NBA Player News

Risacher supplied zero points (0-8 FG, 0-4 3Pt), six rebounds and one steal over 19 minutes during Thursday's 121-119 victory over the Jazz.

With Jonathan Kuminga (knee) on the way into Atlanta, Risacher could be in jeopardy of losing out on some playing time at small forward. The Hawks appear to be bringing Risacher along slowly -- the 2024 No. 1 overall pick recently faced an 11-game absence with a knee bone bruise -- but he'll likely need to pick things back up quickly in order to keep his starting position. Risacher has failed to score in double digits in any of his last three games, shooting just 30.0 percent from the field during that stretch.

Alexander-Walker closed with 23 points (9-15 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 5-5 FT), two rebounds, five assists and two steals across 34 minutes during Thursday's 121-119 victory over the Jazz.

Despite the arrival of CJ McCollum in Atlanta, Alexander-Walker continues to hold down a spot in the starting lineup and has scored at least 19 points in six straight contests. Alexander-Walker is making it difficult for the Hawks to consider moving him to a bench role, with the 27-year-old swingman averaging 20.8 points, 4.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 33.3 minutes per tilt in his last six games.

Cooper accumulated 18 points (8-12 FG, 2-5 3Pt), three rebounds and five assists across 34 minutes during Thursday's 126-117 win over the Pistons.

Cooper logged a season-high 34 minutes on a night in which the Wizards were thin across the board. He needed only 12 attempts from the field to tack on 18 points, marking the first time in nine games that he's scored in double figures. This kind of role isn't expected to last for Cooper, who will soon sit behind the likes of Tre Johnson (ankle) and D'Angelo Russell (illness/recently traded).

Ivey registered 13 points (5-12 FG, 3-5 3Pt), six assists, four rebounds and three steals over 33 minutes during the Bulls' 123-107 loss to the Raptors on Thursday.

Ivey was acquired by the Bulls from the Pistons on Wednesday and was given the green light to make his debut with Chicago on Thursday despite the short turnaround. It's also worth noting that he was in the starting lineup for just the third time this season after starting in the majority of his games with Detroit in the three years prior to the 2025-26 campaign. The Bulls' backcourt is crowded with the likes of Josh Giddey (hamstring), Tre Jones (hamstring), Collin Sexton (recently traded) and Anfernee Simons, so what Ivey's role will look long-term remains to be seen.

Suggs ended Thursday's 118-98 win over the Nets with 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt), 11 rebounds, 11 assists, four blocks and three steals in 29 minutes.

Suggs was everywhere in Thursday's blowout win, setting a career high in blocks while recording the first triple-double of his career. He became the first Orlando player since Elfrid Payton to notch a triple-double in under 30 minutes and finished with a team-best plus-24 differential. Suggs has been a top-50 player on a per-game basis this season, averaging 14.3 points, 5.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 triples, 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per contest.

Bane ended Thursday's 118-98 victory over the Nets with 23 points (7-14 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 8-9 FT), three rebounds, four assists and four steals over 32 minutes.

Bane was held to just seven points on 3-for-7 shooting in Tuesday's blowout loss to the Thunder, so it was nice to see him get things back on track Thursday evening. He did a good job of taking advantage of Brooklyn's lackluster effort on defense, repeatedly attacking the rim and cashing in on easy looks. Bane will look to keep his foot on the gas pedal Saturday with a favorable matchup against the Jazz.

Banchero registered 22 points (8-13 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 6-8 FT), five rebounds, four assists and two blocks over 31 minutes during Thursday's 118-98 victory over the Nets.

Banchero missed both of his three-point attempts, but he delivered in every other category and committed only one turnover in his 31 minutes of floor time. The fourth-year forward is averaging 21.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 triples, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game this season.

Demin totaled 26 points (8-12 FG, 6-10 3Pt, 4-5 FT), four rebounds and two assists over 32 minutes during Thursday's 118-98 loss to Orlando.

Demin was hot from the jump, scoring eight points on four shots in his first seven minutes of action en route to a new career high in points. It marked a nice bounce-back performance for the rookie after he was held to 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting his last time out, and he'll look to keep the good times rolling Saturday with a favorable matchup against the Wizards.

Porter provided nine points (2-13 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, two assists and one steal over 32 minutes during Thursday's 118-98 loss to Orlando.

Porter couldn't buy a bucket Thursday evening, going scoreless in the second half of play while missing all four of his shot attempts. He finished with a team-worst minus-23 differential in the blowout loss and committed as many turnovers as he had assists. Porter will look to bounce back Saturday with a much more favorable matchup against the Wizards.

Yabusele registered 14 points (6-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt), 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals over 33 minutes during the Bulls' 123-107 loss to the Raptors on Thursday.

Yabusele was dealt by the Knicks to the Bulls on Wednesday, and the veteran from France was given the green light to make his Chicago debut Thursday. He averaged just 8.9 minutes per game off the bench with New York, but he got an expanded opportunity against Toronto, logging his first double-double of the season and first since Jan. 24, 2025 against the Cavaliers, when he was a member of the 76ers. Yabusele's minutes off the bench were a promising sign, though what his role will look like long-term remains to be seen.