NBA Player News

Sabonis chipped in 11 points (3-12 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds and three assists over 31 minutes during Wednesday's 131-117 loss to the Clippers.

Sabonis has had some shaky performances on the scoreboard recently, and he's been held below 12 points in three of his last five appearances. While he's generally been able to salvage his fantasy production through his rebounds or assists, he struggled in those areas Wednesday with season-low marks in each category. He's shot just 45.3 percent from the floor over his last five outings, averaging 13.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 34.8 minutes per game.

Zubac racked up 14 points (7-12 FG), eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks over 30 minutes during Wednesday's 131-117 victory over the Kings.

Zubac finished with a solid stat line and came quite close to posting what would've been his third straight double-double. The big man is making the most of his touches near the rim in an offense led by several dominant ball handlers such as James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and he remains valuable in all formats, both due to his starting role but also due to his two-way contributions. He's averaging 14.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game over his last five outings.

Nurkic registered 19 points (8-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds, six assists and two blocks across 30 minutes during Wednesday's 112-105 loss to the Raptors.

It's the sixth double-double of the season for Nurkic, but he's grabbed double-digit boards in five of the last six games. He seems to be getting comfortable in a Phoenix jersey. Since Nov. 17, the veteran center is averaging 13.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 blocks while shooting 58.1 percent from the floor and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Jokic finished with 32 points (12-19 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 7-8 FT), 10 rebounds, 15 assists and one steal in 33 minutes during Wednesday's 134-124 win over the Rockets.

Jokic dished out 15 assists in the return of Jamal Murray to the starting unit. The star big man continues to dazzle every time he steps on the court, and the best way to translate his dominance is the fact that he's already racked up seven triple-doubles and 10 double-doubles in 18 appearances.

Sengun had 22 points (10-18 FG, 2-6 3Pt), seven rebounds, four assists and one steal in 28 minutes during Wednesday's 134-124 loss to the Nuggets.

Sengun had the daunting task of dealing with Nikola Jokic, and while the Serbian star finished with a triple-double as Denver secured the victory, Sengun made his presence felt as well with contributions on both ends of the court. The young center is one of the most versatile big men in the league, and the numbers back that up, as Sengun is averaging 23.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game over his last six outings.

Kessler recorded nine points (4-11 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, six blocks and one steal in 28 minutes during Wednesday's 105-91 loss to the Grizzlies.

Kessler continues to come off the bench, something that is likely to change sooner rather than later. Since returning from injury, he has blocked a total of 10 shots in three games, adding a combined 27 rebounds. After a slow start to the season, it appears that Kessler is fully healthy and looking a lot like the player we expected to see coming into the season.

Bamba finished with six points (3-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-1 FT), four rebounds and four blocks over 14 minutes during Wednesday's 124-114 loss to the Pelicans.

Bamba hasn't had much of an opportunity to play this season, as he entered Wednesday with eight DNPs over the 76ers' past 11 games. However, Joel Embiid was a late scratch against New Orleans due to an illness, leading to Bamba playing a campaign-high 14 minutes. He fared well as a scorer and rebounder while he was on the court, but where he really shined was as a rim protector, racking up four blocked shots. When Embiid plays, Bamba is likely going to have a hard time getting substantial minutes, but there's a chance he could begin getting more run as a result of his impressive performance Wednesday.

Valanciunas produced 19 points (8-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds and three assists across 32 minutes during Wednesday's 124-114 win over Philadelphia.

Valanciunas received a bit of a break when 76ers center Joel Embiid (illness) was ruled out shortly before the beginning of the game, resulting in 6-foot-8 Marcus Morris starting in his place. Valanciunas took advantage with a nearly perfect shooting effort from the field, which led to his highest scoring total in his past six games. The big man's stats have been down overall this season, but he's still producing useful fantasy numbers with 13.4 points, 8.8 boards, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Jordan won't start Wednesday's game against the Rockets.

Jordan will rejoin the reserves for Wednesday's tilt since Nikola Jokic (back) is healthy after a one-game absence. Considering Jordan has appeared in merely three games this season, he should handle a limited role for the contest.

Yurtseven will start Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies, David Locke of Utah Jazz Radio reports.

For a third straight game with Walker Kessler healthy, Yurtseven will start at the center position. While Kessler has been undergoing a ramp-up period after a lengthy absence, it's certainly notable that Yurtseven has remained ahead of him in the depth chart. In his only two starts this season, Yurtseven is averaging 6.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks across 24.5 minutes.