NBA Player News

Bey finished with 22 points (7-14 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 6-6 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one block and three steals across 36 minutes during Friday's 139-118 loss to Milwaukee.

The fifth-year forward is putting together a career-best season in his first campaign with the Pelicans. Bey has scored at least 20 points in eight of his last 12 games, averaging 21.7 points, 6.5 boards, 3.3 assists, 2.8 threes and 1.2 steals over that span, but it remains to be seen what his usage will look like once Dejounte Murray (Achilles) is cleared for his season debut.

Williamson finished with 32 points (13-17 FG, 6-8 FT), two rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes during Friday's 139-118 loss to Milwaukee.

The 25-year-old forward led all scorers on the night, but the Pelicans' poor performance on the perimeter at both ends of the court did them in -- New Orleans shot just 16.0 percent from three-point range, while Milwaukee shot 41.7 percent. It was Williamson's best scoring effort since Jan. 2, when he dropped 35 points on the Trail Blazers, and through six games in February he's averaging 23.0 points, 5.2 boards and 4.0 assists while shooting 63.1 percent from the floor.

Portis had 17 points (8-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt), 11 rebounds, one assist and one block over 27 minutes off the bench during Friday's 139-118 victory over New Orleans.

The veteran forward produced his second straight double-double and his ninth of the season. Portis has looked good in five games since returning from a bruised hip, averaging 13.4 points, 6.2 boards, 1.8 threes, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 23.0 minutes while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc over that stretch.

McConnell (hamstring) registered nine points (4-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt), two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 15 minutes Friday in the Pacers' 131-118 loss to the Wizards.

With Andrew Nembhard (back) sitting out the second leg of a back-to-back set, McConnell -- who missed his second straight game due to a hamstring injury in Thursday's 112-105 loss to Washington -- picked up his first start of the season after being cleared to play. McConnell didn't end up taking on a typical starter's workload, as head coach Rick Carlisle held him out for the final 19 minutes of the contest while the 15-42 Pacers seemingly prioritized their positioning in the draft lottery over winning the game. Expect McConnell to move back into a backup role Sunday against the Mavericks if Nembhard is cleared to play.

Thomas closed Friday's 139-118 victory over the Pelicans with 27 points (11-17 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 4-6 FT), three rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes off the bench.

In his fourth game with the Bucks, Thomas tied for the team lead in scoring with Ryan Rollins. Thomas is heaving up a huge shot volume right now and doing it incredibly efficiently -- over the last three contests he's averaging 24.3 points on 16.7 field-goal attempts while shooting 56.0 percent from the floor in only 22.0 minutes. The 24-year-old guard is unlikely to be able to maintain that pace, especially once Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) is back as the focal point of the offense.

Hartenstein (calf) posted 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal across 24 minutes during Friday's 105-86 win over the Nets.

Hartenstein made his return to the lineup after missing the Thunder's final game before the All-Star break due to right soleus injury management. The veteran center has been a big piece for Oklahoma City, and it's been his passing of late that's shining brightest. Friday marked his fifth consecutive showing with four or more assists. Over that stretch he's averaging 8.8 points and 9.8 boards to go with his 7.4 assists per game.

Porter contributed 25 points (10-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 5-6 FT), two rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals across 32 minutes during Friday's 139-118 victory over the Pelicans.

The 25-year-old topped 20 points for the third time in five contests since returning to the starting lineup after recovering from an oblique injury. Over that five-game stretch, Porter is averaging 21.2 points, 8.0 assists, 5.2 boards and 1.8 steals, but his usage figures to decline once Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) is back on the court.

Holmgren recorded 15 points (3-6 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 7-7 FT), seven rebounds and two assists across 26 minutes during Friday's 105-86 victory over the Nets.

Coming off his first All-Star appearance, Holmgren impressed by scoring 15 points on only six field-goal attempts. Roughly half of his points came from the free-throw line. He also sank both three-point attempts as his team won comfortably against the Nets.

Harkless (hamstring) played seven minutes and finished with two points (1-1 FG, 0-1 FT), two rebounds and one assist in Friday's 123-114 loss to the Grizzlies.

The two-way player hadn't made an appearance at the NBA or G League level since Jan. 3 while he recovered from a left hamstring injury before he was cleared to play coming out of the All-Star break. With Utah down five players due to injury Friday, Harkless ended up cracking the rotation, but he played just one shift in the first quarter before remaining on the bench for the final three periods. Expect Harkless to drop out of the rotation if the Jazz get one or more of Keyonte George (ankle), Jusuf Nurkic (nose) and Lauri Markkanen (illness) back in action for their next game Monday in Houston.

Wallace accumulated eight points (4-13 FG, 0-5 3Pt), four rebounds, six assists and four steals in 30 minutes during Friday's 105-86 victory over Brooklyn.

Wallace continues his campaign to make an All-Defensive team with a four-steal effort against the Nets. He could have had a much better scoring tally if he had sunk any of his five three-point attempts, but his team cruised to victory nonetheless. Wallace also dished out six assists. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell both out due to abdominal strains, Wallace will have a few more games of being the lead guard in OKC.