NBA Player News

Could Superman don his cape for one last ride? In a recent interview Dwight Howard said, “I’m not retired from the NBA just yet” and added that he “would love to help the Sacramento Kings contend for a title”. Howard, whose career accomplishments include eight All-NBA selections, five All-Defense selections and three DPOY awards, last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season as a member of the Lakers. Dwight won a ring with the Lakers in the 2019-20 bubble as well. This past year Howard has been playing professionally in Taiwan for the Taoyuan Leopards.

Harper will be back following a one-game absence. Boston’s entire perimeter rotation will be available for this game, so Harper won’t see the floor much, if he checks in at all.

Giddey wasn’t on the initial injury report, but there is a chance this hamstring issue that has lingered throughout the season could result in him missing this game. Collin Sexton would likely replace him as a starter in that scenario, with Tre Jones taking on the playmaking duties.

Embiid wasn’t on the initial injury report, but he has been added late due to an illness that will force him to miss this game. He won’t get to take advantage of the favorable matchup, but Adem Bona and Andre Drummond will get the opportunity, with Bona likely to start.

It has been a largely unproductive season for Lopez, but he has started at center in every game since Ivica Zubac suited up for the last time as a Clipper, and he has been productive, especially recently. He has 16 blocks over his last five games and has scored in double figures in all but one of those. Lopez has provided fifth-round value over the past two weeks, and they’ll need him to stay productive in Thursday’s game against the Spurs.

Garland had a shaky start to this game, turning the ball over five times in the first half, which contributed to the Clippers’ 16-point halftime deficit. He cleaned things up after the break, but that wasn’t enough to help the Clippers make a comeback. That ended their five-game winning streak, and they’ll look to get back on track against the Spurs on Thursday. Garland has been excellent recently and will look to stay hot in that one.

This was an offensive outburst for Holiday, which led to his third 30-point game of the season. This performance was only surpassed by his outing against the Grizzlies on March 4, where he contributed 35 points and eight three-pointers. Holiday has been a strong starter for the Blazers this season, though performances like this haven’t come often. He’ll look to carry some of this production into Thursday’s matchup with the Pelicans, which will be their final game of the week.

Rough free throw shooting has limited Avdija’s value as of late, but he was able to have a productive night from there in this game while also recording his third double-double of the month. Avdija has enjoyed a breakout season, though he has certainly cooled off over the past two months. The back injury that has forced him to miss time is certainly a reason, and Portland will hope to have him at 100 percent for the postseason.

This was LaRavia’s fifth straight game as a starter, with the most recent start before that coming before the All-Star break. He had some solid stretches earlier this year, but March was a rough month for him. This was his only double-digit scoring game of the month, and it took him not missing a shot to reach that. He has been able to contribute more defensive stats as a starter, which gives him a little upside, but he hasn’t truly taken advantage of the extra minutes.

Hachimura was pushed back to the bench for this game with Luka Dončić back in the lineup after serving a one-game suspension on Monday. Hachimura scored 14 points as a starter in that game and added 14 more in this one, though he didn’t contribute much in other categories, which has been the case all season. Hachimura is a strong rotation piece for the Lakers, but he shouldn’t be relied on in fantasy basketball.

After serving a one-game suspension on Monday for being assessed a 16th technical foul, Dončić was back in the lineup for the second leg of this back-to-back. The fresh legs allowed him to put together a third straight 40-point game while also shooting at least 50 percent from the floor in each game. He’s been effective from the free throw line as well, shooting 25-of-26 during this three-game stretch. Free throw percentage is typically a weakness, but he as been red-hot recently and will look to keep that going into Thursday’s game in Oklahoma City.