NBA Player News

Gafford (ankle) is doubtful for Thursday's game against the Warriors.

Gafford appears likely to miss his fourth straight game Thursday, though he is getting closer to a return -- he was previously labeled as questionable. In the meantime, Dwight Powell and Moussa Cisse (illness) will likely continue to hold down the fort at center.

Queta ended Wednesday's 119-104 win over the Pacers with 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-5 FT), nine rebounds, five blocks and one steal in 28 minutes.

Queta delivered another impactful two-way performance in Wednesday's win over Indiana, recording his most points in a game since Dec. 4 and setting a season high in blocks. Through 11 games in January, the 26-year-old big man is averaging 11.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.1 steals and 0.7 assists over 25.3 minutes per contest.

Hukporti recorded two points (1-2 FG), five rebounds and one block in 11 minutes Wednesday in the Knicks' 120-66 win over the Nets.

Recalled from the G League's Westchester Knicks prior to Wednesday's contest, Hukporti was outside of head coach Mike Brown's rotation but took the floor for all but one minute of the fourth quarter after New York had built a 32-point lead heading into the final period. Since playing time at the NBA level has been relatively scarce of late for the second-year center, he could rejoin Westchester ahead of Friday's home game against the Windy City Bulls to pick up some extended minutes.

Looney had four points (2-2 FG) and seven rebounds across 10 minutes during Wednesday's 112-104 loss to Detroit.

Looney moved back into the rotation, suiting up for the first time in the past seven games. The purpose of signing Looney remains somewhat of a mystery, with his only real value at this point coming in the locker room. He has appeared only eight times in the past two months, averaging 3.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per contest.

Kalkbrenner finished with seven points (3-5 FG, 1-1 FT), four rebounds and one assist over 15 minutes during Wednesday's 94-87 loss to Cleveland.

Kalkbrenner continues to struggle as he works his way back from an elbow injury that ended up costing him eight games. After an impressive start to his rookie season, Kalkbrenner has seemingly hit the hypothetical rookie wall, averaging just 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game in six appearances since returning from injury.

Towns posted 14 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and one steal in 20 minutes during Wednesday's 120-66 win over Brooklyn.

Towns saw a season-low 20 minutes of action as the Knicks nearly lapped Brooklyn in scoring on the night. While he was on the court he was productive, nearly generating a double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds. Towns sank multiple threes for a fourth game in a row, and he'll look to stay hot as the team has a few days off before playing the 76ers on Saturday.

Okongwu accumulated 18 points (6-10 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), nine rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal in 28 minutes before fouling out of Wednesday's 124-122 victory over the Grizzlies.

Aside from the season-high seven turnovers, this was a nice bounce-back performance for Okongwu, who was held to just four points while missing all six of his shot attempts his last time out. The 25-year-old center is hitting career highs in points (16.1), assists (3.3), triples (2.0) and steals (1.2) this season, which has him providing third-round fantasy value on the year.

Duren generated 20 points (7-11 FG, 6-6 FT), 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks across 30 minutes of Wednesday's 112-104 win over the Pelicans.

Duren is up to 20 double-doubles this season, becoming the ninth player to hit that milestone. Wednesday's game was Duren's eighth of the campaign with at least 15 rebounds. The 22-year-old center is averaging 17.8 points and 10.9 rebounds across 35 appearances this season.

Poeltl (back) isn't with the Raptors on their road trip and is seeing a specialist in Toronto on Thursday, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Poeltl has been sidelined since Dec. 21 due to a strained lower back, and he isn't traveling with the team on its West Coast road trip so he can see a specialist. Considering he is in Toronto and doesn't appear close to playing, it's probably safe to rule him out for the remainder of the road trip, which ends Sunday against Oklahoma City.

Ayton (eye) is not listed on the injury report ahead of Thursday's game versus the Clippers.

Ayton exited Tuesday's win over the Nuggets after getting poked in the eye, but he'll be back in action Thursday night. With Ayton active, Jaxson Hayes loses his streaming appeal.