NBA Player News

Hart chipped in 18 points (8-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes during Friday's 142-103 win over the Nuggets.

The veteran forward briefly left the Knicks' prior game, March 4 against the Thunder, due to back trouble, but Hart didn't seem hampered by the issue as he produced his best scoring performance since Feb. 8. He's scored in double digits in 10 of his last 12 games, averaging 11.3 points, 7.2 boards, 5.5 assists, 1.1 threes and 0.8 steals over that stretch.

Johnson (ankle) recorded 10 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five assists, three rebounds and one steal across 22 minutes Friday in the Nuggets' 142-103 loss to the Knicks.

Considering the limited run he received in the blowout loss, Johnson provided some solid all-around production, but it's difficult to be bullish about his outlook moving forward even though he's moved past the ankle injury that kept him out the previous two contests. In addition to Johnson, the Nuggets welcomed Aaron Gordon (hamstring) back from a 17-game absence Friday, and with Peyton Watson (hamstring) also closing in on a return, a depleted Denver forward group will soon be back to full strength. Johnson could struggle to settle back into a regular 25-plus-minute role once that happens, as Gordon and Watson have both handily outperformed him when healthy this season and may be prioritized ahead of Johnson when all three players are available. Even while averaging 30.6 minutes per game over his 38 appearances on the season, Johnson's per-game marks of 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 three-pointers haven't been strong enough to make him a must-roster player in 12-team leagues.

Brunson registered nine points (3-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, 15 assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Friday's 142-103 victory over the Nuggets.

While the All-Star point guard left the scoring to his teammates, Brunson's 15 assists tied his season high -- a mark he'd established just two days prior against the Thunder. Over his last 12 games, Brunson is averaging 22.8 points, 8.1 assists, 3.8 boards and 2.5 threes.

Towns finished Friday's 142-103 victory over the Nuggets with 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 27 minutes.

The veteran center extended his double-double streak to five games, and it was Towns' league-leading 44th of the season -- three ahead of Nikola Jokic. Since the beginning of February, Towns has 13 double-doubles in 15 games, averaging 18.7 points, 12.0 boards, 2.5 assists, 1.2 threes and 1.0 steals over that stretch while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor.

Gordon (hamstring) recorded three points (1-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds and three assists across 21 minutes in Friday's 142-103 loss to the Knicks.

Returning to action Friday for the first time since Jan. 23 after completing his recovery from his second right hamstring strain of the season, Gordon displayed some rust, as expected. Despite coming up empty from downtown, the 12th-year forward is still shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range on the season, showing that his big jump in efficiency from beyond the arc in 2024-25 (career-high 43.6 percent on 3.4 attempts per game) wasn't a complete outlier. Given his long-term absence, Gordon's production may lag for a few games coming off the hamstring injury, but he should re-emerge as a solid back-end roster option in most 12-team leagues once he's back to playing upper-20s/lower-30s minutes on a regular basis.

Reaves recorded 19 points (6-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-7 FT), two rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes before fouling out of Friday's 128-117 victory over the Pacers.

Even with LeBron James (elbow) sidelined, Reaves was unable to crack the 20-point threshold, which he's done only twice since Dec. 5. He's still putting up solid numbers, averaging 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals across his past nine appearances (all starts). However, he hasn't been as prolific offensively as he was to start the season, as Luka Doncic is leading the way on most nights.

Vucevic underwent surgery Saturday to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger and will be re-evaluated in 3-to-4 weeks.

Vucevic suffered the injury during the first quarter of Friday's 120-100 win over the Mavericks. The timeline will keep the veteran center sidelined until at least late March, so Luka Garza should step into a more prominent role in the rotation for as long as Vucevic is sidelined.

Siakam ended with 26 points (10-20 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 6-9 FT), five rebounds, three assists and two steals over 29 minutes during Friday's 128-117 loss to the Lakers.

Since Feb. 10, Siakam has appeared in only four of Indiana's 10 games. However, the four-time All-Star has averaged 28.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.3 minutes during those appearances. As long as he's available, Siakam should be the go-to offensive option, but given the Pacers' current standing in the playoff picture, it's unclear how many games their star forward will suit up for down the stretch.

Walker logged 10 points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, five assists and one steal over 27 minutes during Friday's 128-117 loss to the Lakers.

Even with Indiana getting some regular starters back recently, Walker continues to play a consistent role and put up solid numbers across the board. Since Jan. 21, Walker has appeared in 18 of Indiana's 19 games (14 starts), averaging 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 29.1 minutes.

Kennard ended Friday's 128-117 victory over the Pacers with 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt), seven rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes.

Kennard helped the Lakers close things out with seven of his 15 points coming in the fourth quarter, and he finished as the team's third-leading scorer behind Luka Doncic (44) and Austin Reaves (19). Kennard has hit at least two triples in each of his last five games after failing to do so in each of the seven games prior. Over that five-game span, Kennard has averaged 11.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 threes over 24.2 minutes per game.