NBA Player News

Murray (hip) has returned to Friday's Play-In Game against New Orleans, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports.

Murray went to the locker room at the end of the first half with left hip soreness, but he's been cleared to return. He'll be asked to play a big role down the stretch with the Kings facing a nine-point deficit to begin the third quarter.

Murray went to the locker room after suffering a left hip injury during the second quarter of Friday's Play-In Game against the Pelicans, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.

Murray appeared to slip on a wet spot on the court, and he was reportedly favoring his hip on the way to the locker room, per Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento. Trey Lyles and Colby Jones would likely be asked to step up if Murray can't return.

Vucevic notched 16 points (7-17 FG, 2-5 3Pt), 14 rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals over 35 minutes during Friday's 112-91 Play-In Game loss to the Heat.

Vucevic turned in a valiant effort in Friday's elimination game, but the Heat cruised to a big victory with the help of Tyler Herro and Jamie Jaquez. Vucevic was held in check offensively along with the rest of the Chicago squad, as the Bulls were held to 91 points on 38.0 percent shooting from the field. The 33-year-old closed the season with four consecutive double-doubles.

Green closed Friday's 112-91 Play-In Game loss to the Heat with 12 points (5-6 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals over 17 minutes.

Green led Chicago's bench with 12 points, but his effort wasn't enough to help his team advance to the opening round of the postseason. He finished the 2023-24 campaign on a high note by putting up 10 or more points in seven of eight appearances over his final month of action.

DeRozan ended Friday's 112-91 Play-In Game loss to the Heat with 22 points (8-16 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 41 minutes.

DeRozan did his part as his squad looked to advance to the opening round of the postseason, knocking down 50.0 percent of his tries from the field while contributing on the defensive end. He went on an impressive run to end the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 29.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals over his last six appearances.

Adebayo finished Friday's 112-91 Play-In Game win over the Bulls with 13 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two blocks over 32 minutes.

Adebayo didn't have the type of performance one would expect in a big-time game, but he was calculated in his chances and enjoyed the show as Tyler Herro led the Heat to victory with a massive showing. Friday marked Adebayo's lowest rebounding total since April 10, so he'll need to get back on track on the glass during Miami's upcoming series against Boston to have a chance.

Love supplied 16 points (2-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 10-10 FT), seven rebounds and one assist in 12 minutes during Friday's 112-91 Play-In Game win over the Bulls.

Love didn't make much of an impact until the second half, and his veteran presence aided Miami in maintaining a big lead down the stretch. The 35-year-old totaled 11 points, six rebounds and one assist in eight second-half minutes. Love could see his role increase heading into the Heat's opening-round series against the Celtics given his extensive postseason experience.

Jaquez posted 21 points (8-16 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds and six assists across 35 minutes during Friday's 112-91 Play-In Game win over the Bulls.

Jaquez had big shoes to fill as he entered the starting lineup in place of Jimmy Butler (knee), and he didn't disappoint. Friday marked his second time in four games scoring 20 or more points, and he did so with efficiency. Jaquez also packed the stat sheet with an impressive effort on the glass and as a distributor of the basketball The Heat will need to continue to lean on the rookie forward entering the team's opening-round series against Boston.

Herro accumulated 24 points (8-17 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds and nine assists in 33 minutes during Friday's 112-91 Play-In Game victory over the Bulls.

Herro was the star of the show in this one, and while he didn't have a great shooting night by any means, he had a more controlled approach after knocking down nine of 27 attempts from the field Tuesday against the 76ers. The Kentucky product did much more than score in the win, falling just one assist shy of a triple-double. The Heat will need more performances like this from Herro heading into the team's opening-round series against the Celtics.

Murphy is starting Friday's Play-In Game against the Kings.

The Virginia product will join the starting lineup due to the absence of Zion Williamson (hamstring). Murphy is averaging 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals in his last five starts and figures to have plenty of chances to make an impact with Williamson sidelined.