NBA Player News

Bamba chipped in five points (2-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds and one block over 18 minutes during Monday's 118-102 loss to the Mavericks.

Bamba formed a platoon with Paul Reed (22 minutes) to anchor the majority of center minutes for Philadelphia without Joel Embiid (knee surgery). Bamba offers more agility than Reed around the basket and can be a shooter in pick-and-roll, so he is likely to retain a similar minute share moving forward.

Kleber (toe/rest) is probable for Tuesday's game against the Nets.

Kleber racked up 14 points (6-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt), four rebounds, five assists and one block in 27 minutes during Monday's 118-102 win over the 76ers and will likely play in the second half of Dallas' back-to-back set Tuesday. When healthy, Kleber is an important rotational piece for the Mavericks.

Kleber racked up 14 points (6-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt), four rebounds, five assists and one block in 27 minutes during Monday's 118-102 win over the 76ers.

Kleber delivered excellent efficiency on a modest workload, while operating as a hub for facilitating in the Mavericks' offense and anchoring the paint with Dereck Lively (nose) inactive. Kleber's physicality was especially notable in guarding the contact-initiation of Tyrese Maxey. When healthy, Kleber is an important rotational piece for Dallas.

Reath closed with eight points (3-3 FG, 2-2 3Pt), one rebound and one assist over 13 minutes during Sunday's 112-103 loss to the Nuggets.

Reath has moved into a fringe rotation role now that Deandre Ayton is healthy, but the former has knocked down 12 of 16 shots over his last four games. Reath averaging just 14.8 minutes per game over that span removes him from fantasy radar, but he has rest-of-season streaming credibility if Ayton misses time.

Fernando recorded seven points (3-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 14 minutes off the bench in Monday's 149-144 loss to the Clippers.

Fernando had missed four consecutive games with left lower back spasms before he was cleared for action over the weekend. He didn't log any minutes in either of the Hawks' subsequent two contests due to his status as a non-rotation player, but Fernando entered the mix Monday with Atlanta in need of a new backup center while Onyeka Okongwu moved into the starting five to replace the injured Clint Capela (adductor). The Hawks don't plan to re-evaluate Capela until at least next weekend or early next week, so Fernando looks as though he'll be in for a multi-game run as the backup center. Fernando's minutes will likely sit in the teens in most contests, but he could have some appeal as a streaming option for traditional big-man statistics (field-goal percentage, rebounds and blocks) in deeper leagues.

Ayton ended Sunday's 112-103 loss to the Nuggets with 27 points (13-19 FG, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal over 39 minutes.

Ayton was held to eight points (3-6 FG) during Friday's loss to Denver, but he struck back with a vengeance Sunday, recording his seventh game of 20-plus points through 34 appearances this season. The 25-year-old is averaging 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 63.3 percent from the field in 34.9 minutes across his past seven games.

Okongwu tallied 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 3Pt), five rebounds and one block across 34 minutes in Monday's 149-144 loss to the Clippers.

As expected, Okongwu slid into the starting five and saw one of his larger workloads of the season while Clint Capela (adductor) was sidelined. Capela will be sidelined for at least another week before being re-evaluated, setting Okongwu up for a multi-game run as the starting center and a regular 30-plus-minute role. Though his contributions outside of the scoring column were fairly lean, Okongwu is averaging 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes and should be an asset in both categories while he's receiving extended playing time. Additionally, he's proven to be an efficient two-level scorer, as he's converting at a 61 percent clip from the field and an 82 percent clip from the free-throw line in 2023-24.

Sharpe (knee) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Mavericks.

Sharpe hyperextended his left knee Jan. 7 and hasn't played since. He doesn't have a return timetable and hasn't been cleared for full-contract drills, so he can be considered week-to-week.

The 76ers announced that Embiid underwent a left meniscus procedure Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Philadelphia was vague on the details regarding the procedure other than noting that surgery was deemed successful. Wojnarowski notes that the 76ers aren't closing the door on a potential return this season, though it'll be contingent on how Embiid's recovery goes over the next several weeks. Based on the four-week re-evaluation timeline outlined by Philadelphia, the next update on Embiid may not come until early March. Even if Embiid makes good progress in the weeks to come, he's still expected to miss several games beyond the re-evaluation date, making it difficult to justify holding him in most head-to-head redraft leagues with limited or no injured reserve slots whose playoffs end in late March or early April. For whatever length of time Embiid is sidelined, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris should operate as the team's primary scoring options, while Paul Reed, Mo Bamba and Marcus Morris will absorb most of the vacated minutes at center. Embiid's absence could prompt the 76ers to add frontcourt help ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Valanciunas amassed 10 points (4-14 FG, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds and three assists over 20 minutes during Monday's 138-100 win over the Raptors.

Valanciunas notched his 26th double-double of the season Monday, which ranks 11th league-wide. New Orleans led by 19 at halftime and never looked back, but Valanciunas was compelled to fire away in the lopsided victory, matching his sixth-highest shot volume of the season. He will look to balance his output with efficiency in Wednesday's game against the Clippers.