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Thursday, March 28, 2024 8:58 AM
Plays in garbage time in return
The Scoop: Castleton, one of the Lakers' three two-way players, was cleared to return to action Wednesday after he hadn't appeared at the NBA or G League level since Feb. 10 while recovering from a fractured right wrist. Even with Anthony Davis (knee) sidelined for the second leg of a back-to-back set, the rookie big man out of Florida remained out of head coach Darvin Ham's rotation, as the Lakers relied mostly on small-ball lineups when fill-in starting center Jaxson Hayes (31 minutes) was off the court.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 5:25 AM
James chipped in 23 points (8-14 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-11 FT), 14 rebounds, 12 assists and one steal over 35 minutes during Wednesday's 136-124 win over the Grizzlies.
The Scoop: James sat out the Lakers' marathon double-overtime victory against Milwaukee on Tuesday, but he returned for the second night of the team's back-to-back set Wednesday while Anthony Davis (knee) sat out. The future Hall of Famer led Los Angeles in both rebounds (14) and assists (12) in the victory while finishing tied for second on the club in scoring with 23 points on a healthy 8-for-14 shooting line. The triple-double was James' fourth of the season and his first since he put up a 36/20/12 line against the Warriors on Jan. 27. The Lakers have won five straight and are making a late-season push to move up in the standings, so James should avoid sitting out for rest purposes for the most part, though it's worth noting that the team has two back-to-back sets remaining on the schedule.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 4:42 AM
Poor result in victory
The Scoop: Beal has played through a finger injury but his resent results suggest some difficulty with his shot. The veteran has converted only 31.8 percent of his 22 shot attempts over the past two games, and the Suns need much more from Beal if they hope to stay out of the play-in bracket. With only 19 total points over the past two games, Beal will try to turn things around against the Thunder this Friday.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 4:37 AM
Does little as fill-in during win
The Scoop: Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) was out with an ankle injury, forcing Eubanks into the first unit. The team is thin at the position but got some interior support from Thaddeus Young after Eubanks had a frigid start. Nurkic should be back in time for Friday's game against the Thunder, which will move Eubanks back to the bench.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 4:31 AM
Logs 30/13 double-double in win
The Scoop: The Suns were able to flip the script after a bad loss to the Spurs. Despite the embarrassing result Monday evening, Durant has had a trio of excellent lines after some modest regression at certain points over the month of March. Every win counts for the Suns as they strive to avoid a play-in game, so expect elite numbers for Durant as the team navigates the league['s most difficult remaining schedule.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:50 AM
Miller ended Wednesday's 118-111 win over the Cavaliers with 31 points (11-19 FG, 7-13 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one block across 35 minutes.
The Scoop: Miller led all scorers for the second straight night Wednesday in a game that saw no other Hornets player score 18 points or more. Miller has now reached 20-plus points in three of his last four games and has averaged 22.3 points on 44.9 percent shooting (including 44.4 percent from three on 9.0 3PA/G), 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 34.8 minutes per game over that span.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:17 AM
Curry finished with 17 points (6-18 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and 10 assists over 35 minutes during Wednesday's 101-93 victory over the Magic.
The Scoop: Wednesday marked the fourth time this season that Curry has tallied 10 assists or more, and he's now registered seven double-doubles on the year. It was the first time he reached double-digit assists since Feb. 15 against the Jazz, as he took on a larger role in the passing game after Draymond Green was ejected early in the first quarter. Curry hasn't been as efficient with his shot as of late and is averaging 21.4 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting, including 35.8 percent from three on 11.2 attempts per contest, in March.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:12 AM
Jackson-Davis notched eight points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 14 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 33 minutes during Wednesday's 101-93 victory over the Magic.
The Scoop: Jackson-Davis started Wednesday due to Jonathan Kuminga being ruled out with left knee soreness. Jackson-Davis took advantage of the extended playing time, as he eclipsed 30 minutes of playing time for the first time this season. His 14 rebounds marked the seventh time he's reached double-digit boards this year, and he was one rebound shy of matching his season high set Dec. 22 against the Wizards. Jackson-Davis will likely return to the bench for Friday's game against the Hornets should Kuminga be able to suit up.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:57 AM
Strus (knee) scored 19 points (7-13 FG, 5-10 3Pt) and added four rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes Wednesday in the Cavaliers' 118-111 loss to the Hornets.
The Scoop: Making his return from a 12-game absence due to a right knee strain, Strus reclaimed his spot in the starting five while Caris LeVert headed to the bench. Strus didn't take long to get acclimated in his return, as he hit a triple in the game's opening minute and nailed four more over the course of the night to finish second to Jarrett Allen (24 points) among all Cavaliers players in scoring. The 27-year-old should hold down a starting role on the wing moving forward, but he'll likely lose out on some shot attempts if Donovan Mitchell (nose) is able to rejoin the Cleveland backcourt Friday versus the 76ers.
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:36 AM
Eubanks will start at center in Wednesday's game against the Nuggets.
The Scoop: With Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) sidelined, Eubanks will be the next man up at center. The big man has averaged 4.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists across 21.5 minutes in four starts this season.
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