NBA Player News

Edwards capped off a tremendous first-round sweep of the Suns with 40 points in the closeout Game 4, and he kept the momentum rolling into Game 1 of the Western Conference semis. Ant-Man shot an efficient 17-of-29 from the floor and was everywhere on both sides of the ball. He came up with key play after key play, particularly in the closing minutes when Denver attempted a late comeback after falling behind by double digits. Edwards’ big night on offense broke a tie with Sam Cassell for most 40-point playoff games in Timberwolves history, and the budding superstar has three such contests to his credit. He and the Wolves will look to make a statement in Game 2 on Monday night.

Haliburton, limited by an injury to the same hamstring earlier this season, exited Thursday’s Game 2 defeat during the fourth quarter. While the injury being a case of soreness instead of a strain is good news, there’s no guarantee the All-NBA point guard will play on Saturday. Andrew Nembhard (who’s already a starter), T.J. McConnell, and Ben Sheppard would all be required to do more if Haliburton cannot play. And the Pacers are already in an 0-2 hole, so losing Haliburton could end their hopes of turning things around.

Kornet injured his wrist during the first half of Boston’s Game 2 victory on Thursday and did not return. Oshae Brissett picked up rotation minutes in his absence but is unlikely to play enough to impact DFS tournaments if Kornet cannot play on Saturday.

Ball hasn’t played in over two years, but as of now, he is planning to play this upcoming season. That is a long way away, so a lot could change over the next five months, but he appears to be optimistic. He also explained on his podcast that he had to get a new meniscus from a donor as part of his recovery, which is concerning for his long-term health. Hopefully there will be more updates in the coming months that will paint a clearer picture of what his potential availability could look like to start next season.

White came alive in the second half of this game and had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting after halftime, which resulted in a full stat line for him. White was phenomenal against Miami, but he struggled for most of the Cleveland series and in Game 1 against the Pacers. However, if this second half performance can spark something for him, they shouldn’t have any issues advancing to the NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum also joined White in scoring exactly 23 points, and they’ll look to keep the offense up in Game 3 in Indiana on Saturday.

Siakam did everything he could to keep Indiana around in this game, but it didn’t end up being enough. Siakam has played really well recently and has now scored at least 20 points in five straight games, which includes the first two games of this series. That wasn’t enough to get a win in Boston, but with Tyrese Haliburton dealing with a left hamstring injury, Siakam may be forced to take on even more responsibility moving forward. This was his highest scoring performance of this postseason, and he’ll need to do even more moving forward.

Turner had a rough first half, and he entered the break with zero points, four turnovers and three fouls after playing just 12 minutes. He was better in the second half, and he didn’t add anymore turnovers or fouls. However, he only played 12 more minutes after that before Rick Carlisle pulled the plug. Turner was huge in Game 1, and even though it didn’t result in a win, it became even more clear that he is vital to their success. They’ll need him on the floor a lot more than he was in this game if they want to avoid a 3-0 hole on Saturday.

Outside of Pascal Siakam, Nembhard was really the only other Pacer that was able to get anything going offensively in this game. He had a decent performance, but what’s more important at this point is what he may have to do in their next game. Tyrese Haliburton exited early from this game due to left leg soreness, which is obviously a huge blow to their team. If Haliburton is forced to remain sidelined for Game 3 on Saturday, Nembhard and T.J. McConnell will split the duties at point guard.

Holiday did most of his work in the first half of this game, but after being relatively quiet through the first two rounds, he turned in his second straight excellent performance. After having his highest scoring game of the playoffs in Game 1, Holiday followed that up with his first double-double of this postseason. That helped them take a 2-0 lead in this series, which leaves them two wins away from the NBA Finals. This is the player that Boston traded for this summer that they hoped would put them over the edge. If he continues to play to this level, it just might work out.

Brown obviously felt like he deserved to be on an All-NBA team, and he made sure to let the league know that he felt disrespected. He got off to a hot start and scored 24 points before halftime and went on to have his highest scoring game of this postseason. He made the All-NBA second team last season, and he did receive 50 third place votes this year, which made him the last name off the ballot. His performance was huge in helping them win Game 2, which was something they didn’t do in the first two rounds of this postseason. He’ll look to keep it going in Game 3 on Saturday as the series shifts to Indiana.

The team announced that Haliburton with the team down about 20 points with eight minutes left in the fourth, and they have most of their starters on the bench. The main concern now is whether or not he’ll be available to play in Game 3 on Saturday. If he isn’t able to, it’s unclear who would start in his place, though T.J. McConnell and Ben Sheppard will certainly take on extra minutes. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the injury was to his left hamstring, and he missed time earlier this season due to an injury in the same hammy, which is certainly concerning.