NBA Player News

NAW has enjoyed a breakout first season with Atlanta, and he just continues to get better. He has provided third-round value in nine-category leagues this season, but over the past month, he ranks inside the top 10. This was his 10th game scoring at least 30 points this season, which is a mark he has achieved just 15 times in his career. This was also the fourth time in his career that he hit at least seven triples in a game, with all of those coming this season. He has certainly made a strong case to win the Most Improved Player award.

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.

Brooks bounced back from a very inefficient 18-point performance in Game 1 by hitting the 30-point mark on above 50.0 percent shooting, leading to half of his scoring total. He didn’t make any big splashes in other statistical categories, but his three-point contributions and scoring were big positives nonetheless. The series will flip to Phoenix on Saturday, when Brooks and the Suns will look to avoid going down three games.

Williams got off to a blazing-hot start in Wednesday’s contest, scoring all 19 of his points in the first half, missing only one shot along the way; he scored it effectively both inside and outside the paint. Yet, his night ended prematurely after injuring his hamstring midway through the third quarter on a driving layup attempt. He exited the game at the next deadball, exited to the locker room, and never returned to the game. Williams was never officially ruled out, so perhaps that’s an encouraging sign ahead of Game 3. His status is certainly one to monitor over the coming days.