NBA Player News

Wembanyama will not play Thursday versus Chicago due to bilateral low back soreness, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Wembanyama's next opportunity to take the court comes in short order, as San Antonio closes a back-to-back set Friday versus Sacramento. Thursday will mark Wembanyama's fourth missed contest of the season. Zach Collins and Charles Bassey will likely cover most of the minutes at center Thursday in Wembanyama's absence.

Bitadze (ankle) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the 76ers.

Bitadze was a late scratch against the Knicks on Tuesday, but the center remains day-to-day. Tristan da Silva replaced Bitadze in the starting lineup Tuesday and finished with eight points and two rebounds in 22 minutes.

Bamba finished Tuesday's 127-105 victory over Portland with three points (1-2 FG, 1-1 3Pt), three rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 17 minutes.

Bamba has been limited to workloads with minutes in the teens as Ivica Zubac's backup, but the former has made the most of them. He's been a terrific shot-blocking specialist in deeper formats, averaging 2.2 blocks in 15.3 minutes over his past five outings.

Collins notched zero points (0-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt), two rebounds, two assists and one steal across 14 minutes during Tuesday's 104-93 loss to the Suns.

As long as Victor Wembanyama is upright, Collins is a tough sell outside of very deep fantasy formats. He's averaging 14.5 minutes per contest this season, but he's a viable streamer whenever Wembanyama is forced to miss a game.

The Grizzlies assigned Edey (ankle) to the G League's Memphis Hustle on Wednesday.

Edey will spend the afternoon with the Hustle to get a practice in, and he'll be recalled right after. Edey is targeting a return to NBA action Saturday against the Celtics.

Ayton ended Tuesday's 127-105 loss to the Clippers with 16 points (8-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt), three rebounds, two assists and one block across 33 minutes.

Ayton was extremely efficient with his touches from the field and missed just two of his shots en route to leading the Trail Blazers in scoring. However, as has often been the case, his scoring exploits weren't enough, and Portland suffered another blowout loss. Ayton has been playing at a high level since returning from a seven-game absence. He's averaged 19.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 68 percent from the field in his last four contests.

Embiid (knee) will not play Wednesday against the Magic, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.

Embiid will miss his fifth game in a row Wednesday, but he seems to be getting closer to a return. He's been cleared to begin his ramp-up process on the court, but it remains to be seen if he'll be given the green light for Friday's rematch against Orlando.

Jokic provided 38 points (14-24 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and five steals over 40 minutes during Tuesday's 119-115 win over the Warriors.

Jokic finished four assists from what would've been his ninth triple-double of the season, but he excelled on both ends of the court once again. The star big man extended his red-hot start to the campaign, and he's averaging 30.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his last six appearances since returning from a three-game absence in mid-November due to personal reasons.

Duren recorded 11 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal over 20 minutes during Tuesday's 128-107 loss to Milwaukee.

The third-year center has seen his court time and production take a step back this season, but Duren is at least making an impact at the defensive end. In 12 games since returning from a minor ankle injury he's recorded multiple rejections five times, averaging 9.6 points, 9.2 boards, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in 24.3 minutes while shooting 63.9 percent from the floor.

Sabonis notched 27 points (13-19 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-4 FT), seven rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes during Tuesday's 120-111 victory over the Rockets.

It took a team effort, but the Kings rattled off 15 straight shots in the final stanza, eliminating an eight-point deficit and sealing a win. Sabonis was responsible for four of those shots, joining De'Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray in erasing Houston's lead. Although Tuesday's performance snapped an 18-game double-double streak, he notched his third-highest scoring total of the season in the win.