Playing for the first time since Jan. 30 in what was his Cavaliers debut, Harden looked comfortable during his time on the court and hit a couple of clutch buckets down the stretch to aid Cleveland in its comeback effort. The backcourt partnership between Harden and Donovan Mitchell may only improve as the two spend more time playing alongside one another, but Saturday's game offered a glimpse of the great heights they can achieve. The duo combined for 58 of Cleveland's 132 points and 12 of the team's 30 assists.

Daniels closed Saturday's 126-119 loss to the Hornets with 11 points (5-13 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 31 minutes.

Daniels continues to struggle on the offensive end, appearing more passive than usual. He has scored no more than 11 points in five straight games, a worrying trend for fantasy managers. While scoring is certainly not one of his strengths, it does seem as though he is more hesitant than usual, often not even looking at the basket despite being in a scoring position. His peripheral production, as always, is enough to buoy his fantasy value to the point that he continues to put up top 80 numbers despite averaging just 10.5 points per game in 14 appearances over the past month.

Okongwu (dental fracture) provided 16 points (6-11 FG, 4-7 3Pt), six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 31 minutes during Saturday's 126-119 loss to the Hornets.

Back in action following a four-game absence after requiring surgery to address a dental fracture, Okongwu slid back into the starting five and didn't operate with any minutes restrictions. He picked up right where he left off and produced on both ends of the floor to continue what has been a career-best season. With Kristaps Porzingis now in Golden State, Okongwu is firmly established as the starting center moving forward. In 48 appearances, he has averaged 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 three-pointers, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 32.0 minutes per contest while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Landale chipped in five points (2-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt) and one assist over 17 minutes during Saturday's 126-119 loss to the Hornets.

With Onyeka Okongwu (mouth) returning from injury, Landale shifted back to the bench. Coming off what was an inspiring debut for the Hawks, Landale was unable to repeat his heroics from two nights earlier. Assuming Okongwu remains relatively healthy moving forward, Landale is likely to be a fringe 12-team asset at best. In many situations, he could even find himself serving as nothing more than a situational streamer.

Diabate accumulated 11 points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 15 rebounds and two assists across 32 minutes during Saturday's 126-119 win over the Hawks.

Diabate recorded his third double-double in the past six games, helping Charlotte to its ninth straight victory. While his defensive contributions have subsided in recent times, Diabate's play over the past two weeks has played a key role in the team's success. In seven appearances during that time, he has averaged 10.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 29.8 minutes per game.

Bridges posted 26 points (10-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, five assists and one steal over 34 minutes during Saturday's 126-119 victory over the Hawks.

Bridges finally turned things around, scoring at least 25 points for the first time in his past 12 games. Although the peripheral numbers continue to be somewhat underwhelming, it was good to see him figure things out on the offensive end of the court. In seven appearances over the past two weeks, Bridges has averaged 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 three-pointers in 30.6 minutes per game.

Mann chipped in three points (1-2 FG, 1-1 3Pt), one rebound, two assists and one block across 10 minutes during Saturday's 126-119 win over the Hawks.

Mann remained in the rotation, albeit playing a minor role. With Collin Sexton having departed, and newly acquired Coby White sidelined with an ongoing calf issue, Mann could certainly remain in the rotation, at least for the short term. With that said, it doesn't appear as though he is going to see enough court time to warrant any serious attention outside of deeper fantasy formats.

Embiid posted 33 points (9-19 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 11-13 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and one block over 33 minutes during Saturday's 109-103 victory over the Suns.

Embiid was questionable to play Saturday due to right knee injury management, but the star center not only suited up, he also led the Sixers in scoring while ending just one board shy of a double-double. Embiid has been on a tear of late and has reached the 30-point mark in four of his last five appearances, establishing himself as the Sixers' go-to weapon on offense ahead of Tyrese Maxey when he's fully healthy.

James logged 20 points (6-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 6-7 FT), seven rebounds, 10 assists, one block and one steal in 35 minutes during Saturday's 105-99 win over Golden State.

James had an impressive performance across the board, leading the Lakers in scoring while ending just three boards shy of posting a triple-double. The veteran forward has enjoyed an uptick in usage rate with Luka Doncic (hamstring) sidelined, and that trend should continue if the star guard is out for Monday's matchup against the Thunder.

Bufkin agreed Saturday with the Lakers on a two-year deal, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

According to Charania, the second season of the contract is a team option. Bufkin had previously appeared in four games for the Lakers back in January on a 10-day deal, and he'll now get some longer-term security on the 15-man roster. The 22-year-old guard has been a standout performer this season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 26.7 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 three-pointers, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks in 33.1 minutes per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from three-point range over 21 appearances.