NBA Player News

Eason supplied 20 points (7-10 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, one block and five steals over 30 minutes during Sunday's 115-96 victory over the Lakers in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The 20 points and five steals were both career playoff highs for the fourth-year forward, as he started his second straight game in place of Kevin Durant (ankle). Eason is averaging 12.8 points, 7.5 boards, 3.0 steals, 1.8 assists and 1.5 threes through four contests to begin the postseason, and the Rockets will likely need another strong performance from him in Game 5 on Wednesday back in Los Angeles if they're going to avoid elimination.

Thompson provided 23 points (10-16 FG, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 41 minutes during Sunday's 115-96 win over the Lakers in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The 23 points led all scorers on the night as the Rockets avoided a first-round sweep. Thompson has seen his usage rise with Kevin Durant (ankle) sidelined the last two contests, and through four games to begin the postseason, the third-year guard is averaging 20.5 points, 6.8 boards, 6.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in a massive 43.5 minutes. Thompson will likely need to come up big again on the road in Game 5 on Wednesday if Houston is going to stay alive.

Smart produced nine points (3-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals over 31 minutes during Sunday's 115-96 loss to the Rockets in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

It's the second straight game in which Smart has recorded multiple steals and blocks, and the third straight in which he's collected six or more combined. The veteran guard is averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 2.5 boards, 2.0 threes and 2.0 blocks in 34.8 minutes to begin the postseason as he fills a bigger role in the absence of Austin Reaves (oblique) and Luka Doncic (hamstring). Smart will likely be productive again in Game 5 on Wednesday as the Lakers look to advance to the second round.

James accumulated 10 points (2-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 6-6 FT), four rebounds and nine assists over 33 minutes during Sunday's 115-96 loss to the Rockets in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Only three Los Angeles players even scored in double digits in the loss, and James's poor showing was compounded by eight turnovers -- the second straight game with that many TOs. The 41-year-old may be buckling under the strain of having to carry a shorthanded Lakers offense that's still missing Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), but James is averaging 21.5 points, 8.8 assists, 8.3 boards, 1.8 threes and 1.5 steals in 38.8 minutes to begin the postseason. He'll look to help the Lakers punch their ticket to the second round with a win on home court in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Brown ended with 20 points (6-15 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-9 FT), seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 31 minutes during Sunday's 128-96 victory over the 76ers in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Although Brown left most of the scoring to Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard, the wing was once again a solid contributor. He tied Tatum with a team-high seven rebounds, but the All-Star Brown left a few points on the floor with four missed free throws, an oddity considering his 75.9 percent free-throw percentage during the series.

Pritchard contributed 32 points (12-21 FG, 6-12 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, five assists and one steal over 35 minutes during Sunday's 128-96 win over the 76ers in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Pritchard was on fire during Game 4, drilling six three-pointers on the way to a convincing victory. Most recently, Pritchard has performed as an effective sixth man for the Celtics. He started 50 games amid various injury scenarios that plagued the team, but he seems best suited as a spark plug with the second unit off the bench. He experienced career highs in almost every major category in this sixth season and has been invaluable to the team as it strives to bring another title back to Boston.

Tatum ended Sunday's 128-96 victory over the 76ers in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with 30 points (8-16 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 9-9 FT), seven rebounds and 11 assists across 35 minutes.

Tatum was superb in Game 4, notching a double-double with 11 dimes, matching his season high. He also drilled five three-pointers, marking his highest result beyond the arc over four playoff games against the Sixers. The team didn't really need 35 minutes from Tatum, but Boston likely wanted to take care of business after dropping Game 2. Although he is at risk of logging fewer minutes if Game 5 gets out of hand, he is a great candidate to pace the team once again.

Maxey supplied 22 points (7-14 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, six assists and one block in 40 minutes during Sunday's 128-96 loss to the Celtics in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Maxey looked more like he did in Game 1 during Sunday's loss, recording only 22 points after going for 29 points in Game 2 and 31 points in Game 3. A massive total from the star point guard hasn't been enough to beat the Celtics, and a regressive total like Sunday's effort won't help matters as they try to find their way out of this series. Maxey converted 50 percent of his shots and was very consistent, but the team will need an explosive total from Maxey in Game 5 to avoid elimination.

Edgecombe racked up six points (2-9 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 36 minutes during Sunday's 128-96 loss to Boston in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Edgecombe matched his second-lowest total of the season in the blowout loss. He had difficulty finding his shooting stroke in the defeat, connecting on only two shots and going scoreless beyond the arc. The Sixers depend heavily on the rookie for multi-category production, and he'll need to step up in Game 5 to give the Sixers a chance to steal another game from the Celtics.

Embiid contributed 26 points (9-21 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal in 34 minutes during Sunday's 128-96 loss to Boston in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Embiid provided extra spark, but he wasn't enough to turn the tide against the Celtics. After a red-hot start, he missed seven consecutive shots down the stretch and looked visibly tired. He also reported pain during a postgame interview, indicating that he was still experiencing complications from his appendix surgery. The team desperately needs his output to stay in contention, but his participation is in doubt based on how tired he looked in the second half.