NBA Player News

Lively finished Wednesday's 113-111 loss to the Knicks with four points (1-3 FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist and three blocks across 18 minutes.

The 10 boards were a season high, and the three rejections also tied his best effort of the campaign, albeit in only six games played. Knee trouble has limited Lively's availability in the early going, but he appears to be rounding into form, and despite averaging only 15.7 minutes in three games since returning to action, he's produced 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.

Valanciunas racked up 14 points (4-5 FG, 6-6 FT) and seven rebounds over 16 minutes during Wednesday's 125-118 victory over the Pelicans.

Valanciunas bounced back from a dismal performance Monday, making all six free-throw attempts and four of five field-goal attempts en route to 14 points Thursday. While it appears Valanciunas' role hinges largely on whether superstar Nikola Jokic plays in the fourth quarter, he should still be monitored should Jokic miss any time.

Towns ended with 18 points (6-16 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 5-9 FT), 14 rebounds, six assists and two steals over 35 minutes during Wednesday's 113-111 victory over the Mavericks.

The veteran big man has pulled down double-digit rebounds in every game so far in 2025-26, recording double-doubles in 13 of his 14 starts. Towns has stepped up his offensive game a notch in November, and over nine contests this month, he's averaging 23.4 points, 12.8 boards, 4.0 assists, 2.0 threes, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks.

Hartenstein closed with four points (1-2 FG, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 113-99 win over the Kings.

The four points tied for Hartenstein's season low, but he recorded multiple blocks for only the third time so far in 2025-26 while pulling down double-digit boards for the 10th time in 16 games. The 27-year-old center wasn't doing much rim protection to begin the season, but over the last seven games, he's averaging 14.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting a stellar 73.8 percent from the floor.

Poeltl posted 19 points (8-10 FG, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and one steal across 33 minutes during Wednesday's 121-112 win over Philadelphia.

Poeltl has been on a tear recently, scoring double-digit points in his last six games while averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks on a whopping 80.9 percent from the field. While he is not expected to maintain this efficiency long term, Poeltl will continue to generate these kinds of looks as the team's top center.

Reath amassed no counting stats in three minutes during Wednesday's 122-121 loss to the Bulls.

Reath's poor season continued Wednesday, failing to score in just three minutes. Even with Robert Williams sidelined as part of his injury management, Reath was unable to carve out a meaningful role. He can be safely left on the waiver wire in all formats.

Huff ended Wednesday's 127-118 win over Charlotte with 20 points (7-13 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three blocks across 27 minutes.

This was easily the best performance of the season for Huff, who is in his first season with Indiana. The sharpshooting big man received the most playing time he's seen all season and let it fly from deep while on the court. As Obi Toppin recovers from injury, outings like this one could lead to more opportunities going forward for Huff.

Kalkbrenner contributed 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 FT) and nine rebounds over 25 minutes during Wednesday's 127-118 loss to the Pacers.

It's been difficult to decipher which Hornets big man fantasy managers should invest in between Kalkbrenner and teammate Moussa Diabate. What is clear, is that the former is a steady source of efficient shooting. Kalkbrenner is shooting 81.1 percent on the season, the highest mark in the NBA thus far. He was unusually quiet on defense Wednesday, though, failing to register a block or steal for the only the second time this month.

Clingan contributed 17 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 21 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal across 34 minutes in Wednesday's 122-121 loss to the Bulls.

Clingan logged a season-high 34 minutes en route to a season-best 17 points. The second-year center also grabbed a game- and career-high 21 rebounds, securing his third double-double in 15 regular-season appearances. The big man recorded two blocks and has swatted multiple shots in four of his last five outings. While Clingan isn't guaranteed to score double-digit points on a nightly basis, he continues to provide value on the defensive end and on the glass.

Vucevic generated 27 points (11-19 FG, 5-9 3Pt), eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block across 34 minutes of Wednesday's 122-121 win over the Trail Blazers.

With the Bulls trailing by two, Vucevic caught a pass on the left wing from Coby White and knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer. The shot marked Vucevic's fifth made three-pointer of the night, setting a season high in the category. He fell one point shy of tying his season high as well. In 14 appearances this season, Vucevic is averaging 16.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 31.6 minutes.