NBA Player News

Leonard finished Friday's 116-112 loss to the Spurs with 30 points (10-20 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 9-10 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and three steals across 37 minutes.

The veteran forward led all scorers on the night, but Leonard couldn't find one last push in the fourth quarter as San Antonio completed a comeback from a 25-point deficit. It's the fifth time in his last 11 games that Leonard has delivered 30-plus points, a stretch in which he's averaging 29.0 points, 7.4 boards, 3.8 assists, 2.2 threes and 1.9 steals.

Jones (shoulder) tallied two points (1-4 FG, 0-3 3Pt) and two rebounds across 10 minutes in Friday's 142-103 loss to the Knicks.

Jones was one of three Denver players to return from an injury Friday, as he checked back into action after missing three straight games due to a right shoulder strain, while Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Cameron Johnson (ankle) played following 17- and two-game absences, respectively. The second-year player logged all 10 of his minutes between the second and third quarters before sitting out the fourth after the Knicks had turned the game into a runaway, but even if the game had been more competitive, Jones might not have been in line for any additional playing time. Jones will be a prime candidate to lose his spot in the rotation once the Nuggets get another key player back from injury in Peyton Watson (hamstring), who could be tracking toward a return to action as soon as next week.

Jokic closed Friday's 142-103 loss to New York with 38 points (14-21 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 9-10 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 31 minutes.

The perennial MVP candidate led all scorers on the night, but Jokic didn't get a lot of help, especially after Jamal Murray (ankle) headed to the locker room after playing just 18 minutes and didn't return. Jokic has scored more than 20 points in 14 straight games, averaging 27.8 points, 13.7 boards, 9.3 assists, 1.4 threes, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks over that stretch.

Hart chipped in 18 points (8-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes during Friday's 142-103 win over the Nuggets.

The veteran forward briefly left the Knicks' prior game, March 4 against the Thunder, due to back trouble, but Hart didn't seem hampered by the issue as he produced his best scoring performance since Feb. 8. He's scored in double digits in 10 of his last 12 games, averaging 11.3 points, 7.2 boards, 5.5 assists, 1.1 threes and 0.8 steals over that stretch.

Johnson (ankle) recorded 10 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five assists, three rebounds and one steal across 22 minutes Friday in the Nuggets' 142-103 loss to the Knicks.

Considering the limited run he received in the blowout loss, Johnson provided some solid all-around production, but it's difficult to be bullish about his outlook moving forward even though he's moved past the ankle injury that kept him out the previous two contests. In addition to Johnson, the Nuggets welcomed Aaron Gordon (hamstring) back from a 17-game absence Friday, and with Peyton Watson (hamstring) also closing in on a return, a depleted Denver forward group will soon be back to full strength. Johnson could struggle to settle back into a regular 25-plus-minute role once that happens, as Gordon and Watson have both handily outperformed him when healthy this season and may be prioritized ahead of Johnson when all three players are available. Even while averaging 30.6 minutes per game over his 38 appearances on the season, Johnson's per-game marks of 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 three-pointers haven't been strong enough to make him a must-roster player in 12-team leagues.

Brunson registered nine points (3-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, 15 assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Friday's 142-103 victory over the Nuggets.

While the All-Star point guard left the scoring to his teammates, Brunson's 15 assists tied his season high -- a mark he'd established just two days prior against the Thunder. Over his last 12 games, Brunson is averaging 22.8 points, 8.1 assists, 3.8 boards and 2.5 threes.

Towns finished Friday's 142-103 victory over the Nuggets with 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 27 minutes.

The veteran center extended his double-double streak to five games, and it was Towns' league-leading 44th of the season -- three ahead of Nikola Jokic. Since the beginning of February, Towns has 13 double-doubles in 15 games, averaging 18.7 points, 12.0 boards, 2.5 assists, 1.2 threes and 1.0 steals over that stretch while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor.

Gordon (hamstring) recorded three points (1-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds and three assists across 21 minutes in Friday's 142-103 loss to the Knicks.

Returning to action Friday for the first time since Jan. 23 after completing his recovery from his second right hamstring strain of the season, Gordon displayed some rust, as expected. Despite coming up empty from downtown, the 12th-year forward is still shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range on the season, showing that his big jump in efficiency from beyond the arc in 2024-25 (career-high 43.6 percent on 3.4 attempts per game) wasn't a complete outlier. Given his long-term absence, Gordon's production may lag for a few games coming off the hamstring injury, but he should re-emerge as a solid back-end roster option in most 12-team leagues once he's back to playing upper-20s/lower-30s minutes on a regular basis.

Reaves recorded 19 points (6-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-7 FT), two rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes before fouling out of Friday's 128-117 victory over the Pacers.

Even with LeBron James (elbow) sidelined, Reaves was unable to crack the 20-point threshold, which he's done only twice since Dec. 5. He's still putting up solid numbers, averaging 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals across his past nine appearances (all starts). However, he hasn't been as prolific offensively as he was to start the season, as Luka Doncic is leading the way on most nights.

Vucevic underwent surgery Saturday to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger and will be re-evaluated in 3-to-4 weeks.

Vucevic suffered the injury during the first quarter of Friday's 120-100 win over the Mavericks. The timeline will keep the veteran center sidelined until at least late March, so Luka Garza should step into a more prominent role in the rotation for as long as Vucevic is sidelined.