NBA Player News

Kornet notched two points (1-3 FG), five rebounds, one assist and one block in 19 minutes during Monday's 119-110 victory over the Mavericks.

Kornet played a meaningful role for the second straight game but was unable to repeat his performance from Sunday. With Kristaps Porzingis (knee) given the night off, Kornet slid into the backup center role behind the returning Al Horford. Despite his struggles, Kornet remains a name to watch should either Prozingis or Horford miss time moving forward.

Towns accumulated 62 points (21-35 FG, 10-15 3Pt, 10-14 FT), eight rebounds and two assists over 38 minutes during Monday's 128-125 loss to the Hornets.

Towns was red hot despite the loss, scoring 44 of his career-high 62 points in the first half. He went 10-for-15 from the perimeter, also a career-high mark. While this was a statement performance for Towns, it was a terrible loss for the Timberwolves. They will look to get back on track in what should be another favorable matchup against the Wizards on Wednesday.

Mensah ended Monday's 128-125 win over the Timberwolves with two points (1-1 FG), three rebounds and one assist over 15 minutes.

Mensah continues to play as the backup center, logging at least 15 minutes for the third consecutive game. While it has been nice to see him getting a crack at the big time, the fact he is still playing limited minutes even though the team is without its two primary center options, Nick Richards (ankle) and Mark Williams (back), does not bode well for Mensah's short-term future.

Vucevic supplied 19 points (9-17 FG, 1-5 3Pt), 17 rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes during Monday's 115-113 loss to the Suns.

Vucevic's 17 rebounds led all players in the contest and helped him record his fifth straight double-double. The big man has shined as a distributor of late, tying his season-high mark with seven assists in two of his past three games. With averages of 16.9 points and 10.7 boards on the campaign, Vucevic appears well on his way to averaging a double-double for the sixth straight season.

Eubanks provided 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes during Monday's 115-113 win over Chicago.

Eubanks hadn't played more than 16 minutes in any contest over his previous five games coming into Monday, but he led Phoenix reserves with 22 minutes against the Bulls. The big man earned the opportunity with a perfect 4-for-4 mark from the field and a team-leading eight boards. The rebound total was Eubanks' highest since Halloween, and this was only his second game with double-digit scoring since Dec. 17, so there's no need for fantasy managers in most formats to seek him out on the waiver wire for the time being.

Carter racked up 10 points (4-9 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, one assist and two steals in 27 minutes during Monday's 126-99 loss to the Cavaliers.

Like in Sunday's game against the Heat, Carter was one rebound shy of notching a double-double. He's returned to the starting center spot for Goga Bitadze, and Carter has shown solid production over those starts. He's averaging 15.3 points on 61.1 percent shooting (including 56.3 percent from three), 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 24.0 minutes per game in January.

Allen registered 14 points (6-8 FG, 2-4 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks across 27 minutes during Monday's 126-99 victory over the Magic.

Fifteen of Allen's 17 double-doubles this season have come since Dec. 2, and his 12-game streak started Dec. 16 against the Hawks. Despite the Cavs being without Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) for a large stretch of the season, the team has won eight straight games including Monday's victory, thanks in large part to the production of Allen. Some underestimated value he's brought of late is his free-throw shooting, which is at 91.2 percent for the month of January.

Horford is starting Monday's game against the Mavericks.

Horford is getting a chance to start due to the absence of Kristaps Porzingis (knee). Horford has had a limited impact so far this month, averaging 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks over eight appearances (four starts).

Richards (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday's game against Minnesota.

As expected, Richards has been downgraded from doubtful to out and will miss a third straight game due to a right ankle sprain. Mark Williams (back) also remains out, so P.J. Washington, Nathan Mensah and JT Thor are candidates for increased roles against Minnesota's stout frontcourt. Richards' next chance to suit up will come Wednesday in Detroit.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said Monday that Poeltl is progressing well in his recovery from an ankle injury, and while the center remains out Monday against Memphis, the Raptors are hoping to get him back "very, very soon," Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.

Poeltl will miss an eighth straight contest Monday, but he's resumed on-court work and appears close to returning to game action. Toronto has only two games remaining in Week 14 following Monday's game -- Friday versus the Clippers and Sunday in Atlanta. Even if Poeltl is cleared to suit up for either of the latter two games, he'll likely operate under a minute restriction while easing back into the rotation. He's been sidelined since Jan. 7 due to the left ankle sprain.