NBA Player News

Smith finished Friday's 125-108 loss to Milwaukee with 19 points (7-11 FG, 5-7 3Pt), eight rebounds and 10 assists over 43 minutes.

The Nets are digging deep for healthy bodies at this point, and Smith has logged at least 37 minutes in three consecutive games. Smith registered his first career double-double Friday, and Brooklyn may need him to take on one more massive workload in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Raptors.

Castleton had three points (1-2 FG, 1-1 FT), two rebounds and one steal over six minutes during Friday's 127-103 win over Chicago.

Castleton remained in the rotation, albeit as nothing more than a garbage-time participant. In fact, all four of his appearances this season have come in lopsided games. Although he does have a somewhat fantasy-friendly skill set, his role is far too insignificant to warrant any attention.

Garza had 14 points (6-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT), six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 16 minutes during Friday's 144-118 win over the Pelicans.

The Celtics held Neemias Queta to just 13 minutes Friday, which was likely done in an effort to preserve the standout big man ahead of the playoffs. Garza hadn't appeared in any of Boston's prior three games, which went hand-in-hand with the return of Nikola Vucevic, and Garza may move back out of the rotation once the postseason begins.

Bitadze finished Friday's 127-103 win over Chicago with 15 points (6-7 FG, 3-3 FT), 11 rebounds, two blocks and one steal across 17 minutes.

Bitadze recorded his second straight double-double, taking advantage of a shorthanded opponent. Although it has been a nice stretch for Bitadze, there is no reason to suspect his role is likely to change moving forward. He should continue to serve as the primary backup behind Wendell Carter, typically playing no more than about 15 minutes per game.

Pritchard ended Friday's 144-118 victory over the Pelicans with 21 points (7-14 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, 10 assists and one steal in 30 minutes.

Pritchard posted his fifth double-double of the season Friday, taking advantage of some extra usage left behind by the absence of Jayson Tatum (Achilles). Over his last seven contests, Pritchard has averaged 17.0 points, 4.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 three-pointers in 29.7 minutes per game while shooting 50.0 percent from deep.

Hauser posted 24 points (8-13 FG, 8-12 3Pt), six rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes during Friday's 144-118 victory over New Orleans.

Hauser stepped up in the absence of Jayson Tatum (Achilles), scoring a team-high 24 points. The sharpshooter is scorching the nets from deep ahead of the postseason, shooting 52.6 percent from deep in his last six games while averaging 13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 3.3 three-pointers per contest.

Cain totaled 20 points (9-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 0-1 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks over 25 minutes during Friday's 127-103 victory over the Bulls.

Cain scored a season-high 20 points, albeit against an opponent that seemingly gave up before the game even started. Although Cain has been able to carve out a spot in the rotation, this performance should be viewed as more of an outlier, given that he had scored in single digits in the previous four games.

Thybulle (foot) is available to return to Friday's game against the Clippers.

Thybulle was deemed questionable to return to Friday's contest ahead of the second half due to a right foot issue. However, he has since been cleared to check back in. He posted one point (1-2 FT), three steals and two blocks across nine minutes in the first half.

Hawkins chipped in 20 points (8-15 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes during Friday's 144-118 loss to the Celtics.

That's now back-to-back games with at least 20 points for Hawkins. The third-year guard wasn't a consistent contributor for the Pelicans in 2025-26, but Hawkins has now logged at least 21 minutes in six of his last seven contests as he tries to build his case for a more stable role ahead of 2026-27.

Oduro provided 12 points (5-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 12 rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes during Friday's 144-118 loss to the Celtics.

Oduro produced his first career double-double in what was only his second career appearance Friday. The 25-year-old big man was a standout performer for the Birmingham Squadron, having averaged 16.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during the G League regular season, and now Oduro is getting an opportunity to show what he's capable of at the NBA level while the Pelicans begin to shut down some of their stars.