NBA Player News

The Hornets waived Branham on Monday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

After being traded from Washington to Dallas on Wednesday, Branham was sent to Charlotte on Thursday, but the Hornets had no intention of keeping him. Branham is now free to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Reid accumulated eight points (4-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt), nine rebounds, three assists and one steal across 24 minutes during Sunday's 115-96 loss to the Clippers.

Reid led the Timberwolves in rebounds and nearly recorded his first double-double since Jan. 11. However, it's been a slow start to February offensively for the 26-year-old, who is averaging 10.5 points on 39.5 percent shooting from the field in his first four appearances of the month.

Knecht practiced Sunday in the G League with the South Bay Lakers before being recalled prior to Los Angeles' game Monday versus the Thunder, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

Knecht has largely been outside of the Los Angeles rotation for the last three weeks, appearing in just eight of the team's last 13 games while playing fewer than 10 minutes on every occasion. Given his light usage of late, Knecht was likely assigned to the G League simply to get some extra practice reps in. He'll be available off the bench Monday but isn't expected to be part of the rotation.

Edwards ended Sunday's 115-96 loss to the Clippers with 23 points (7-18 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 8-10 FT), four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 35 minutes.

Edwards clearly didn't have his best stuff on the offensive end, but he managed to reach the 20-point threshold given his high volume of shot attempts. He particularly struggled from downtown and has now gone 1-for-8 from deep in two of his previous three games. Edwards' streak of 30-point showings will come to an end at four games following Sunday's performance.

The Lakers assigned Thiero (knee) to the G League's South Bay Lakers on Sunday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

According to McMenamin, Thiero took part in a full-contact practice with South Bay on Sunday, marking the rookie's first such session since he was diagnosed with a right knee MCL sprain in late December. Thiero will remain out for the Lakers' game Monday versus the Thunder and appears likely to sit out the second leg of the back-to-back set Tuesday versus the Spurs, but if he continues to practice in the G League in the coming days, he could be a candidate to play in South Bay's next game Wednesday versus the San Diego Clippers. After that, the NBA club will conclude its pre-All-Star-break schedule with a matchup Thursday versus the Mavericks.

Niederhauser posted 15 points (5-5 FG, 5-7 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block over 17 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 115-96 win over the Timberwolves.

Niederhauser provided an unexpected scoring boost in limited opportunities by going perfect from the field. He fell one point shy of tying his best mark of the season and has now scored in double digits in two of his last three games. However, Niederhauser's minutes are expected to take a hit once Isaiah Jackson (trade pending) is ready for his team debut.

Leonard amassed 41 points (14-30 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 8-10 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and four steals in 34 minutes during Sunday's 115-96 victory over the Timberwolves.

Leonard reached the 40-point threshold for the third time in 39 appearances this season. He put together a polished shooting line, highlighted by five treys, his best performance from downtown since Jan. 14. Leonard also impressed on the defensive end by racking up four steals for the third time in his last 12 games.

Wiggins posted 11 points (4-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt), 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 23 minutes during Sunday's 132-101 victory over the Wizards.

Wiggins wasn't a focal point as a scorer, but he knocked down three triples as part of a lopsided Heat victory. The forward recorded his second double-double of the season, with the first coming Jan. 25 against the Suns. Wiggins has now scored in double figures in 13 straight games, though he's reached the 20-point mark just once during that span.

Vukcevic logged 14 points (5-11 FG, 4-5 3Pt), five rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes during Sunday's 132-101 loss to the Heat.

Vukcevic returned to a bench role after starting Saturday but produced a similar result, totaling exactly 14 points for a third straight game. After entering this stretch shooting just 20.0 percent from beyond the arc across 30 appearances, the big man has caught fire from deep, converting 61.5 percent of his three-point attempts on 13 tries over the past three contests. With the Wizards moving on from Marvin Bagley at the trade deadline, Vukcevic now has a clear path to operating as the primary backup center behind Alex Sarr.

Sarr finished with 12 points (6-13 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-2 FT), 12 rebounds, five assists and one steal across 26 minutes in Sunday's 132-101 loss to Miami.

Sarr didn't stand out as a scorer but still managed to fill up the stat sheet in a blowout loss. In what's been a productive season of progression for the 2024 first-round pick, the big man is now up to 12 double-doubles on the campaign, with three coming over his past six contests.