NBA Player News

Shead closed Friday's 112-95 loss to New York with five points (2-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt) and two assists in 27 minutes.

Shead drew the start for Friday's game due to the absence of Immanuel Quickley (foot/rest), though the former wasn't able to take advantage of his expanded role. Quickley is expected to be back in action for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Nets, which would result in Shead retreating to a bench role.

Topic accumulated 14 points (6-12 FG, 2-3 3Pt), two rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in 39 minutes during Friday's 127-107 loss to the Nuggets.

Topic made the first start of his career, recording his first double-double while also adding a career-high four steals. Although his role remains limited on most nights, the upside is clear. The Thunder has nothing to play for in Sunday regular-season finale, meaning Topic could once again find himself serving as the starting point guard.

Shamet closed with eight points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3Pt), one rebound, one assist and one steal in 28 minutes during Friday's 112-95 win over Toronto.

Shamet saw extended playing time off the bench in the second half, coinciding with OG Anunoby's exit from the game due to a left ankle injury. Shamet was one of five Knicks players to finish with a point-differential of plus-11 or higher while leading the bench in minutes played. He could move into the Knicks' starting lineup if Anunoby were to miss time.

Carlson supplied 23 points (8-18 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, five assists and one block in 37 minutes during Friday's 127-107 loss to Denver.

Carlson moved into the starting lineup for the third time this season, recording his third career double-double. If we rewind almost 12 months to the day, Carlson amassed his first double-double, finding himself in basically an identical situation. With Oklahoma City once again guaranteed the top seed in the Western Conference, it wouldn't be surprising to see Carlson playing big minutes again during Sunday's season finale.

Payton was ejected in the fourth quarter of Friday's game against the Kings after being assessed his second technical foul, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. He'll finish with 10 points (5-6 FG), three rebounds and one steal in 15 minutes.

Payton picked up his first technical foul in the third quarter and received another in the fourth. Although he played just 15 minutes, he scored in double figures for a fourth consecutive contest and for the 15th time over his last 16 appearances.

Champagnie racked up 14 points (5-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal across 27 minutes during Friday's 139-120 win over the Mavericks.

Champagnie got it done on both ends of the floor, continuing what has been a solid season. Although San Antonio is likely to rest a number of players for the final game on Sunday, Champagnie will almost certainly be out there, given he has yet to miss a game this season. Through 81 appearances, he has put up healthy averages of 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 2.4 three-pointers.

Sims contributed 11 points (4-4 FG, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 30 minutes during Friday's 125-108 win over the Nets.

On the heels of logging his first career triple-double his last time out, Sims moved back to the bench to accommodate for the return of Myles Turner on Friday but still managed to collect his sixth double-double of the year. The fifth-year big man has been playing a significant role for the Bucks down the stretch, averaging 9.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 28.6 minutes per contest in his last 10 games while shooting an efficient 66.7 percent from the field.

Ingram finished with no counting stats in six minutes during Friday's 139-120 win over the Mavericks.

Ingram appeared for just the seventh time this season, with all of those opportunities coming during garbage time. While there is a chance we see a little more of him during Sunday's season finale, there is no indication that he will be a meaningful part of the rotation moving forward.

McLaughlin supplied three points (1-2 FG, 1-1 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal across six minutes during Friday's 139-120 win over Dallas.

McLaughlin, despite remaining in the rotation for the second straight game, continues to be a non-factor in both fantasy and reality. In 43 appearances, he has averaged just 2.0 points in 6.5 minutes per game.

Johnson totaled 13 points (4-9 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), one rebound, two assists and one block across 20 minutes during Friday's 139-120 loss to the Spurs.

Johnson recorded double-digit points for the first time in his past 15 games, shouldering a little more on the offensive end as Dallas continues to roll with some interesting lineups. Although he has flashed some upside on the offensive end, Johnson's lack of supporting stats remains an issue. At this stage, there is no reason to think he will be a relevant piece next season.