NBA Player News

Sabonis (face) has returned to Monday's game against Miami, CourtSideHeat reports.

Sabonis was spotted making his way to the locker room after taking a blow to the face, but he was absent for a only few minutes. The team could have more information on the extent of the injury after the game, but it's evidently not serious enough to keep him from the rest of Monday's clash.

Gobert (ankle) has been cleared to play Monday night against Charlotte.

Gobert was considered a true game-time decision leading up to tipoff, and he was able to prove his health during pregame warmups. The big man logged only 23 minutes in his previous appearance Saturday against the Spurs but figures to take on a larger workload Monday night.

Sabonis (face) went back to the locker room in the first quarter of Monday's game versus the Heat, Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Sabonis took a blow to the face and left for the locker room with a towel covering his head. The big man's status will be something to monitor as it is still early in the game. Alex Len and Trey Lyles are both candidates for an increased role if Sabonis is unable to return.

Williams (hamstring) has been cleared to play Monday night against New Orleans.

This will mark Williams' first game action of the 2024-25 campaign as he's finally been able to put a hamstring injury behind him. Expect Portland to keep a close eye on his minutes, especially considering his extensive injury history.

Bitadze is in the Magic's starting five for Monday's game against the Thunder.

Bitadze missed the Magic's last five games due to a strained tendon in his left foot. Not only will he return Monday, but he will also slide into the starting lineup while Wendell Carter is sidelined with a foot injury of his own. Bitadze hasn't played more than six minutes over his three regular-season outings, and though he's starting Monday, he could see less playing time than Moritz Wagner.

Claxton is starting Monday's game against the Grizzlies.

Not only is Claxton available for the second half of his team's back-to-back, but he'll enter the starting lineup for the first time this year Monday night. He's scored in double figures in three of his last four appearances and is averaging 8.3 rebounds over that stretch.

Queta will enter the starting lineup in Monday's game against the Hawks, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The 25-year-old center will start alongside Al Horford in the frontocourt with Jaylen Brown (hip) out. Queta has played double-digit minutes in each of the Celtics' last three games, during which he averaged 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 75.0 percent from the field across 17.7 minutes per game.

Kornet isn't starting Monday's game against the Hawks, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Kornet has started Boston's last two contests at center, but it'll be Neemias Queta who gets the call Monday night, marking his first NBA start. Kornet is averaging 3.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in five games off the bench so far this season.

Adams (knee) is available for Monday's game against the Knicks, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post reports.

Adams is still in the final stages of his recovery from right knee surgery as he sat out Saturday's game against the Warriors. He appeared in the two games prior, during which he averaged 12.0 minutes per contest. Adams should see the same amount of minutes Monday and will be limited to five-minute stints, per Bondy, as he operates behind Alperen Sengun at center.

Davis (hip) is available for Monday's game against the Pistons, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

As expected, Davis has been upgraded from probable to available and will continue to play through right hip soreness. It hasn't slowed him down thus far, as he's averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.8 steals in 36.0 minutes per game.