NBA Player News

Riley’s minutes and scoring have taken an uptick as the regular season comes to a close. The 20-year-old forward has played at least 32 minutes in each of the last four games and scored 30, 31, 18 and 20 points in those games. Riley had no blocks or steals, though, after recording five steals in Saturday’s loss to the Heat. The Wizards have four games in the final week of the regular season, starting with a matchup against the Bulls on Tuesday.

Gueye suffered a right hip contusion during the first quarter, resulting in Tony Bradley playing six minutes in his stead. While Gueye has not offered much production when on the floor, he’s needed due to Atlanta’s lack of frontcourt depth.

Gueye fell hard on his right hip after attempting to complete a dunk during the first quarter. The Hawks’ forward remained down on the court for a few minutes before slowly walking back to the locker room. Tony Bradley has entered the rotation and will likely stay there if Gueye can’t return.

Anunoby is good to go after being listed as probable on the initial injury report. He’ll take on his usual role as part of the Knicks’ starting lineup.

McLaughlin’s second consecutive absence will affect the Spurs’ rotation, as he is not guaranteed playing time when available.

Not only did Wembanyama win his first Defensive Player of the Year award, but he did so in dominant fashion. The Spurs’ center became the franchise’s first winner since Kawhi Leonard in 2016, and he received every first-place vote. Wembanyama is the first to win the award unanimously since its creation in 1982-83, and he’s also the youngest winner. This is likely to be the first of many Defensive Player of the Year awards for Wembanyama, who is also a finalist for league MVP. Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson rounded out the top three.

Okongwu’s inflamed right knee will not keep him out of Monday’s game, with the Hawks needing a win to even the series at one game apiece. Mouhamed Gueye will remain in the backup center role, while Tony Bradley may pick up another DNP-CD.

Quickley will miss a second consecutive playoff game as he recovers from a strained right hamstring. Jamal Shead started Saturday’s series-opening defeat, and Quickley’s absence factored into Brandon Ingram only attempting nine shots in Game 1. For Toronto to have any chance of winning Game 2, they need Ingram to be more involved as a scorer than he was on Saturday.

Harper, who is on track to be available for Game 2, only played the final four minutes of Sunday’s series-opening rout of the 76ers. His availability does not affect the Celtics’ rotation.

Due to a right knee contusion, Durant did not play in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Lakers. The veteran forward’s ability to participate in half of Monday’s session is not a good sign, even with Udoka saying that Durant will be a game-time decision for Tuesday’s Game 2. Reed Sheppard moved into the starting lineup in the series opener and struggled, shooting 6-of-20 from the field in 36 minutes of action. If Durant remains out, they’ll need more production from Sheppard and Alperen Şengün to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole.

Holiday was cold from the field in Game 1, regardless of whether he was shooting inside the arc or beyond it. The two-time champion was one of three Blazers starters to shoot under 30.0 percent on the evening, contributing to Portland’s overall offensive struggles. He did compensate for the scoring struggles by dishing out double-digit assists, doing so while committing only one turnover. Still, the Trail Blazers will likely need more production from Holiday as a scorer going forward.