NBA Player News
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Trey Murphy III SF | NO
Pelicans' Trey Murphy: Drops 35 points in win
Murphy generated 35 points (13-24 FG, 7-16 3Pt, 2-3 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and four steals across 36 minutes in Friday's 128-107 win over the Wizards.
Murphy returned to action after missing Wednesday's loss to the Hawks due to back spasms, and he led all players in points, triples and steals Friday. The 25-year-old swingman has been on fire recently, scoring 20-plus points in five of his last six appearances, including back-to-back outings with at least 35. He has shot an impressive 43.6 percent from downtown during that span, knocking down at least six triples in four of those games.
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Tyrese Maxey PG | PHI
76ers' Tyrese Maxey: Game-high 29 points Friday
Maxey logged 29 points (10-22 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT), one assist, one rebound and three steals over 38 minutes during the 76ers' 103-91 win over the Magic on Friday.
Maxey's one assist Friday was a season low, but the All-Star point guard was still heavily involved in the offense and finished as the game's leading scorer. He's connected on at least three triples in six consecutive games and has posted at least 22 points in 11 of his last 12 outings. Over that 12-game span, Maxey has averaged 28.9 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 threes, 2.2 steals and 1.0 blocks over 39.0 minutes per game.
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SF | MEM
Grizzlies' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Doubtful to return Friday
Caldwell-Pope is doubtful to return to Friday's game against the Thunder due to a jaw injury.
Caldwell-Pope logged 10 minutes before exiting the contest with 4:09 remaining in the second quarter, recording two points (1-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt), one rebound, one assist and one steal. In the likely event he isn't cleared to return, Vince Williams and GG Jackson are candidates to pick up the slack the rest of the way.
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Derik Queen C | NO
Pelicans' Derik Queen: Triple-doubles in win
Queen racked up 14 points (7-13 FG, 0-2 3Pt), 16 rebounds, 12 assists and two blocks over 35 minutes during Friday's 128-107 victory over the Wizards.
This was the second triple-double of Queen's career and he set new career highs in boards and dimes. The rookie has been rolling over the past month, flirting with mid-round value behind averages of 12.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest.
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Immanuel Quickley PG | TOR
Raptors' Immanuel Quickley: Season-high 13 dimes vs. Boston
Quickley logged 17 points (6-16 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 13 assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block over 34 minutes during the Raptors' 125-117 loss to the Celtics on Friday.
Quickley and RJ Barrett were both in line for elevated roles Friday due to the absences of Scottie Barnes (knee) and Brandon Ingram (thumb). Quickley responded with a season-high 13 assists and his fifth double-double of the season while connecting on at least four threes for the 11th time. Barrett left late in the fourth quarter after tweaking his left ankle, so Quickley could be in line for a large role against the 76ers on Sunday if one or more of Barrett, Ingram and Barnes were to be on the shelf.
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Ja'Kobe Walter SG | TOR
Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Drains season-high five triples
Walter logged 19 points (7-12 FG, 5-9 3Pt), six rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal over 31 minutes during the Raptors' 125-117 loss to the Celtics on Friday.
Walter entered the Raptors' starting lineup Friday due to the absences of Brandon Ingram (thumb) and Scottie Barnes (knee). Walter got off to a somewhat slow start, but he came alive in the fourth quarter with 11 points -- nine of which came from beyond the arc -- en route to a season high in triples. RJ Barrett left late in the fourth quarter after tweaking his left ankle, so Walter could maintain an elevated role against the 76ers on Sunday even if one or more of Barrett, Ingram or Barnes were cleared to play.
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Payton Pritchard PG | BOS
Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Dominates paint vs. Toronto
Pritchard registered 27 points (12-19 FG, 3-5 3Pt), eight assists, five rebounds and one block over 29 minutes during the Celtics' 125-117 win over the Raptors on Friday.
Pritchard finished as Friday's leading scorer, but the sixth-year point guard did most of his damage within the arc and was seemingly able to get any clean shot he wanted in the paint. It was his 11th 20-plus-point outing of the season, and he has scored at least 20 points seven times against the Raptors in his career. Through the first five games of January, Pritchard has averaged 18.6 points, 5.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 threes and 1.0 steals over 33.0 minutes per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
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Jaylen Brown SF | BOS
Celtics' Jaylen Brown: Lives at charity stripe Friday
Brown posted 25 points (6-16 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 12-13 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists and one block over 36 minutes during the Celtics' 125-117 win over the Raptors on Friday.
Brown did a little bit of everything and did most of his scoring damage from the free-throw line, tying a season high in free throws that he set on two separate occasions before Friday's win. He finished as the Celtics' second-leading scorer behind Payton Pritchard (27 points), and while he wasn't able to reach the 30-point threshold, Brown has scored at least 23 points in all but one game over his last 15 appearances. Over that span, Brown has averaged 31.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 threes and 0.9 steals over 35.2 minutes per game while shooting 51.1 percent form the field.
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RJ Barrett SG | TOR
Raptors' RJ Barrett: Quickly ruled out Friday
Barrett (ankle) has been ruled out for the rest of Friday's game against the Celtics, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports. He finished with 19 points (6-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven assists and four rebounds over 28 minutes.
Barrett tweaked his left ankle late in the fourth quarter and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game after being examined by medical staff in the locker room. He's undergoing further tests to determine the severity of the injury, but it puts Barrett in jeopardy of missing Sunday's game against the 76ers. With Brandon Ingram (thumb), Scottie Barnes (knee) and Jakob Poeltl (back) already sidelined, Immanuel Quickley is the lone healthy starter from Opening Night.
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RJ Barrett SG | TOR
Raptors' RJ Barrett: Goes to locker room
Barrett went to the locker room during the fourth quarter of Friday's game against the Celtics due to an apparent left ankle injury, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
Barrett appeared to turn his left ankle on Sam Hauser's foot while attempting to make a drive to the bucket. He was able to walk to the locker room under his own power at the 4:41 mark of the fourth quarter, albeit with a noticeable limp. The Raptors were already without Scottie Barnes (knee) and Brandon Ingram (thumb), so Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead and Alijah Martin are in line for more minutes if Barrett is not cleared to return.