NBA Player News

Jokic closed Thursday's 117-83 loss to the Clippers in Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with 23 points (9-14 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 13 rebounds, 13 assists and one steal over 37 minutes.

Jokic did his thing despite the loss, recording another playoff triple-double. Performances like this are basically par for the course at this point, continuing what has been another standout season. While the numbers were fantastic, Jokic received very little support outside of Jamal Murray, leading to a blowout loss. Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday, where the Nuggets will look to bounce back against a Clippers team full of confidence.

Kleber (foot) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Timberwolves.

Kleber continues to work his way back from surgery on his right foot, which means he'll be sidelined once again Friday. There remains no timeline for his return to the floor to make his debut with the Lakers, as he could very well not play another game until the start of next season.

Allen closed Wednesday's 121-112 win over Miami in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with nine points (3-5 FG, 3-3 FT), eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 31 minutes.

Allen put in the work in the frontcourt during Game 2, coming one point and two rebounds shy of a double-double. The Cavaliers now have a commanding 2-0 series lead, as the series shifts to Miami for the next two games.

Adebayo had 11 points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 14 rebounds, nine assists and one steal in 42 minutes during Wednesday's 121-112 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Adebayo led Miami in rebounds and assists in Game 2's loss and was one assist shy of recording his second career playoff triple-double. However, the star big man has struggled with his efficiency against the Cavaliers' frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, shooting just 41.9 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from three.

Porzingis finished with 20 points (5-14 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 10-14 FT), 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 34 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 victory over Orlando in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Despite suffering a gash on his forehead that required stitches during the game, Porzingis made a considerable impact on both ends of the floor. The veteran big man stepped up while Jayson Tatum (wrist) is the mend, as the former lived at the free-throw line. The veteran scorer hit 10 of a game-high 14 attempts from the charity stripe, which gave the defending NBA champions a big boost, resulting in the team taking a commanding 2-0 lead ahead of the series shifting to Orlando for the next two games.

Horford racked up nine points (4-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 0-1 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist and one block over 32 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 win over the Magic in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

With Jayson Tatum (wrist) on the mend, Horford got the start in Game 2 and came one point short of a double-double. The veteran big man might not be the player he once was, but he can still make an impact on the basketball floor, especially when he's called upon to step up due to the absence of the Celtics' best player.

Ware chipped in seven points (3-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four rebounds and one steal over 19 minutes during Wednesday's 121-112 loss to Cleveland in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Ware, who put together a terrific rookie season, has yet to find any rhythm in the postseason against Cleveland's stacked frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Through two games, Ware is averaging a mere 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game.

Looney closed Wednesday's 109-94 loss to the Rockets in Game 2 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with five points (2-3 FG, 1-2 FT), four rebounds and three assists across 13 minutes.

After seeing nine minutes in Game 1, Looney saw a slight increase in minutes Wednesday -- Jimmy Butler left after eight minutes with a pelvic contusion and Brandin Podziemski was limited to 14 minutes due to an illness. Quinten Post, who had 12 points in 25 minutes, is likely to remain the primary big off the bench for Golden State.

Carter racked up 16 points (6-8 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds and one assist across 33 minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

After scoring just four points in Game 1, Carter converted all three of his three-point attempts in Game 2 and was Orlando's third-leading scorer. Carter averaged 7.2 rebounds per game during the regular season but is averaging 10.5 boards per contest so far in the playoffs.

Bitadze racked up two points (1-1 FG), three rebounds, one assist and one block in eight minutes during Wednesday's 109-100 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

After playing a sizable role during the regular season with 7.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks in 20.4 minutes per game, Bitadze has played a total of nine minutes to open this series against Boston. Wendell Carter and Paolo Banchero are soaking up the vast majority of frontcourt minutes, and that's unlikely to change ahead of Game 3.