NBA Player News

Jones recorded three points (1-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt), one rebound, one assist and one steal across 13 minutes during Friday's 117-113 loss to Sacramento.

Jones saw his role reduced in a big way Friday, as the Pelicans elected to lean more heavily on their bench players such as Derik Queen (28 minutes) and Micah Peavy (32 minutes). New Orleans doesn't have much to play for after being eliminated from postseason contention, so it seems the club is aiming to develop younger talent down the stretch of the regular season. Still, Jones has continued to be part of the starting lineup, so unless the team reports otherwise, he figures to be a bigger part of the game plan heading into Sunday's tilt against the Magic.

Bassey became a free agent Saturday after his second 10-day contract with the Celtics expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

The fifth-year center was a depth option for Boston over the course of his pair of 10-day deals, making five appearances while averaging just 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 3.4 minutes. Boston will have the ability to retain Bassey on a rest-of-season deal, though it's unclear if the Celtics intend to do so.

Cain totaled eight points (2-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, four assists and one steal over 21 minutes during Friday's 138-127 win over the Mavericks.

Cain was coming off a strong 17-point showing Wednesday against the Hawks, but he was unable to replicate that type of offensive production Friday night. Still, he managed to contribute across the board, which included dishing out a season-high four assists. Cain is averaging 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists over his last five matchups, all off the bench.

Yurtseven became a free agent after his second 10-day contract with the Warriors expired Saturday, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

Golden State will have the ability to retain Yurtseven on a rest-of-season deal, but Danny Emerman of SFStandard.com relays that the 27-year-old center had already been saying his goodbyes to teammates following Thursday's loss to the Cavaliers. With that in mind, Golden State appears set to replace Yurtseven on the 15-man roster with another player. Over the course of his two 10-day deals, Yurtseven appeared in nine games and averaged 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 11.6 minutes while shooting 42.3 percent from the field.

Miller ended Friday's 136-96 loss to the Knicks with 14 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT) and six rebounds over 28 minutes.

Miller had a productive night in the scoring department, but his contributions had little impact on the outcome of this one. The blowout loss resulted in a few more minutes than usual for the 22-year-old, who has now logged 20-plus minutes in six of his last seven matchups. Leonard is averaging 6.7 points and 3.4 rebounds through 41 appearances on the year with five games remaining in the regular season.

Traore produced 13 points (5-11 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals in 29 minutes during Friday's 141-107 loss to Atlanta.

Traore put together a solid shooting line and knocked down a pair of threes after going 0-for-2 from deep in his previous showing Tuesday against Charlotte. He more notably tallied a team-high three steals and collected his first swat since March 23. The rookie guard appears back on track after a few tough games down the stretch of March, as he's averaging 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals in his last three outings.

Daniels recorded 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt), four rebounds, six assists and five steals in 29 minutes during Friday's 141-107 victory over the Nets.

Daniels turned in an efficient showing in the scoring department and also made an impact on the defensive end by accounting for five of Atlanta's 11 steals on the night. He's been a strong contributor across the board lately, as he's averaging 13.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.4 steals in 34.6 minutes over his last five games.

James ended with 13 points (4-9 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 23 minutes during Friday's 129-108 win over the Pacers.

James caught fire from downtown during Friday's comfortable victory and managed to score in double figures for just the second time since March 10 with the help of four made treys. He also led the Charlotte bench in scoring. James has seen more consistent usage lately after averaging 17.9 minutes through his first 13 outings of March, as he's logged 22.5 minutes per game over his last four appearances.

Detroit recalled Lanier from the G League's Motor City Cruise on Saturday.

Lanier suited up for Motor City in Friday's 123-116 loss to the Osceola Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the G League playoffs, finishing with 27 points (8-13 FG, 6-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes. With the Cruise's campaign coming to an end with the loss, Lanier will rejoin the Pistons for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. Though Lanier has been formally recalled, it's unclear if he'll arrive in Philadelphia in time for the Pistons' game Saturday versus the 76ers. Detroit is officially listing him as questionable for the contest.

The Lakers recalled Bufkin from the G League's South Bay Lakers on Saturday, Ryan Ward of SI.com reports.

Rather than sticking around with South Bay for its Western Conference Finals matchup versus the Stockton Kings on Sunday, Bufkin will rejoin the parent club ahead of the final game of its road trip Sunday in Dallas. Bufkin helped South Bay advance to the third round of the G League playoffs after producing 18 points (6-16 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal across 34 minutes Friday in a 112-97 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the Western Conference Semifinals.