NBA Player News

Jokic notched 32 points (11-25 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 8-8 FT), eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals in 41 minutes during Saturday's 106-99 loss to Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Jokic led all Nuggets players in scoring, rebounds and assists to go along with a team-high-tying trio of steals in a well-rounded performance that nearly resulted in a triple-double in Saturday's Game 1. Jokic struggled a bit from the field but still finished north of 30 points for the third time this postseason and concluded one assist and two boards shy of a triple-double. Jokic has a tough matchup against Minnesota's big men, so it will be key to keep an eye on how he is able to perform against a strong defense in the semifinals.

Reid ended Saturday's 106-99 win over Denver in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 0-1 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 23 minutes.

Reid struggled over the first three quarters of Saturday's contest but showed up in a big way in the fourth frame, scoring 14 of his 16 points and giving the Timberwolves a boost off the bench in a winning effort. The Sixth Man of the Year ended as one of four Minnesota players with 10 or more points in the road victory, notching his third game of the postseason in double figures in scoring.

Allen (ribs) is questionable to play in Sunday's Game 7 against the Magic.

Allen has missed the last two games of the series while dealing with a rib injury, and the questionable tag doesn't shed a lot of light regarding his potential availability for the series finale. The Cavaliers need Allen to be at his best, though, as he's an influential piece of the team on both ends of the court. Allen is averaging 17.0 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in the first-round series against Orlando through four appearances.

Kleber (shoulder) is expected to miss a significant amount of time, if not the entire postseason, due to a full dislocation of his right AC joint, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Kleber suffered the injury in Friday's Game 6 victory over the Clippers. Barring a quick turnaround, it looks like Dallas will need to start planning to be without him going forward. As a result, Derrick Jones and Josh Green are candidates to see increased roles providing depth behind P.J. Washington at power forward.

Lively supplied 10 points (3-3 FG, 4-8 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and one steal across 24 minutes during Friday's 114-101 victory over the Clippers in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Lively was perfect from the field, active on the glass and efficient in limited minutes. The rookie has shown he can be a valuable contributor on both ends of the court when called upon, but his fantasy upside won't be high if he continues to play off the bench.

Zubac produced 17 points (6-11 FG, 5-8 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist in 37 minutes during Friday's 114-101 loss to the Mavericks in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Clippers needed someone to step up with Kawhi Leonard (knee) sidelined in Game 6, and Ivica Zubac did what he could on both ends of the court. He finished the series with three double-doubles in six outings and scored in double digits each time while shooting a robust 60 percent from the field. Zubac isn't flashy and is not one of the most athletic big men in the league, but he gets the job done. He averaged 11.7 points and 9.2 boards per contest during the regular season.

Thompson posted two points (1-3 FG), two rebounds and one block across 12 minutes during Friday's 103-96 loss to the Magic in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Thompson played as the primary backup behind Evan Mobley, something that Cleveland fans may be hoping will not happen again. Other than providing additional size, Thompson rarely has much of an impact on the court in the late stages of his career. Jarrett Allen (ribs) will almost certainly be doing everything possible to make it back for Game 7.

Kleber is doubtful to return to Friday's Game 6 against the Clippers due to a right shoulder sprain, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports.

Barring a quick, surprising turnaround, Kleber is unlikely to return to Friday's contest. Given the nature of the injury, a return for a potential Game 7 on Sunday could be up in the air as well. In Kleber's absence, Derrick Jones could see some extra minutes providing depth at power forward.

Allen (ribs) is out for Friday's Game 6 against the Magic.

Allen has been downgraded from questionable to out due to a right rib contusion, marking his second consecutive absence. Isaac Okoro started Game 5, but Marcus Morris will enter the starting lineup Friday.

Embiid provided 39 points (12-25 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 13-13 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal over 40 minutes before fouling out of Thursday's 118-115 loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Embiid was clearly not 100 percent healthy throughout the series, and the limitations were more noticeable as the series progressed but still posted outstanding stat lines, scoring 29 or more points in four of the six contests. He also recorded three double-doubles and a triple-double, but he couldn't do the heavy lifting on his own in the games where Tyrese Maxey struggled. Between the Play-In win over the Heat and the first-round series against the Knicks, Embiid averaged 31.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 blocks across 41.0 minutes per game.