NBA Player News

Lively (ankle) recorded six points (2-2 FG, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes in Monday's 125-120 win over the Pelicans.

Lively's minutes were somewhat capped after he picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, but the Mavericks were presumably looking to manage his playing time to some degree anyway since the rookie was making his return from a five-game absence due to a left ankle sprain. On a fortunate note, Lively took back his starting spot from Dwight Powell and was highly active on the glass during his time on the floor. Lively makes for an appealing pickup in any 12-team leagues where he may have been dropped while he was sidelined with the injury.

Gafford has been ruled out for the remainder of Monday's game against the Pistons with a head injury.

Gafford put up eight points (4-6 FG), six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 26 minutes before being removed from the contest. He could be sent in for concussion testing, potentially putting him at risk of missing Thursday's game against the Knicks if he's confirmed to have suffered a brain injury.

Sengun posted 19 points (7-15 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT), nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal over 30 minutes in Monday's 124-115 loss to Philadelphia.

Sengun led all Rockets in rebounds, assists and blocks while ending one point short of the 20-point mark and one board shy of a double-double in an all-around performance. Sengun has tallied at least 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 16 games this year. He has recorded at least 19 points in 14 straight contests.

Embiid (knee) finished with 41 points (12-21 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 16-17 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 31 minutes in Monday's 124-115 win over Houston.

Embiid didn't miss a beat in his return from a three-game absence due to swelling in his left knee, leading both teams in points and rebounds to bring his streak of 30-10 games to 16 in a row. With the knee causing no complications for Embiid in his return to action, head coach Nick Nurse said after the game that he expects the center to play in the second half of Philadelphia's back-to-back set versus Denver on Tuesday, per Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said Carter (knee) will be on a 12-to-16-minute restriction in Monday's game against the Knicks, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Orlando will be mindful of keeping Carter's workload in check while he makes his return from a five-game absence due to right knee tendinitis. Goga Bitadze will continue to start at center, but Carter could eventually supplant him atop the depth chart once he gets fully ramped up over the course of a few games.

Reath supplied 17 points (7-15 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals in 39 minutes during Sunday's 127-116 loss to the Suns.

Reath has started in each of Portland's last six games, and while he is not one of the team's go-to players on offense, he has found a way to score in double digits in four of those contests. Reath will probably remain a starter until Deandre Ayton (knee) is ready to return, which might happen Wednesday against the Nets.

Carter (knee) will be available for Monday's game against the Knicks.

Carter has the green light to return from a five-game absence after making it through warmups without any setbacks. While the Magic haven't specified whether he'll be on a minute restriction, Carter will come off the bench and likely serve as the top backup to starting center Goga Bitadze.

Towns finished with 17 points (7-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), six rebounds and five assists over 37 minutes during Sunday's 109-105 victory over the Clippers.

Towns took a backseat in both scoring and rebounding in this game, as Anthony Edwards posted 33 points and Rudy Gobert grabbed 18 boards. However, Towns still delivered a strong fantasy line despite holding a secondary role across the board. Towns seems to be adjusting better to playing alongside Gobert compared to last year, and his numbers back that up as well. Over eight outings in January, he's averaging 23.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.4 blocks per contest.

Gobert recorded 15 points (4-5 FG, 7-14 FT), 18 rebounds and four blocks over 37 minutes during Sunday's 109-105 victory over the Clippers.

Gobert struggled from the free throw line, but that's perhaps the only blemish in his performance, as he was efficient from the field and absolutely dominant near the rim. This was his sixth game with at least four blocks, and it was also the fourth time in which he grabbed 18 or more boards. Gobert is averaging 13.9 points, 13.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in seven January appearances.

Powell will come off the bench for Monday's game against the Pelicans due to Dereck Lively (ankle) returning from a five-game absence, Mark Followill of Bally Sports Southwest reports.

The veteran center started Dallas' past five games, averaging 5.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 27.6 minutes. But with Lively back, Powell will return to a bench role -- one not conducive to fantasy value.