NBA Player News

Ayton left Thursday's game against Denver due to left knee soreness, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.

It appears that Ayton was able to avoid a serious injury. He'll presumably be re-evaluated Friday to determine his status for the second half of a back-to-back Friday against the Pacers.

Jokic totaled 28 points (10-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-8 FT), 12 rebounds, 13 assists, one steal and one block in 38 minutes during Thursday's 120-113 victory over the Lakers.

Jokic nearly committed double-digit turnovers, but he shot the ball with efficiency, which was evident by a perfect 8-for-8 night at the charity stripe. He also led the Nuggets in rebounds and assists. Jokic is averaging 27.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.0 blocks over his last five matchups.

Booker recorded 27 points (9-21 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 7-7 FT), six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 32 minutes during Thursday's 105-103 loss to the Bulls.

Booker was asked to lead the charge in the scoring column on a night when Jalen Green couldn't get his shot to fall. Booker answered the call and paced the Suns with 27 points, but more importantly, he logged 30-plus minutes and looked healthy in just his second game back from a right hip strain.

Sexton registered 30 points (11-19 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 6-8 FT), three rebounds, five assists and two steals in 38 minutes during Thursday's 105-103 win over the Suns.

Sexton took advantage of his move to the starting lineup and scored 30 points for the first time this season. He was tasked with stepping up without the services of Josh Giddey (ankle), Matas Buzelis (ankle) and Jalen Smith (calf), and he proved up to the task. Sexton should continue to see more chances to produce offensively until Giddey is cleared to return.

Ayton won't return to Thursday's game against Denver due to a knee injury, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports. He'll end the night with two rebounds in five minutes.

The severity of Ayton's injury is unclear at this time. Jaxson Hayes started the second half in Ayton's place and will presumably be leaned on heavily during the final two periods of play.

Claxton chipped in 16 points (6-15 FG, 4-8 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and one steal across 28 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 loss to the Heat.

Claxton was limited to just four points and five rebounds in Tuesday's game against the Heat, and while the Nets suffered another blowout loss, at least Claxton had a better performance this time around. With double-digit points in all but one of his last 11 appearances, Claxton should continue to handle a decent workload on offense for Brooklyn. That, coupled with his starting role and consistent playing time, makes him an interesting frontcourt option across all formats.

Clowney finished with 17 points (6-12 FG, 5-8 3Pt), seven rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals over 34 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 loss to the Heat.

Michael Porter led the way in scoring for the Nets in this loss, but Clowney's impact was big on both ends of the court as well. The big man hasn't recorded a double-double since mid-January, but his uptick in the scoring column can't be overlooked. He has scored in double digits in all but one of his last seven contests, though he's cleared the 15-point plateau just three times in that span.

Porter recorded 27 points (9-24 FG, 7-18 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 36 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 loss to the Heat.

Porter has been the Nets' best player this season by a wide margin, and he delivered another strong showing despite the 16-point loss. Porter has scored at least 25 points in four of his last six appearances, and this was his second double-double in that stretch. The star forward should remain the Nets' go-to scoring option on offense as long as he's able to stay on the hardwood consistently.

Adebayo provided 21 points (7-15 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 25 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 victory over the Nets.

Even though there's a strong argument to say Kel'el Ware outplayed Adebayo with his impressive stat line, Adebayo was one of Miami's top scoring weapons in a comfortable 16-point win. The star big man extended his streak of games with at least 20 points to four, and he's recorded three double-doubles over that stretch as well. Adebayo will likely remain as one of Miami's most reliable scoring and rebounding weapons for the Heat going forward.

Herro closed with 25 points (9-16 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds and five assists across 31 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 victory over Brooklyn.

Herro was part of the starting lineup for a third straight contest, and it's clear he's going to remain in that role as long as he stays healthy -- though that has been a big "if" with him all season long. Herro is trending in the right direction from a scoring perspective as well, and he's tallied 20-plus points in three of his last four contests.