NBA Player News

Wembanyama only needed to play 24 minutes in the blowout win in Philadelphia, which limited his scoring output. However, even with less time on the court, he still made a big impact on the defensive end. He has 32 blocks and nine steals since the All-Star break, which has helped make up for some subpar offensive performances. Following a five-game road trip, they’ll head home for their next six games, with the Pistons up next on Thursday.

Jackson has been sidelined since March 27, but after practicing fully on Tuesday, he is now expected to make his return for the Clippers’ win-or-go-home matchup with the Warriors. He’ll likely occupy some of the backup center minutes behind Brook Lopez.

Ball went down in the second quarter and appeared to make contact with Adebayo’s ankle. Adebayo took a hard fall that sent him to the locker room and caused him to miss the rest of the game. The NBA will review the footage to determine if Ball’s contact was intentional, and Haynes reports that a ruling is expected before Friday’s Play-In game.

Harper jammed his left thumb in Sunday’s regular-season finale against Denver, but he’s expected to be ready for the opening round of the playoffs when the Spurs take on the Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center. Harper should handle his usual workload.

Brooks had a positive impact in his 37 minutes on Tuesday before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. While on the floor, he was a pest defensively, as shown in his four steals, but also repeatedly made momentum-building shots while the Suns led. Despite taking only 10 shots on the evening, the veteran forward finished as one of three Suns players to tally at least 20 points. Phoenix will hope Brooks can be productive again on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s Warriors-Clippers matchup.

Green was Phoenix’s best scorer on a night that he logged a team-high 39 minutes. He was cold from the three-point line but made up for his inefficiency from beyond the arc by dazzling in the paint and finding production in the midrange. Green, however, did commit five turnovers in the process. Still, his positives outweighed the negatives on this night, and he’ll have another opportunity to help Phoenix get into the playoffs on Friday when it faces the winner of Wednesday’s Clippers-Warriors game.

Booker had an off night on Tuesday, as he saw his streak of 30-point performances end at three games. He struggled overall from the field, missed the mark on both of his three-point attempts, and missed five free throws along the way. The veteran scorer played 38 minutes, despite dealing with foul trouble, but failed to make his usual impact. Still, he’ll have an opportunity to bounce back on Friday when the Suns take on the winner of Wednesday’s Clippers-Warriors matchup.

Grant took the floor for the first time since late March and provided some huge moments on both ends of the floor during the fourth quarter. The veteran forward hit two massive three-pointers with under three minutes remaining, made a big defensive stop on Jordan Goodwin’s game-tying putback attempt with seconds left, and then provided a punctuation-mark dunk on the other end to punch Portland’s ticket to the playoffs. Grant was one of two Trail Blazers to make four three-pointers on the evening. He’ll likely play an important role in the first-round series against the Spurs.

Holiday logged 38 minutes in the win and provided much-needed scoring for the Blazers. The two-time NBA champion drained four three-pointers, including a big one down the stretch of the fourth quarter, to help keep Portland within striking distance. He didn’t compile many other counting stats, yet his veteran presence in clutch time helped Portland come from behind and secure a playoff spot. The Trail Blazers will face San Antonio in the opening round.

Avdija was everything the Blazers needed down the stretch to mount a come-from-behind win. The first-time All-Star repeatedly got to the rim throughout the fourth quarter and ultimately scored the go-ahead layup with 16.1 seconds remaining. He finished with game-highs in points and assists while leading the Blazers from 11 points down midway through the final frame to mount a comeback that would secure them the seventh seed in the playoffs. Portland will face San Antonio in the opening round.

Herro struggled with his shot on Tuesday during his 34 minutes on the floor. Specifically, his inability to finish efficiently inside the three-point line led to the low field-goal percentage. Yet, he sank three triples and produced at the free-throw line to end as one of Miami’s three players with at least 20 points on the night. Herro also turned out a solid outing as a facilitator in the team’s season-ending loss. He battled injuries throughout the season and only logged 33 regular-season games, leaving him with little fantasy basketball value in his seventh NBA season.