NBA Player News

Ayton (finger) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Timberwolves, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan Portland reports.

Ayton was a late addition to the injury report due to a sprained right index finger, and he has officially been ruled out for the first leg of the back-to-back set against Minnesota. The big man will be replaced in the starting five by Donovan Clingan, who will make his first career start Tuesday.

Clarke is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game versus the Lakers due to left toe soreness.

Clarke is in danger of missing his first game of the season Wednesday due to a toe injury. If Clarke is unable to suit up against Los Angeles, Santi Aldama, Zach Edey and Jay Huff are candidates to receive increased playing time.

Plumlee is in the starting five for Tuesday's game versus the Jazz, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.

Plumlee will replace Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) in the starting lineup Tuesday. Plumlee is averaging 4.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.8 minutes across his 10 appearances so far this season but could see an uptick in playing time against Utah.

Nurkic (ankle) has been ruled out of Tuesday's game against the Jazz, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.

Nurkic will miss the Suns' first NBA Cup matchup due to left ankle soreness. The big man aggravated the injury during Sunday's loss to the Kings, and he should be considered questionable for the second leg of the back-to-back set as the team plays the Kings on Wednesday.

Drummond will slide to the bench in Tuesday's game against the Knicks.

With Joel Embiid making his season debut, Drummond will revert back to his normal role off the bench. The big man has averaged 9.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals across 26.1 minutes per game in nine regular-season outings (all starts).

Landale (shoulder) is listed as probable for Wednesday's game versus the Clippers.

Landale strained his shoulder during Sunday's game against Houston. While results from the MRI the 29-year-old big man was set to undergo have yet to be released, it appears he has avoided a serious injury. With Steven Adams (knee) deemed questionable against the Clippers, Landale could operate as the team's backup center behind Alperen Sengun.

Adams (knee) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Clippers.

Adams has been used sparingly this season while recovering from a right knee injury. The big man has appeared in five regular-season games thus far, during which he has averaged 3.4 points and 3.6 rebounds across 13.6 minutes per game. If Adams is able to give it a go, he will likely compete for playing time with Jock Landale (shoulder) behind Alperen Sengun.

Lively (shoulder) will be available for Tuesday's game against the Warriors, Kevin Gray Jr. of AllDLLS.com reports.

Lively will return to the rotation after missing the last four games with a right shoulder sprain. The second-year big man is averaging 9.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in six outings off the bench in 2024-25.

The Clippers announced Bamba (knee) is out for Wednesday's game versus the Rockets, and he's been assigned to the G League's San Diego Clippers to continue his rehab program, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.

Bamba has yet to make his season and Clippers debuts while dealing with a left knee injury. However, Bamba's assignment to the G League indicates that he is ramping up and nearing a return to action, though a precise timeline for him to play hasn't been provided.

Coach Nick Nurse said Embiid will be limited to 25-to-30 minutes during Tuesday's game versus the Knicks, Steve Popper of Newsday reports.

Embiid will make his season debut Tuesday after missing time with a knee injury and suspension. However, the superstar big man will be eased into Philadelphia's rotation and will play less than his average of 33.6 minutes per contest from last season out the gate. Embiid will likely also sit out Wednesday's matchup with Cleveland, as it is the second night of a back-to-back.