NBA Player News

Clarke won't play Wednesday against the Cavaliers due to left Achilles injury management, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.

Since making his season debut March 27 following a 12-plus-month recovery from surgery to repair a torn Achilles' tendon, Clarke has appeared in six of the Grizzlies' last seven games, averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals in 22.3 minutes. His lone absence during that stretch came in the front end of a back-to-back set, and he'll be in street clothes Wednesday after playing 27 minutes while making his first start of the season in Tuesday's 102-87 loss to the Spurs. With Clarke and Jaren Jackson (quadricep) sidelined Wednesday, among several others, the Grizzlies will likely be forced to rely heavily on Trey Jemison, Jack White, Timmy Allen and Lamar Stevens (groin) to fill minutes in the frontcourt.

Ayton accumulated 30 points (15-22 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 13 rebounds, one assist and one steal over 36 minutes during Tuesday's 110-100 loss to the Pelicans.

The 25-year-old center produced his 31st double-double of the season and his fifth straight, scoring at least 20 points in all five. In six contests since returning from an elbow injury, Ayton has averaged 24.7 points, 12.7 boards, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 56.0 percent from the floor.

Yurtseven ended with 20 points (9-14 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes during Tuesday's 111-95 loss to Denver.

Making his third straight start in the absence of John Collins (back) and Walker Kessler (nose), Yurtseven delivered his first double-double of the season. The 25-year-old center has averaged 13.3 points, 8.3 boards, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals during his brief starting stint, and with Utah headed back to the draft lottery, Yurtseven could see a significant role over the final three regular-season games.

Jokic closed Tuesday's 111-95 win over the Jazz with 28 points (12-20 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds, seven assists, one block and three steals over 34 minutes.

The double-double was Jokic's 65th of the season, putting him one short of the career-high 66 he racked up in 2021-22. The perennial MVP candidate has pulled down double-digit boards in 10 of his last 11 games and has averaged 28.6 points, 13.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 threes over that stretch while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor.

Bitadze finished with no counting stats over two minutes during Tuesday's 118-106 loss to Houston.

Bitadze continues to play as the third-string center for the Magic, logging fewer than 10 minutes for the 16th straight game. Given he has failed to see the floor in eight of those games, there is no reason to speculate that he might have a meaningful role down the stretch.

Sanogo finished with one rebound over five minutes during Tuesday's 128-117 loss to New York.

Sanogo played a few extra minutes in the loss, shifting up in the rotation following an ankle injury to Andre Drummond after just five minutes. Although he is not likely to be fantasy-relevant at all, Sanogo could at least be a regular part of the rotation, should Drummond be forced to miss any time moving forward.

Vucevic supplied 26 points (12-16 FG, 2-3 3Pt), five rebounds, one assist and one block over 39 minutes during Tuesday's 128-117 loss to the Knicks.

Vucevic scored at least 20 points for the first time in almost two weeks, playing an expanded role following the early departure of Andre Drummond due to an ankle injury. It was a welcome sight for managers after a rough few games. He remains a must-roster player, and should Drummond be forced to miss more time, Vucevic could see a few extra minutes down the stretch.

Robinson racked up one rebound and two steals over 20 minutes during Tuesday's 128-117 win over the Bulls.

Robinson continues to play limited minutes off the bench, failing to score in just 20 minutes. While it is great to see him back on the floor, he is not doing enough to be rostered outside of very deep leagues. His role could increase during the playoffs, but as for season-long fantasy leagues, he can be left on waivers.

Embiid notched 37 points (12-22 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 9-10 FT), 11 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and three steals in 36 minutes during Tuesday's 120-102 win over the Pistons.

Embiid returned from a one-game absence in style, and the reigning MVP was two assists shy from registering his third triple-double of the season Tuesday. The 76ers were without Tyrese Maxey (hip) but the team didn't miss a beat on offense with Embiid controlling the flow of the game. Philadelphia is one game back of Indiana for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and the coaching staff will have to balance a desire to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament with Embiid's health heading into the postseason. In the four games since his return, Embiid is averaging 30.0 points on 51.4 percent shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.8 steals over 30.1 minutes per game.

When asked about Wembanyama's status for Wednesday's game versus the Thunder, coach Gregg Popovich said the Spurs will "look it over," Jeff Garcia of KENS 5 San Antonio reports.

Wembanyama hasn't suffered an injury but could sit out the second leg of San Antonio's back-to-back Wednesday for rest purposes. The Spurs have already been eliminated from playoff contention and are looking after the health of their 19-year-old budding superstar.