NBA Player News

The Bucks had no answer for the reigning MVP, who was on his “A game” Wednesday night. Gilgeous-Alexander’s three misses were shots that he usually makes at a high clip, and he finished three rebounds shy of a triple-double. With Nikola Jokić sidelined by a knee injury, an argument can be made that Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player in fantasy basketball. And SGA could be in for another big night as the Thunder hosts the Pacers on Friday.

Durant, who missed Game 1 with a tendon bruise in his right knee, is now dealing with a sprained left ankle. With the Rockets in a 0-2 hole, they can ill afford to be without their best offensive player in Game 3. Reed Sheppard would return to the starting lineup if Durant can’t play.

Embiid being listed as doubtful, rather than the 76ers immediately ruling him out, is a step in the right direction. However, he’s closer to not being available on Friday than being able to play. The 76ers will continue to rely on Adem Bona and Andre Drummond until the former league MVP is healthy enough to play.

LaRavia’s injury should be monitored, but it doesn’t sound very serious. If he’s forced to miss Game 3 at Houston, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt could see increased run.

Jenkins is a former Bucks assistant who owns a winning record across six seasons as the Grizzlies’ head coach. After a tumultuous season under Doc Rivers in 2025-26, Milwaukee will shift in a new direction.

Jay Dub will be out for at least a week as the Thunder head to Phoenix. His absence means that Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins could all see additional run.

Shannon Jr. and Clark serve primarily as depth options, so if they are unavailable, Ayo Dosunmu could see additional run.

Bryant is expected to return following a six-game absence, but his availability won’t have much impact on Cleveland’s rotation. He’ll serve as a depth option in the frontcourt.

Gordon’s status doesn’t bode well for his availability in Game 3. If AG is unable to go, Bruce Brown could see some additional run off the bench in a crucial Game 3.

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.