NBA Player News

He was with the Lakers for the preseason, and he’s coming off G League Player of the Week honors. This year in the G League, Machado averaged 16.4 points, 8.0 dimes, 1.1 steals and 1.2 treys. He could get minutes when the Lakers are out of the playoff chase, which will almost certainly happen this week.

DFS appears to be set to return from a two-game layoff on Thursday. The Nets forward should reclaim his role as a starter ahead of the weekend should he suit up.

Walter has been a key part of the rotation as of late and has started in a handful of games since late November. The Raptors wing’s absence could open up space for Jamison Battle to contribute a little more off the bench.

Buzelis is set to miss just his second game of the season on Thursday. The rookie wing’s absence shouldn’t have a major effect on the rotation, but Julian Phillips could find some extra minutes.

Ball missed his team’s matchup against the Bucks earlier this week and is now set to miss a second consecutive game. The Bulls guard’s availability isn’t likely to affect Chicago’s regular rotation.

Beal tied Kevin Durant for team-high and game-high scoring marks, though Beal was the more efficient shooter, going 11-of-21 in the win. Beal is averaging just over 18 points per game for the second straight season, but he’s gone for at least 20 points in three straight while picking up the slack for the injured Devin Booker. Expect Beal to continue shooting and scoring more frequently for as long as Booker is sidelined.

KD couldn’t find his rhythm offensively on Wednesday, but he impacted the game in other ways and still tied Bradley Beal for team lead in points thanks to a perfect 9-of-9 performance from the charity stripe. Durant and Beal did the heavy lifting for a Phoenix team missing Devin Booker, and the pair combined for 47 of the Suns’ 88 shot attempts in this one. Durant gets another home matchup on Friday when the Suns host the Mavs, where he’ll look for a more efficient performance.

Jokic is averaging a career-high 30.9 points per game, but he didn’t reach the 30-point mark after doing so in Monday’s victory over Phoenix at home. Jokic still led his team in scoring and rebounds, but he failed to make much of an impact as a facilitator, which is an area in which he typically excels. Jokic’s rebounds and assists have been a bit unpredictable as of late, but he can still stuff the stat sheet better than nearly every other player in the Association. He’ll need to be at his best against the Cavaliers on Friday if he hopes to get his team back in the win column.

Porter Jr. posted a healthy 24/6/4 line in Monday’s blowout win over Phoenix, and he followed up the performance with another stellar game in Wednesday’s rematch. MPJ got cooking early with eight first-quarter points, and he finished behind only Nikola Jokic (25 points) for team lead in the scoring department. He’s averaging a career-best 18.3 points per game this season, and Porter Jr. has now crossed the 20-point threshold in five of his last 10. He’ll look to keep the momentum rolling on Friday when the Nuggets host the Cavaliers.

Gordon has been nursing the calf injury as of late, and it’s unlikely he returns to finish the game against the Suns. If he doesn’t take the court again, Gordon finishes with seven points, three rebounds and two assists across 19 minutes. Peyton Watson could see increased run in his absence.

Wiggins had a productive night and finished behind only Steph Curry (38 points) for team lead in the scoring department. Wiggins was Golden State’s leading rebounder, and he added some solid three-point shooting. Unfortunately, those strong numbers will ultimately be forgotten, as Wiggins was beaten by Austin Reaves on the Lakers’ final possession of the game and gave up the go-ahead bucket. Wiggins and Co. will look to snap a two-game skid with a visit to Intuit Dome to face the Clippers on Friday.