NBA Player News

Brunson got off to a slow start to this game, and he entered halftime with just six points. Per usual, he was able to come up big late to help lead the Knicks to victory. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and 24 total points in the second half to help New York secure a three-point victory. This was his 11th double-double of the season, with three of those coming in his last five games, including two straight. Brunson’s production this season was pretty similar to what he did last year, though he did slow down as the year progressed. Still, he reminded the world in this game that he’ll be ready to take over when the playoffs start.

Howard and Isaac have made progress in their respective recoveries, but neither has reached the point where they’ll be available for games. Given the lack of contact during Tuesday’s practice, the Magic may not have either player at their disposal until the playoffs if Orlando qualifies. Both are out for Wednesday’s Play-In Tournament game against the 76ers.

Larsson is good to go after being listed as questionable on the injury report initially released by the Heat on Monday evening. He’ll figure prominently in the Heat wing rotation, whether he starts or comes off the bench. In four games against the Hornets during the regular season, Larsson averaged 15.3 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the field.

Kerr made the comments following Sunday’s regular-season finale, a loss to the Clippers in the first of two meetings between the teams over four days. None will surpass 40 minutes, but the question is how far beyond 30 minutes the veterans will go. Curry’s 29 minutes on Sunday were the most for him since returning from a case of runner’s knee, and Porziņǵis has logged 29 minutes just twice since joining the Warriors. As for Horford, he has exceeded 30 minutes just twice this season, most recently March 10 against the Bulls.

Allen suffered a left hamstring injury during Friday’s loss to the Lakers and hasn’t played since. The 30-year-old small forward was replaced in the lineup by Royce O’Neale, which could be the case again if Allen is ruled out on Tuesday.

Grant hasn’t played since March 27 as he’s dealt with a calf strain. The 32-year-old power forward is questionable, which at least gives him a chance of suiting up for Tuesday’s game against the Suns. If Grant is out again, Scoot Henderson should start again for the Trail Blazers.

Larsson is listed as questionable with a right lower leg contusion. Nikola Jovic (ankle) and Dru Smith (foot) are out, but otherwise the Heat have a healthy roster heading into the Play-In Tournament.

Borrego was 24-46 as interim head coach after taking over for Willie Green, who was fired last November. Prior to that, Borrego was the associate head coach under Green and he previously spent four years as the Hornets head coach, going 138-163 with no playoff appearances. While Borrego will be included in the search for a new Pelicans head coach, he seems like a long shot to land the job. He had plenty of time to make an impression this season and the Pelicans were more than 20 games below .500 on his watch.

Shams notes that Dončić and Austin Reaves (oblique) are unlikely to be available for the Lakers’ first-round series against the Rockets. Filling the void left by LA’s superstars will be no easy task, and the Lakers will tackle the issue using a platoon approach. Luke Kennard, Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura should be the next men up in the rotation.

Hachimura has been on a hot streak recently, having scored in double figures in five straight games. However, this was his best game of the stretch, as it was his highest-scoring outing since January and his first double-double of the season. With the status of Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) up in the air, Hachimura will be a vital piece for the Lakers against the Rockets in the first round.

The Spurs were already locked into their playoff seed and Fox wasn’t having an efficient game, but he still played 33 minutes in the regular season finale. San Antonio still managed to lose the game to a Nuggets team that played Nikola Jokic fewer than 20 minutes. Fox still had a good game, adding in rebounds, assists and a block, which he tends to do when Victor Wembanyama is out. In his first full season with the Spurs, Fox has provided seventh-round per game value.