NBA Player News

James accumulated 19 points (8-12 FG, 3-5 FT), 15 rebounds and 10 assists over 38 minutes during Thursday's 134-126 victory over the Heat.

After scoring 30 points in the front end of this back-to-back set, James recorded his second triple-double of the season and the 124th of his career Thursday. The 41-year-old forward has been hot in March, scoring 20.4 points per game on 63.1 percent shooting from the field and 67.6 percent at the line to go with 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.0 triples, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per contest.

Doncic accumulated 60 points (18-30 FG, 9-17 3Pt, 15-19 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and five steals over 38 minutes during Thursday's 134-126 win over the Heat.

Fresh off a 40-point explosion, Doncic erupted for 60, setting a record for the most points by an opposing player in Heat franchise history. This also marked the highest-scoring performance by a Laker since Kobe Bryant's last game back in 2016, and it's the third time in Doncic's career that he's reached the 60-point plateau. Additionally, the superstar set the Lakers' single-season record for three-pointers made Thursday. The Lakers have now won eight straight and 11 of their past 12 games.

Trent won't return to Thursday's game against the Jazz due to left adductor soreness. He finished with four points (1-5 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), one rebound and one assist in 17 minutes.

After going unused off the bench in coach's decisions in the Bucks' last two games, Trent returned to the rotation Thursday, but his night will end early due to the injury. Even if Trent is cleared to play in the Bucks' next game Saturday in Phoenix, he could drop back out of the rotation if Kevin Porter (knee) is cleared to play.

The Jazz announced Thursday that Markkanen (hip) will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.

Markkanen has dealt with both a right hip impingement and a sprained ankle since he last played Feb. 23, though the hip injury is the main concern at this juncture. Though Markkanen will be re-evaluated in early April, the Jazz will have just five games remaining once he gets examined, so there's a real chance that he won't play again in 2025-26. While Markkanen has been sidelined, the Jazz have been leaning more heavily on Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh (illness), Andersson Garcia and Blake Hinson to fill out minutes at forward.

Wembanyama provided 34 points (10-20 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 12-12 FT), 12 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block across 35 minutes in Thursday's 101-100 win over the Suns.

Wembanyama racked up a game-high 34 points, including the game-winning jumper to clinch San Antonio's first playoff berth since 2019. The star big man also grabbed a game-best 12 boards, securing his 34th outing with a double-double or better through 55 regular-season appearances. The 22-year-old has had four such performances over his last five games, during which he has averaged 28.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per tilt.

Murphy notched 27 points (9-17 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, two assists and one steal across 35 minutes in Thursday's 105-99 win over the Clippers.

After averaging 18.0 points per game on 40.4 percent shooting from the field over his previous three outings, Murphy turned in an efficient performance in the second leg of this back-to-back set. The 25-year-old wing led all players in scoring and knocked down five triples for the second time this month, during which he has made at least four triples seven times. He has also reached the 20-point mark in back-to-back outings and in seven of 10 March games.

Morales finished Thursday's 130-111 loss to the Magic with two points (1-2 FG), four assists and three rebounds over 12 minutes.

The Magic were down by as much as 35 points during Thursday's game, which prompted both sides to empty their bench in the fourth quarter. Morales stepped onto the court for the start of the final frame in what was his first taste of NBA regular-season action in his professional career. He scored his first points on a layup at the 3:43 mark of the fourth quarter, and after playing the last 12 minutes of the game, he ended up finishing second on the Magic in assists behind Paolo Banchero (seven). While he isn't guaranteed to see the floor on a nightly basis, Morales could see some limited minutes in garbage time going forward, especially with Anthony Black (abdomen) sidelined.

Bane logged 24 points (8-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal over 26 minutes during the Magic's 130-111 loss to the Hornets on Thursday.

Bane connected on four of five field-goal attempts for 11 points in the first quarter, but the sixth-year wing wasn't able to maintain that hot streak in the second frame (1-5 FG for two points). He still led the Magic in scoring, reaching the 20-plus-point mark for the first time in his last three games. Bane has averaged 21.8 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 threes and 1.2 steals over 34.3 minutes per game since March 1.

Ball logged 20 points (7-13 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block over 20 minutes in Thursday's 130-111 win over the Magic.

Ball sparked the Hornets with 14 points in the first quarter, and he may have had a more stat-filled first half had he not been in foul trouble, which limited him to 57 seconds in the second quarter. Still, Ball chipped in another six points in the third to reach the 20-point threshold and sat out for the whole fourth quarter due to Charlotte's large lead. He led the Hornets in steals -- he has logged at least three steals eight times this season -- and finished as the team's third-leading scorer behind Coby White (27 points) and Brandon Miller (25 points). Ball has scored at least 20 points in five of his last seven outings, averaging 22.0 points, 5.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 threes and 1.4 steals over 27.8 minutes per game in that span.

Miller registered 25 points (8-14 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight assists and four rebounds over 28 minutes during the Hornets' 130-111 win over the Magic on Thursday.

The Hornets were looking to build on their 19-point lead coming out of halftime, and Miller aided that effort by scoring 15 points in the third quarter and finished as the team's second-leading scorer behind Coby White (27 points). It was a nice bounce-back performance from Miller, who entered Thursday's contest having shot 8-for-29 (27.6 percent) from the field in his two prior games. It was also the 11th time this season that Miller connected on at least five triples (six of which have occurred in the Hornets' 14 games since the All-Star break).