NBA Player News

The Grizzlies recalled Jerome (calf) from the G League's Memphis Hustle on Wednesday.

Jerome got a practice session in with the Hustle on Wednesday before being recalled to the NBA, which is an encouraging sign that he may make his season debut soon. Memphis has an upcoming back-to-back this weekend, playing Friday in New Orleans and Saturday at home versus Minnesota. Jerome can be considered doubtful for those contests until the Grizzlies release an injury report Thursday afternoon.

Bradley became a free agent Thursday after his second 10-day contract with the Pacers expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

The Pacers could opt to bring Bradley back by re-signing him to a rest-of-season deal, though the team may prefer to have the open roster spot for flexibility purposes in advance of next week's trade deadline. Prior to signing his pair of 10-day contracts, Bradley had been on a standard contract with the Pacers until being waived Jan. 5. Over his 37 appearances (three starts) with Indiana this season, Bradley has shot 55.7 percent from the field while averaging 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 11.2 minutes.

Holiday took the court for the final 51 seconds of Wednesday's 111-99 loss to the Spurs, finishing with one assist and no other statistics.

Holiday had missed two straight games while recovering from back spasms before being cleared to return to action for Monday's 108-99 win over the Grizzlies. He went unused in that contest, and while he remained out of the rotation Wednesday, Holiday got the chance to play in the final minute when the Rockets had essentially conceded defeat. With both Tari Eason (ankle) and Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) set to rest Thursday in Atlanta, Holiday could end up being in store for more meaningful playing time in the second leg of the Rockets' back-to-back set.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said that Finney-Smith will be out for Thursday's game in Atlanta due to left ankle injury management, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston will exercise caution in holding out Finney-Smith and Tari Eason for the second leg of a back-to-back set after both played in Wednesday's game against the Spurs. In the Rockets' 111-99 loss, Finney-Smith finished with zero points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and two rebounds in 19 minutes. Finney-Smith is averaging just 2.9 points and is shooting 30 percent from the field over 15 appearances with Houston since being cleared to make his season debut Dec. 25 upon completing his recovery from offseason ankle surgery.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said that Eason will be out for Thursday's game in Atlanta due to left lower leg injury management, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston will exercise caution in holding out Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith for the second leg of a back-to-back set after both played in Wednesday's game against the Spurs. In the Rockets' 111-99 loss, Eason finished with 10 points (4-10 FG, 2-3 3Pt), six rebounds, three steals and one block in 25 minutes.

Sengun finished Wednesday's 111-99 loss to San Antonio with 18 points (7-20 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-7 FT), 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals across 36 minutes.

Sengun was forced to leave the floor briefly with what appeared to be an ankle issue, but he returned shortly after the exit. He seemed to be fine, recording three rebounds, an assist and two points after checking back into the game. Although Sengun attempted 20 shots, he connected on only seven of them, a severe drop from his 15 of 17 converted shots during Monday's win against Memphis.

Durant notched 24 points (8-17 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 6-6 FT), two rebounds, six assists and one block in 36 minutes during Wednesday's 111-99 loss to the Spurs.

Durant posted a significant regression after averaging 33.7 points over the last three games. His two rebounds marked his second-lowest total of the season, which was also a severe dip from his average of 7.3 rebounds over the aforementioned three-game stretch. The Rockets went 2-1 during the run, illustrating Houston's dependency on Durant for positive results.

Thompson had 25 points (11-23 FG, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, one block and four steals in 36 minutes during Wednesday's 111-99 loss to San Antonio.

The Rockets ran out of gas and surrendered a fourth-quarter rally to the Spurs, but Thompson held little blame for the defeat. The interior had no answer for Victor Wembanyama, but four of the starting five scored in double-digits to keep the game competitive. Thompson has enjoyed a productive January, with his 15-game average of 19.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.7 steals surging above his seasonal averages in most categories.

Johnson recorded 17 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3Pt), seven rebounds and five assists over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 111-99 victory over the Rockets.

Johnson's performance was aided by a slow start from Julian Champagnie (eye), who exited the game in the fourth quarter and did not return. Johnson stole minutes from Champagnie well before the injury, and he continues to hold an enhanced role while Devin Vassell gets back up to speed following a lengthy injury absence.

Fox ended with 18 points (6-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, eight assists and one block over 34 minutes during Wednesday's 111-99 win over Houston.

Fox was the team's second-highest scorer during the runaway victory, bouncing back from a tepid 12-point outing during a loss to the Pelicans on Sunday. The 27-year-old guard has experienced a slight dip in scoring this season, and while he still averages 20.2 points per game, he's on pace for the worst scoring average of his nine-year career.