NBA Player News

Holmes ended Thursday's 109-102 win over Sacramento with six points (2-9 FG, 2-2 FT), 16 rebounds, two assists and one block across 29 minutes.

Making his fourth straight start since returning from a toe injury, Holmes had his best rebounding performance since November of 2021, when he ripped down 20 boards as a member of the Kings. The 30-year-old center has averaged 9.4 points, 8.8 boards, 1.0 assists and 0.8 blocks in 27.2 minutes per contest while getting the start in his last five games, and he should retain that role and workload until Marvin Bagley (back) can suit up again.

Sabonis ended with 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds and six assists over 39 minutes during Thursday's 109-102 loss to Washington.

The 27-year-old center extended his double-double streak to 52 games, putting him one away from tying Kevin Love's modern record set in the 2010-11 season. Sabonis is also within striking distance of another piece of history, as his 65 double-doubles on the season puts him only seven back of Hakeem Olajuwon's NBA record 72 from 1992-93, with 13 games left on the Kings' schedule. Through 11 games in March, Sabonis has averaged 20.3 points, 16.5 boards, 7.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 57.7 percent from the floor.

Kessler chipped in 14 points (7-7 FG), nine rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes during Thursday's 113-97 loss to the Mavericks.

John Collins (face) sat out the contest, giving Kessler a chance to move into the starting lineup. Kessler performed well in making all seven of his field-goal attempts and leading Utah with nine boards, though he failed to record a block for the first time in his past 29 games. The big man has come off the bench for the majority of the campaign but still ranks second in the NBA with 2.5 swats per contest.

Gafford had 24 points (10-11 FG, 4-6 FT), seven rebounds, five assists and one steal over 27 minutes during Thursday's 113-97 victory over the Jazz.

Gafford missed just one shot in the contest and finished as Dallas' leading scorer behind Luka Doncic. The big man also unexpectedly contributed as a passer, setting a season high with five assists. Gafford has been a big difference-maker since coming over to the Mavericks in a Feb. 8 trade with Washington, and he's started eight straight contests, logging double-digit points in all but one of those games. He also leads the NBA in field-goal shooting at 71.4 percent on the campaign.

Valanciunas supplied six points (3-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt), five rebounds, one assist and one steal over 18 minutes during Thursday's 121-106 loss to the Magic.

His low playing time Thursday can be partially chalked up to the Pelicans being down big in the second half. That doesn't change the fact that Valanciunas has failed to reach 20 minutes in a game over his last seven appearances. Part of it has to due with Larry Nance getting big-man minutes off the bench, but New Orleans also tends to play small in the fourth quarter with Zion Williamson moving into the five spot. Valanciunas is capable of filling the stat sheet in limited minutes, as he's registered 31 double-doubles on the year, but he's averaged just 5.3 points and 6.7 rebounds over 17.6 minutes per game over his last seven games.

Wagner finished with 14 points (5-5 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and one rebound over 14 minutes during Thursday's 121-106 win over the Pelicans.

Wagner was one of five Magic bench players to finish Thursday's game with a point differential of plus-14 or better. He's only cracked 20 minutes of playing time once in March, but Wagner has been efficient with his touches as of late. He's shooting 64.4 percent from the field while averaging 9.6 points and 3.3 rebounds over 15.1 minutes per game in March.

Davis (Achilles) is probable to play Friday against the 76ers.

Davis has been playing through the Achilles issue most the season, and it looks like he'll continue to do so Friday night. Managers can expect to get official confirmation on his status closer to tipoff.

Kessler will join the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Mavericks.

John Collins (head) is being held out for the second leg of this back-to-back set, so this is an expected move for Kessler. As a starter this season, Kessler holds averages of 8.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.

Jones (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Lakers.

Jones is nearing the end of his 10-day deal, but he's yet to debut due to this hamstring injury. His next chance to play will come Sunday against the Clippers.

Clarke (Achilles) is out for Friday's game against the Spurs.

Clarke continues to rehab from an Achilles injury, and at this point, it would be surprising if he plays before the end of the season. After all, the Grizzlies aren't reaching the playoffs, and there are only a few weeks left before the start of the postseason. Clarke's next chance to play will come against the Nuggets on Monday.