NBA Player News

Fernando recorded seven points (3-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 14 minutes off the bench in Monday's 149-144 loss to the Clippers.

Fernando had missed four consecutive games with left lower back spasms before he was cleared for action over the weekend. He didn't log any minutes in either of the Hawks' subsequent two contests due to his status as a non-rotation player, but Fernando entered the mix Monday with Atlanta in need of a new backup center while Onyeka Okongwu moved into the starting five to replace the injured Clint Capela (adductor). The Hawks don't plan to re-evaluate Capela until at least next weekend or early next week, so Fernando looks as though he'll be in for a multi-game run as the backup center. Fernando's minutes will likely sit in the teens in most contests, but he could have some appeal as a streaming option for traditional big-man statistics (field-goal percentage, rebounds and blocks) in deeper leagues.

Ayton ended Sunday's 112-103 loss to the Nuggets with 27 points (13-19 FG, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal over 39 minutes.

Ayton was held to eight points (3-6 FG) during Friday's loss to Denver, but he struck back with a vengeance Sunday, recording his seventh game of 20-plus points through 34 appearances this season. The 25-year-old is averaging 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 63.3 percent from the field in 34.9 minutes across his past seven games.

Okongwu tallied 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 3Pt), five rebounds and one block across 34 minutes in Monday's 149-144 loss to the Clippers.

As expected, Okongwu slid into the starting five and saw one of his larger workloads of the season while Clint Capela (adductor) was sidelined. Capela will be sidelined for at least another week before being re-evaluated, setting Okongwu up for a multi-game run as the starting center and a regular 30-plus-minute role. Though his contributions outside of the scoring column were fairly lean, Okongwu is averaging 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes and should be an asset in both categories while he's receiving extended playing time. Additionally, he's proven to be an efficient two-level scorer, as he's converting at a 61 percent clip from the field and an 82 percent clip from the free-throw line in 2023-24.

Sharpe (knee) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Mavericks.

Sharpe hyperextended his left knee Jan. 7 and hasn't played since. He doesn't have a return timetable and hasn't been cleared for full-contract drills, so he can be considered week-to-week.

The 76ers announced that Embiid underwent a left meniscus procedure Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Philadelphia was vague on the details regarding the procedure other than noting that surgery was deemed successful. Wojnarowski notes that the 76ers aren't closing the door on a potential return this season, though it'll be contingent on how Embiid's recovery goes over the next several weeks. Based on the four-week re-evaluation timeline outlined by Philadelphia, the next update on Embiid may not come until early March. Even if Embiid makes good progress in the weeks to come, he's still expected to miss several games beyond the re-evaluation date, making it difficult to justify holding him in most head-to-head redraft leagues with limited or no injured reserve slots whose playoffs end in late March or early April. For whatever length of time Embiid is sidelined, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris should operate as the team's primary scoring options, while Paul Reed, Mo Bamba and Marcus Morris will absorb most of the vacated minutes at center. Embiid's absence could prompt the 76ers to add frontcourt help ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Valanciunas amassed 10 points (4-14 FG, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds and three assists over 20 minutes during Monday's 138-100 win over the Raptors.

Valanciunas notched his 26th double-double of the season Monday, which ranks 11th league-wide. New Orleans led by 19 at halftime and never looked back, but Valanciunas was compelled to fire away in the lopsided victory, matching his sixth-highest shot volume of the season. He will look to balance his output with efficiency in Wednesday's game against the Clippers.

Boucher recorded 11 points (4-5 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one block across 12 minutes during Monday's 138-100 loss to the Pelicans.

Boucher was a healthy scratch in Toronto's last two contests, but he stepped in with efficient offense and active rebounding in a limited sample during Monday's blowout loss. Boucher being phased out of the rotation is an interesting storyline given the 30-year-old is the only power forward on the roster besides Scottie Barnes, but it appears that Toronto would rather allocate the minutes elsewhere at this time. Boucher will probably be pushed to the outskirts of the rotation again if Gary Trent (back), RJ Barrett (knee) and Jontay Porter (back) are cleared to suit up moving forward.

Davis racked up 26 points (12-16 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 15 rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks across 37 minutes during Monday's 124-118 win over the Hornets.

It's the second triple-double of the season for Davis and the third of his career, with his other one coming during the 2017-18 campaign when he was with New Orleans. The 30-year-old center has a double-double or better in nine of his last 10 games, averaging 23.3 points, 12.9 boards, 5.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 0.9 steals over that stretch while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor. His 40 double-doubles on the season put him third in the NBA behind Domantas Sabonis (45) and Nikola Jokic (42).

Theis finished Monday's 149-144 victory over the Hawks with nine points (4-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt), eight rebounds and two assists over 19 minutes.

Theis flirted with a double-double Monday, although his scoring performance was assisted by banking in a buzzer-beating three at the end of the third quarter. Theis and Mason Plumlee split minutes at center Monday, but Ivica Zubac (rest/calf) did not play, so the frontcourt rotation will be squeezed tighter if Zubac returns to action Wednesday against New Orleans.

Sabonis contributed 12 points (6-9 FG), 19 rebounds and 15 assists over 34 minutes during Monday's 136-110 loss to the Cavaliers.

Sabonis was Sacramento's only player to log more than four assists in Monday's loss, matching his season high with 15 dimes en route to his career-best 15th triple-double of the season. Though he shined as facilitator, Sabonis committed five turnovers and was more passive when it came to looking for his own offense against Cleveland's formidable frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.