NBA Player News

Hartenstein ended with 13 points (4-6 FG, 5-8 FT), 18 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Friday's 104-97 victory over the Heat.

Hartenstein continues to thrive as a rim protector and secondary offensive option for the Thunder, and he's been a solid addition option in most fantasy formats due to his two-way contributions. Hartenstein has nine double-doubles in his 12 contests with the Thunder, averaging 12.5 points and 12.8 boards per contest in that span.

Lopez recorded 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt), six rebounds, one assist and two blocks across 24 minutes during Friday's 124-101 loss to the Cavaliers.

The Bucks looked overmatched Friday, and while Giannis Antetokounmpo carried the offense almost on his own, Lopez posted decent numbers -- at least from an efficiency perspective. That said, it's hard to rely Lopez as a scoring weapon. He has reached double-digit points in just two of his seven games in December, averaging 7.3 points per game in that span.

Drummond closed Friday's 108-98 win over the Hornets with zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal over 10 minutes.

Drummond moved back to the bench, making way for the returning Joel Embiid. As we have seen all season, Drummond failed to have an impact, continuing to struggle whenever Embiid is fit and ready to go. However, Embiid has already been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Cavaliers, meaning Drummond could very well find himself back in the starting lineup, albeit for a one-game stint.

Embiid (face) ended Friday's 108-98 victory over Charlotte with 34 points (12-24 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 8-9 FT), nine assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 31 minutes. Head coach Nick Nurse said after the game that Embiid won't play Saturday against the Cavaliers for rest purposes, according to Austin Krell of USA Today.

After suffering a sinus fracture in the 76ers' Dec. 13 loss to the Pacers, Embiid wasn't expected to be re-evaluated for a week, but he missed just one game before practicing Thursday and being cleared to play Friday. He donned a protective mask in his return to the lineup but didn't display any signs of being limited, as he rolled to an efficient scoring night while establishing new season highs in assist and steals. The 76ers are likely to continue holding Embiid out of one half of back-to-back sets to manage his left knee throughout the season, so the star center's expected absence for Saturday comes as little surprise. Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele are likely to cover most of the minutes at center Saturday, though the 76ers could also make room in the rotation for Adem Bona as the backup center if Yabusele is needed to play some power forward. Look for Embiid to return to action Monday against the Spurs.

Adebayo (laceration) has returned to Friday's game against the Thunder, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Adebayo was elbowed in the face early in the third quarter, which caused a cut above his left eye. He went back to the locker room to get stitches and has returned to Friday's game.

Adebayo (face) went back to the locker room early in the third quarter of Friday's game against the Thunder, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Adebayo took an elbow to the head early in the second half and went back to the locker room to get stitches for a cut above his left eye and is expected to return. Jaime Jaquez, Kevin Love and Kel'el Ware should see an increase in playing time for as long as Adebayo is sidelined.

Bol is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Pistons with a left knee contusion, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.

Bol has been a healthy scratch for each of the Suns' last three games, so if he were to be sidelined Saturday, it wouldn't impact Phoenix's rotation that much. He's appeared in seven regular-season games and averaged 3.3 points and 1.6 rebounds over 5.3 minutes per contest.

Davis (elbow) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Kings, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Davis briefly left Thursday's game against Sacramento with what was initially reported as a left shoulder injury. He managed to return and finished with 21 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, six blocks and three steals over 35 minutes in the win. Davis has now been diagnosed with a left elbow contusion, and while he's iffy to play Saturday, his ability to return to Thursday's game indicates that the injury isn't severe enough for him to be ruled out. Since and including Dec. 1, Davis has averaged 25.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals over 35.1 minutes per game.

Theis (personal) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Knicks.

Theis did not play against the Rockets on Thursday while attending to a personal matter. Trey Jemison and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl would be slated to see increased minutes off the bench behind starting center Yves Missi if Theis is unable to play Saturday.

Drummond isn't in the starting five for Friday's game versus the 76ers, Austin Krell of USA Today reports.

Joel Embiid will replace Drummond in the starting lineup Friday after missing Philadelphia's previous outing due to a sinus fracture. Drummond is averaging 7.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 14.8 minutes across his last five appearances coming off the bench.