HOU • G • #15
Sheppard made a second straight start on Friday, as the Rockets once again rested most of their starters. Houston has secured the two-seed in the West for next week’s playoffs, resulting in players like Sheppard seeing more action. The rookie guard has recorded nine assists and seven turnovers in his two starts. The assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t great, but Sheppard has hit double figures in scoring in both games. Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Nuggets may be another opportunity for Sheppard to start, as Houston already knows its playoff seed.
11 days ago
April 12, 2025 5:18 AM
HOU • Center • #12
2 days ago
On a night when their backcourt struggled mightily, the Rockets received solid contributions from their reserve bigs. Adams led the way with 12 rebounds, while Jabari Smith Jr. didn’t miss a shot and finished with 11 points, six rebounds, one steal, one block and one three-pointer in 25 minutes. Houston also took the approach of pairing Adams and Alperen Sengun when Stephen Curry was not on the court, but this had minimal impact on the action due to Houston’s guards struggling to hit shots. Game 2 is on Wednesday.
HOU • Guard • #5
2 days ago
Sunday’s series opener was brutal for the Rockets’ starting guards. VanVleet and Jalen Green (7/8/2 in 31 minutes) combined to shoot 7-of-34 from the field overall and 2-of-17 from beyond the arc. Neither was an efficient shooter during the regular season, with VanVleet making 37.8 percent of his attempts and Green slightly better at 42.3 percent. That said, neither reached those levels in Game 1, which was a significant reason why Houston lost. VanVleet and Green will look to bounce back in Game 2 on Wednesday.
HOU • Guard-Forward • #9
2 days ago
Having scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting in Houston’s April 6 win over the Warriors, Brooks likely entered Sunday’s series opener with ample offensive confidence. While he did have a better night shooting-wise than starting guards Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green, Brooks offered limited offensive value, and the defensive stats weren’t there, either. He and Amen Thompson (8/9/6/1/1 in 33 minutes) will have their hands full in this series, and they’ll need to provide some offense as well. The Rockets will look to even the series at 1-all in Game 2 on Wednesday.
DAL • G • #10
4 days ago
Williams was a bright spot for Dallas in what was mostly an abysmal performance for the team in their play-in loss. After scoring 17 points against the Kings on Wednesday, Williams was once again able to help the Mavs in the scoring department. The 25-year-old point guard only became part of the rotation after multiple injuries in front of him, but he took advantage of the opportunity. His role will be limited with Kyrie Irving healthy to start next season, but Williams is an intriguing player to keep an eye on in dynasty formats.
DAL • G • #31
4 days ago
Thompson’s play-in performance this season was significantly better than it was last season. It wasn’t enough to get the Mavericks to the postseason in his first year with the team, but it was good to see Klay play well. His first season in Dallas likely wasn’t as expected, and his numbers dropped off from his final year with the Warriors. However, he was also expecting to play with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the postseason. Thompson is still one of the best shooters in the league, and Dallas should be more dangerous next season when they are fully healthy. That should help Klay be more productive.
ATL • G • #5
4 days ago
Daniels is a candidate to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year award, but he didn’t contribute much on the offensive end in Atlanta’s two play-in games. He scored a total of 18 points across both games, but he added 22 rebounds, 11 assists and five defensive stats in their play-in games. Daniels had an incredibly breakout season and should be rewarded with some postseason honors. After being one of the best late-round picks in the draft this season, he’ll be selected much earlier heading into next year.
