NBA Player News

Gafford said that he expects to be available for the Mavericks' next game Thursday in Boston after exiting with 3:20 in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 118-116 loss to the 76ers with a left shoulder injury, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gafford noted that the injury stemmed from him getting hit in the head, resulting in his neck jamming up before his left shoulder started to feel numb. The center said he could have played through the injury, but he remained on the bench for the closing minutes and finished with 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-2 FT), six rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes. While Gafford's comments about his injury are encouraging, his status will still need to be monitored leading up to Thursday. The Mavericks may have the recently acquired Anthony Davis (abdomen) available to make his team debut Thursday, and his presence could result in Gafford losing out on some playing time after he logged 30-plus minutes in seven of his last 10 appearances.

Vucevic amassed 12 points (5-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 0-2 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal across 33 minutes during Tuesday's 133-124 victory over the Heat.

While it was hardly his best performance, Vucevic still produced his 33rd double-double of the season, putting him fifth in the NBA and 10 behind leader Domantas Sabonis. With Zach LaVine having been dealt to the Kings, Vucevic could be the next veteran the Bulls will ship out before Thursday's trade deadline, and there's no guarantee he would see the same usage on a roster that features more ball-dominant players than Chicago currently has.

Ware amassed 17 points (8-12 FG, 1-2 3Pt), 12 rebounds, one assist and one steal over 31 minutes during Tuesday's 133-124 loss to the Bulls.

The rookie center has been a revelation for the Heat since moving into the starting lineup in late January. Over the last seven games, Ware has averaged 13.7 points, 9.9 boards, 1.6 threes, 1.3 blocks, 1.0 steals and 0.9 assists while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent (11-for-26) from beyond the arc. He's also recorded four of his five career double-doubles in that span. Bam Adebayo has also seen his numbers jump up significantly while playing alongside the 15th overall pick in the 2024 Draft, another strong sign that Ware isn't going to move back to the bench any time soon.

Adebayo closed with 23 points (10-17 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-5 FT), eight rebounds and four assists across 35 minutes during Tuesday's 133-124 loss to the Bulls.

The 27-year-old big continues to thrive in Miami's new-look frontcourt, topping 20 points for the fourth straight contest. Over seven games since he was joined in the starting five by Kel'el Ware, Adebayo is averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 boards, 4.6 assists and 0.9 threes while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor.

Hayes closed Tuesday's 122-97 win over the Clippers with six points (3-6 FG, 0-1 FT), six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in 24 minutes.

The Lakers' lack of frontcourt depth was perhaps the most inscrutable part of this week's blockbuster trade. Unless the Lakers make another move soon, it appears that Hayes will be their No. 1 option in the paint, and although the fifth-year pro has a lot of experience, his ability to hold down a full-time job is an open question. He's never averaged more than 20 minutes per game in a season and has started only 58 games since joining the league in 2019.

Sharpe contributed eight points (3-4 FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals over 20 minutes during Tuesday's 99-97 victory over Houston.

Sharpe continues to push his claim for more playing time, producing another strong two-way performance. Despite averaging just 18.0 minutes per contest over the past six games, Sharpe has managed to put up averages of 8.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 combined steals and blocks. Should things change in Brooklyn down the stretch, there is a chance Sharpe could see an uptick in playing time before all is said and done.

Hukporti totaled six points (3-3 FG, 0-1 FT), five rebounds and two assists over 19 minutes during Tuesday's 121-115 victory over the Raptors.

Hukporti played a season-high 19 minutes, seemingly moving ahead of Jericho Sims in the rotation. With Precious Achiuwa playing as the starting power forward, Hukporti slid in as the backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns. Although Hukporti's production was quite modest, it is something to monitor moving forward given the shallow rotation typically utilized in New York.

Allen provided 17 points (6-11 FG, 5-5 FT), 18 rebounds, two assists and one block over 33 minutes during Tuesday's 112-105 loss to the Celtics.

While Donovan Mitchell (31) and Darius Garland (25) paced the Cavaliers' offense, Allen made his presence felt on the glass with a season-high 18 rebounds while grabbing six of Cleveland's 14 offensive boards. It was Allen's 27th double-double of the regular season, five of which have come over his last eight outings. Since the beginning of January, Allen has averaged 14.1 points on 71.3 percent shooting, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 blocks over 28.3 minutes per game.

Sengun (calf) tallied 24 points (8-18 FG, 8-14 FT), 20 rebounds and four assists across 35 minutes in Tuesday's 99-97 loss to the Nets.

The big man returned from a three-game absence due to a left calf contusion in emphatic fashion, turning in the first 20-20 game of his career, albeit with substandard shooting from the field and free-throw line. The first-time All-Star has been integral to the Rockets' emergence as one of the top teams in the Western Conference, as he's averaging 19.2 points, 10.6 boards, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks in 31.4 minutes per game over his 47 appearances.

Horford supplied 13 points (5-12 FG, 3-9 3Pt), 10 rebounds, two assists and one block over 27 minutes during Tuesday's 112-105 win over the Cavaliers.

Payton Pritchard has typically been the leading bench scorer for the Celtics this season, but it was the veteran Horford who led the reserves in that category Tuesday. Horford's 10 rebounds matched a season high that he set Nov. 8 en route to his second double-double of the regular season. Horford won't always have these kind of nights, but it's a reminder of the versatility that he brings to a Celtics team looking to defend their title.