NBA Player News

Drummond (ankle) is questionable for Friday's Play-In Game against Miami.

Drummond returned to action for Wednesday's Play-In Game against Atlanta after missing the final three games of the regular season due to a sprained left ankle. He tallied four points (2-4 FG), four rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 11 minutes in the Bulls' 131-116 win. Though he's listed as questionable heading into Friday's contest, Drummond will most likely be available to serve as the Bulls' backup center in a win-or-go-home game for both teams.

Embiid logged 23 points (6-17 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 9-10 FT), 15 rebounds, five assists and one steal over 38 minutes during Wednesday's 105-104 Play-In Game victory over Miami.

Embiid had a complicated matchup against Bam Adebayo, arguably one of the best defensive centers in the NBA, and even though Embiid's efficiency was subpar, he still led Philadelphia in scoring while coming through with a clutch performance from the charity stripe. Embiid should be in line for a productive first-round series against the Knicks, and even though he only faced them once in the regular season, he delivered a 30-point, 10-rebound, three-block performance on Jan. 5.

Adebayo posted 10 points (5-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt), 12 rebounds, one assist and two blocks across 31 minutes during Wednesday's 105-104 Play-In Game loss to the 76ers.

Adebayo wasn't as involved as expected on the offensive end of the court, as he had to deal with a tough matchup against Joel Embiid, but he still found a way to finish with a double-double even though the Heat lost. Knowing the Heat will be without Jimmy Butler (knee) for Friday's game against the Bulls, Adebayo should experience an uptick in usage rate and volume while matching up against Nikola Vucevic, who's not as talented as Embiid on the defensive end of the court.

Vucevic notched 24 points (11-21 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 12 rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes during Wednesday's 131-116 Play-In Game victory over the Hawks.

Although Coby White's heroics headlined the game, the most interesting positional battle occurred inside, where Vucevic and Clint Capela went toe-to-toe. Although Capela out-rebounded Vucevic, the Chicago big man displayed his ability to stretch the floor, forcing Capela to play further out. The result was a vulnerable interior defense for the Hawks, and the rest of the team took advantage with productive slashes to the basket. Things won't get any easier for Vucevic in the next game, as he'll face Bam Adebayo in a battle for the eighth seed.

Drummond (ankle) is available for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game versus the Hawks, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Drummond has been upgraded from questionable to available Wednesday after missing Chicago's previous three contests with a left ankle sprain. Drummond has averaged 9.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 18.5 minutes across his previous 10 appearances.

Fernando will come off the bench for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game against the Bulls, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Fernando drew the start in the final game of the regular season but he'll retreat to the second unit since Clint Capela (rest) is back in action. While it's assumed Atlanta will trim down their rotation, Fernando should see upwards of 20 minutes Wednesday.

Capela (rest) isn't on the injury report for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game against the Bulls.

Capela will return to action Wednesday after sitting out Atlanta's regular-season finale for rest purposes. The 29-year-old big man should reclaim his starting spot from Bruno Fernando. Capela has averaged 12.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals in 28.6 minutes across his past 10 appearances.

Bamba won't start Wednesday's Play-In Game against the Heat.

With Joel Embiid (knee) sidelined, Bamba drew a spot start during the regular-season finale and posted four points, six rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes during a 107-86 win over Brooklyn. Across 40 appearances off the bench this season, Bamba has averaged 3.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 10.3 minutes per game.

Embiid is available and in the starting lineup for Tuesday's Play-In Tournament game against the 76ers.

As expected, Embiid has been upgraded from questionable to available Tuesday despite dealing with a left knee injury. The superstar big man tallied 29 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes during his only other appearance against Miami this season.

The Thunder announced Wednesday that Sarr sustained a ruptured left Achilles' tendon rupture while playing for the G League's Oklahoma City Blue on Monday in the club's 117-100 win over the Maine Celtics in Game 3 of the G League Finals.

While the Thunder are expected to release an updated return timetable for Sarr in the coming months, he'll need surgery to address the injury and will likely miss a significant chunk of the 2024-25 season. Sarr split time between the NBA and G League this season as a two-way player and would have been ineligible to compete for the Thunder in the playoffs even if he hadn't suffered the significant injury Monday. Sarr is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.