NBA Player News

Chicago was playing without four members of their normal starting five, allowing Blakeney to take on a far larger role than usual. He didn’t have any steals, blocks or 3-pointers tonight, and he was inefficient as a scorer, so it was basically a bust in most leagues. Lauri Markkanen is done for the season and guys like Otto Porter, Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine could follow suit, so Blakeney is at least worth adding to your ‘watch lists’ for streaming potential.

Green struggled again with his shooting after an inefficient opening game. He missed 15 shots on Wednesday, and nearly tallied as many turnovers as he made field goals. Green is now shooting 14-of-39 from the field through two games in this series, which is a far different outcome compared to the 28-of-49 shooting and 71 points he tallied over the two Play-In Tournament games. Phoenix will likely need Green to get back on track offensively if it wants to get back in the series on Saturday.

It was tough for Booker to find scoring opportunities on Wednesday. He had only 10 shot attempts through the first three quarters against a Thunder defense that continues to guard him well. The low output left him as Phoenix’s second-leading scorer on the night with a points total that fell short of his regular-season average. Booker also had more turnovers than assists in Game 2 in his 40 minutes of game action. The Suns will likely need him to perform at a higher level if they want to avoid falling behind by three games on Saturday.

Brooks bounced back from a very inefficient 18-point performance in Game 1 by hitting the 30-point mark on above 50.0 percent shooting, leading to half of his scoring total. He didn’t make any big splashes in other statistical categories, but his three-point contributions and scoring were big positives nonetheless. The series will flip to Phoenix on Saturday, when Brooks and the Suns will look to avoid going down three games.

Williams got off to a blazing-hot start in Wednesday’s contest, scoring all 19 of his points in the first half, missing only one shot along the way; he scored it effectively both inside and outside the paint. Yet, his night ended prematurely after injuring his hamstring midway through the third quarter on a driving layup attempt. He exited the game at the next deadball, exited to the locker room, and never returned to the game. Williams was never officially ruled out, so perhaps that’s an encouraging sign ahead of Game 3. His status is certainly one to monitor over the coming days.

Holmgren anchored the middle defensively for the Thunder in a major way on Wednesday. The former second-overall pick repeatedly erased shots at the rim to account for two-thirds of his team’s total blocked shots, and had success at cleaning up the defensive glass. He scored in spurts on the offensive end to finish as one of OKC’s top scorers, with the three-point shot being a major factor. As he’s been effective on both ends of the floor, Holmgren is off to a strong start to begin the series. He’ll look to keep rolling in Game 3.

On the heels of winning the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award, SGA nearly put up 40 points on the eighth-seeded Suns. As usual, he was effective in the midrange, found production from beyond the arc, and was active at the charity stripe. Additionally, the reigning league MVP racked up several beautiful assists, enough to nearly notch a double-double, while also tying a team-high in steals. Essentially, Gilgeous-Alexander did it all for the Thunder in their Game 2 rout and will have a chance to do it again in Game 3.

Banchero’s production on Wednesday wasn’t as spectacular as Sunday’s in the series opener. However, the former first-overall pick pieced things together throughout his 34 minutes, ultimately leading to a solid stat line. He shot inefficiently from the field and struggled greatly at the charity stripe, but still finished as one of Orlando’s top scorers in the game. Banchero also contributed on the glass and as a passer before the final horn sounded. The Magic will go home for Game 3, where Banchero could be poised for a bounce-back performance.

Wagner was one of many Pistons players to struggle on the offensive end; he shot poorly from the field, failed to make a three-pointer, and had more turnovers than he had assists. Decent production at the free-throw line ultimately helped him sneak into double figures as a scorer, but otherwise, the majority of his success came on defense in this game. Wagner led all players in steals on the evening in his 32 minutes, but he will look for a more balanced effort in Game 3.

Suggs led the Magic in scoring on a night that he accounted for over one-quarter of the team’s made field goals. He shot inefficiently, especially from beyond the arc, but made contributions as a rebounder and facilitator to help round out his final stat line. Suggs and the rest of the Magic will need to shoot much better in Game 3 than the 33 percent they tallied on Wednesday. Perhaps the familiarity of the home rims could help them get back into rhythm.

Harris put together another solid outing against the Magic, responding to his 17-point Game 1 with a double-double on Wednesday. The veteran forward led all players in rebounds and was the only Pistons player to record multiple blocks and steals. He’s yet to find his rhythm from beyond the arc in this series, but he’ll have an opportunity to do so in Game 3.