NBA Player News

Reaves’ upgrade on the injury report to questionable is an encouraging sign, signaling a potential return to the floor. He hasn’t appeared in a game since April 2, when the Lakers lost to the Thunder. The Lakers have gotten big production from others in Reaves’ absence, specifically from Luke Kennard, who is averaging 25 points through two playoff games. Should Reaves return in Game 3, it’ll likely be as a starter.

Wemby is in the concussion protocol, but his participation in Friday’s shootaround bodes well for his health. More information on his status should be available closer to tip-off. If Wembanyama is ultimately ruled out, Luke Kornet would presumably slot in as San Antonio’s starting center.

Jones got the start for the injured Aaron Gordon (calf) but didn’t make much of an impact. In his 28 minutes, he made his only two three-point shots but was otherwise mostly unproductive in terms of his counting stats. If Gordon misses Game 4, there’s a chance Jones could start again.

Murray had by far his worst game of the series on Thursday. He struggled with the length of Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels throughout the contest and failed to generate many clean looks. Murray didn’t convert any of his three-point attempts in Game 3, and in addition to his scoring struggles, produced only four assists. Denver’s offense couldn’t figure out Minnesota’s defense in Game 3, and it’ll need to be much better on Saturday.

Jokić missed 19 shots on Thursday and made more free throws than field goals. His struggles contributed to Denver’s offensive inefficiency as a group. Still, he was the team’s leading scorer by a wide margin, and his three assists told the story of how unimpactful his supporting cast was on offense. Jokić has shot 40.0 percent or worse in the two losses in this opening-round series; he’ll likely need to turn things around offensively for Denver to avoid dropping a third straight game on Saturday.

Partially due to foul trouble and potentially due to the bothersome knee, Edwards logged only 24 minutes in the Game 4 victory. He struggled with his shot throughout the contest and didn’t make any major contributions in other statistical categories. Still, he was a plus-11 in his time on the floor and, at the very least, his presence was felt. He’ll have a day in between games to treat his knee before taking the floor again in an important Game 4 on Saturday.

McDaniels’ two stocks don’t quite tell the story of his impact defensively in Thursday’s win. He hounded Denver’s Jamal Murray throughout the game and forced the championship-winning point guard to log one of his worst performances of the postseason. And on the other end, McDaniels shot the basketball extremely well and had a couple of electrifying buckets down the stretch before finishing as one of Minnesota’s top scorers. Surely, he’ll play a big role on Saturday in Game 4.

Dosunmu was stellar on Thursday. On the heels of a 9/4/5 line in Game 2, the reserve wing was Minnesota’s top scorer in Game 3, doing all of his work inside the three-point line. His biggest impact as a scorer came in the middle two quarters, when he tallied 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. And he also finished Thursday’s contest just one assist shy of a double-double. Dosunmu was fantastic down the stretch of the regular season for the Wolves, and he continues to come up big for the team since his arrival ahead of the trade deadline.

Despite struggling with his shooting, Mobley made some solid contributions in the loss. He was Cleveland’s best rebounder, led the team in assists, and tied a team-high in steals across his 33 minutes. He was one of several Cavaliers to have a tough time as a scorer, but he’ll have a chance to bounce back in Game 4.

Harden struggled throughout Game 3’s loss. He had little impact as a passer, shot inefficiently from the floor, and committed eight turnovers along the way. Even in the unspectacular showing, he finished as Cleveland’s leading scorer in his 33 minutes. Surely, he’ll look to dial up a better performance on Sunday.

Mitchell was held to his lowest scoring total of the series on Thursday. Poor shooting from beyond the arc was the main cause of his struggles, and his lack of free-throw attempts didn’t help either. If we’re looking for clear positives, Mitchell finished his two-point shots at a high rate and was decent on the glass. Otherwise, it was an unspectacular game for him. He’ll look to bounce back on Sunday.