NBA Player News

McDaniels finished Wednesday's 108-105 loss to the Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with 24 points (9-15 FG, 6-9 3Pt), four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 39 minutes.

McDaniels carried the Timberwolves in scoring and delivered another impressive outing, as he seems to have carried the momentum of the series against the Nuggets into this matchup. McDaniels has now scored at least 20 points in three straight games -- a personal-best mark -- while shooting 68.6 percent from the field, so it wouldn't be shocking if he has a more prominent role as a scoring weapon in Game 2 on Friday.

Edwards ended Wednesday's 108-105 loss to the Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with 19 points (6-16 FG, 5-12 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals across 41 minutes.

Edwards might have ended just two assists away from recording a triple-double, but the Timberwolves need him to be an efficient scorer, and he hasn't been able to do that of late. The Timberwolves have gone 2-2 across their last four playoff contests, and Edwards is averaging just 20.0 points per game while shooting a mere 34.7 percent from the field. That's a clear downgrade from a regular season in which he scored 25.9 points per contest while shooting a career-high 46.1 percent from the floor.

Gafford accumulated 10 points (5-9 FG), nine rebounds and one block across 21 minutes during Wednesday's 108-105 win over Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Gafford has been rotating at center with Dereck Lively, but the former Wizards big man continues to deliver every time he's called upon duty. He's scored in double digits in six of his last eight playoff contests, a span in which he's averaging 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. It's only one game, but he looked quite good despite dealing with the presence and threat of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns throughout the contest.

Irving ended with 30 points (12-23 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds, four assists and one block over 40 minutes during Wednesday's 108-105 win over the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Even though Luka Doncic grabbed most of the headlines following an impressive performance in the series opener, there's no question Irving also played a pivotal role in the Mavericks' win. Irving has had a few subpar showings in the current postseason run, but he's scored 22 or more points in three of his last five appearances, so he seems to be peaking at the right time for a Dallas team that's only three wins away from a berth in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Doncic racked up 33 points (12-26 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 6-7 FT), six rebounds, eight assists, one block and three steals in 41 minutes during Wednesday's 108-105 victory over Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Mavericks pulled the upset and stole the home-court advantage with a huge win in the series opener. Doncic played a pivotal role in that outcome, leading the team in scoring and assists while also delivering 15 points, three rebounds and two steals in the fourth quarter alone. Doncic has now scored at least 30 points in two of his last three playoff appearances, and he should be Dallas' go-to player for Game 2 of the series Friday.

Conley (Achilles) is part of the starting lineup for Wednesday's Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against Dallas.

Conley will play through a strained right soleus for a third straight game and will slot into his usual starting point guard role. In four regular-season games against the Mavericks this season, Conley averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds.

Doncic (knee/ankle) will play in Wednesday's Game 1 against the Timberwolves.

Doncic has been a regular on the injury report as he deals with lingering soreness in his left ankle and a sprained right knee. Even though he's banged up, Doncic played at least 40 minutes in all six games against OKC in the Western Conference Semifinals and closed out the series with three straight triple-doubles.

Tillman (personal) is questionable for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers on Thursday, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.

Tillman missed the Celtics' 133-128 overtime win in Game 1 due to the personal matter. While he could rejoin the Celtics in advance of Thursday's contest, his presence -- or lack thereof -- shouldn't have a major impact on head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation. Tillman has appeared in just three games all postseason -- all in blowouts -- as Al Horford and Luke Kornet have covered most of the minutes at center while Kristaps Porzingis (calf) has been sidelined for each of the Celtics' last seven contests.

Pritchard logged eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt) and two assists over 23 minutes during Tuesday's 133-128 overtime win over the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics are using a very tight eight-man rotation right now, but Pritchard is pretty clearly the sixth man for the foreseeable future. He's been excellent through 11 playoff appearances, averaging 7.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds while hitting 47.0 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Brown contributed 26 points (10-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-8 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals across 44 minutes during Tuesday's 133-128 overtime victory over the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

This was a great response from Brown after he was held to 11 points in the final game of the previous series against the Cavaliers. He's been terrific for most of the playoffs, to be fair, as he's hitting 54.8 percent from the field while averaging 23.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists.