Suns' Dario Saric: Posts season high in scoring

The Los Angeles Lakers, against all odds, have found a way to maximize Russell Westbrook in the regular season. He may be a bit overrated, but he's at least actively contributing to a Lakers team that spent an entire offseason trying to trade him. Without his playmaking, they may not have been able to stay afloat when they were without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As a regular-season player, he has been solid.

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is next week and the rumor mill has begun to overflow with potential trade targets. We're starting to get a clearer picture of who the buyers and sellers are ahead of the deadline, but we've yet to see any deals that will seriously change the landscape for the rest of the season. As we get closer to the Feb. 9 deadline the rumors will only heat up and we should start to see some deals happen over this week.

Looney isn't starting Monday's game against the Thunder, Madeline Kenney of The San Jose Mercury News reports. Looney recently lost his starting spot to Jordan Poole as the Warriors turn to more of a small-ball look, but he was reinserted into the starting lineup last Friday with Andrew Wiggins out due to an illness. However, Wiggins has been cleared and will return to the Warriors' first five Monday, sending Looney back to a bench role. The veteran center has made just three appearances as a reserve this season, but he's posting 6.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.0 minutes in those contests.

Tari Eason is a good offensive rebounder. He might even be a great one. Among rookies this season, he ranks third with 2.2 of them per game. Alperen Sengun is the only Rocket to pull in more of them thus far this year. But Eason only plays 19.4 minutes per game. He's started only three times in his career. If I were to tell you Eason had one of the greatest offensive rebounding games in the history of professional basketball, you'd probably scoff. But that's exactly what happened against the Thunder on Wednesday.

Beal and the Wizards will not play Wednesday against Detroit due to weather-related travel issues for the Pistons leaving Dallas, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports. Beal will have to wait until Friday against the Trail Blazers to get back on the court. The league will presumably...

Head coach Taylor Jenkins said he's expecting Green (knee) to get some minutes during Wednesday's matchup against the Trail Blazers, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Green's recovery process following offseason left knee surgery has been slow, but he's nearing the end of his rehab. He's officially listed...

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is now just over a week away on Thursday, Feb. 9, and as such the rumor mill is heating up. So far there hasn't been much in the way of news about potential blockbusters, but there are plenty of role players available that could help contenders bolster their squads for the stretch run.

Nurkic (calf) played 26 minutes and finished with 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in Monday's 129-125 win over the Hawks. Nurkic missed just one game on account of the calf injury he suffered in last Wednesday's win over...

It was a relatively close first quarter, but ultimately, Jayson Tatum came out on top with an 18-16 lead over his Brooklyn Nets opponent -- as in all five of them who were on the floor Wednesday night. It was a shame for Brooklyn, then, that Tatum has teammates. Factor...

There is now just more than a week until the 2023 NBA trade deadline on Thursday, Feb. 9, which means teams across the league are working harder than ever to either bolster their squad for the stretch run or move their best players to get into a better draft position.

Middleton posted nine points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt), three rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 18 minutes during Sunday's 135-110 win over the Pelicans. Fantasy managers who are hoping for a quick return from Middleton may have to wait a bit longer. A minute limitation is currently capping his potential, and there's no definitive timetable on how long the restriction will last. His next chance for increased usage comes Tuesday against the Hornets.

McCollum (thumb) is off the injury report ahead of Tuesday's game in Denver. McCollum missed Sunday's game with a sprained right thumb but will be back in the starting lineup Tuesday alongside Brandon Ingram (toe). His return will likely take opportunities away from Jose Alvarado, Kira Lewis and Devonte' Graham. In the month of January, McCollum has averaged 24.9 points, 5.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds across 35.3 minutes per game.

The Denver Nuggets are currently the top team in the Western Conference, but they could still make some roster tweaks before the upcoming NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9. Nuggets second-year guard Bones Hyland is one of the players "likely" to get moved, according to Marc Stein. On the season, Hyland is averaging 12.1 points, three assists and two rebounds in 19.5 minutes off of the bench for Denver. He was recently named as a participant in the Rising Stars Game for the second consecutive season.

Love (back) is listed as probable for Tuesday's game against the Heat. After experiencing a recurrence of back spasms shortly before Sunday's eventual win over the Clippers, Love ended up sitting out a third game in a row. He participated in practice Monday, however, and avoided any apparent complications, setting the stage for him to rejoin the rotation Tuesday. In his last nine appearances prior to the back injury, Love averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds across 16.4 minutes per game.