NBA Player News

Drummond (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Thursday in the 76ers' 124-117 win over the Heat.

Drummond saw action each of the 76ers' previous six games and started on four occasions, but he never appeared to be in line for a long-term stay in the rotation. Top center Joel Embiid was out of the lineup for five of those contests due to shin and knee injuries, and Drummond's minutes were limited to garbage time during the lone game in which Embiid was active during that stretch. With Thursday's game proving to be more competitive while Embiid made his second start in a row, head coach Nick Nurse kept Drummond on the bench and leaned exclusively on Adem Bona as the team's backup center.

Gardner (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Thursday in the Heat's 124-117 loss to the 76ers.

Recently upgraded from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, Gardner had appeared in each of the Heat's previous 10 contests, though his playing time had tailed off of late while Miami has moved closer to full health. The rookie ended up falling out of the rotation entirely Thursday, with head coach Erik Spoelstra opting to go with Simone Fontecchio (nine minutes) as the 10th man. Gardner could eventually take his spot on the second unit back from Fontecchio, but the former will realistically need Miami to be without multiple key contributors in order to see meaningful minutes in a given game.

Clark (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Thursday in the Timberwolves' 94-88 win over the Clippers.

For the second straight contest and the third time in four games, Clark failed to see any playing time. The third-year player had previously appeared in 28 straight contests from Dec. 21 through the All-Star break, but he averaged just 12.3 minutes per contest over that stretch. Clark appears to have ceded his meager role in head coach Chris Finch's rotation to fellow wing Terrence Shannon, who has received just 10 total minutes while taking the floor for the past two contests.

Mann (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Thursday's 126-110 loss to the Spurs.

Mann had appeared in each of the Nets' last seven contests and averaged 21.7 minutes per contest over that stretch, but head coach Jordi Fernandez opted to move the veteran wing out of the rotation Thursday to reopen a spot for Ziaire Williams, who had been a DNP-CD in the team's previous game Tuesday. The Nets may just have been building in a de facto rest day for Mann in the front end of the back-to-back set, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the 29-year-old re-entered the rotation Friday in Boston.

Toppin (foot) recorded three points (1-4 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal across eight minutes in Thursday's 133-109 loss to the Hornets.

Available to play for the first time since Oct. 26 after completing his recovery from right foot surgery, Toppin entered the starting five but ended up seeing the fewest minutes of any of the 10 players that the Pacers made active for the contest. While he'll likely head back to the bench if Pascal Siakam (wrist) is available for the Pacers' next game Sunday versus the Grizzlies, Toppin should at least see his minutes pick up a little bit in his second contest back from foot surgery.

The 76ers assigned Edwards to the G League's Delaware Blue Coats on Friday, Derek Bodner of AllPHLY.com reports.

Edwards has totaled just 16 minutes over his last three games with Philadelphia, and it looks like the recent signing of Cameron Payne has left him as the odd man out in the rotation. Edwards is likely to occupy a featured role with the Blue Coats for the time being, though.

Sharpe provided 14 points (6-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 19 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 loss to the Spurs.

Sharpe needed only 19 minutes to compile a double-double against the Spurs in a losing effort. Sharpe's performances are on par with starting center Nic Claxton as of late. Over the last month, Sharpe has averaged 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game compared to Claxton's 13.2 points and 6.4 boards, with Sharpe seeing seven fewer minutes per contest.

Waters played the final 7:36 of Thursday's 126-110 win over the Nets, finishing with six points (2-3 FG, 2-3 3Pt).

Following a recent seven-game absence due to a hyperextended left knee, Waters had been available for a third straight contest, but Thursday marked the first occasion that he played. The Spurs turned to Waters in garbage time of the blowout, with the veteran wing nailing a pair of three-pointers during his time on the court. Though he's healthy again, Waters is unlikely to be a regular factor in the rotation while the Spurs are at full strength.

Bogdanovic racked up eight points (2-7 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), six rebounds, four assists and two steals across 17 minutes during Thursday's 94-88 loss to the Timberwolves.

Thursday was Bogdanovic's first appearance since Feb. 4, suggesting he'll fall into obscurity again once the Clippers get Kawhi Leonard (ankle) back. Bogdanovic has made just two appearances for Los Angeles since the start of January.

Harper contributed 12 points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 29 minutes during Thursday's 126-110 win over the Nets.

This was Harper's second game in a row with seven assists, nearly double his season average (3.8). The rookie from Rutgers has four performances with an assist total greater than seven so far this year, as he continues to develop off the bench. Harper also played the most minutes of any Spurs player Thursday as San Antonio led comfortably throughout.