NBA Player News

Kessler (foot) has been ruled out for Saturday's game versus the Heat.

Kessler's absence will mark his second straight due to a right foot sprain. Prior to these two absences, the big man had not missed a game since Dec. 11. Luka Samanic entered the rotation with Kessler out of the last game and could be in line to do so again.

Ayton (hand) is considered doubtful for Saturday's game versus the Grizzlies.

Ayton sprained his hand in Tuesday's game versus the Heat and subsequently missed Friday's matchup with Memphis. He appears to be trending towards another absence in Saturday's rematch with the Grizzlies, but final confirmation on his status is unlikely to come until closer to tipoff. In his absence, Duop Reath figures to again see increased playing time.

Porzingis supplied 24 points (8-14 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block in 29 minutes during Friday's 138-110 victory over the Mavericks.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics on offense, but Porzingis still delivered a solid outing, and the big man continues to find a role in Boston's offensive scheme with each passing game. Porzingis is averaging 23.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 blocks per game over his last 10 appearances.

Richards finished Friday's 121-114 loss to Philadelphia with 19 points (8-9 FG, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 30 minutes.

Richards scored in double digits after not doing so in each of his previous two contests, and while his overall stat line was decent, it's worth noting he has struggled with consistency on a game-to-game basis. Richards has been thrust into a bigger-than-expected role due to Mark Williams' back problems, and Richards will likely remain in a starting role for the foreseeable future. He's averaged 11.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game since the beginning of February.

Reath ended with 18 points (8-16 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 0-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals in 23 minutes during Friday's 122-92 win over the Grizzlies.

Getting the start at center in place of Deandre Ayton (hand), Reath delivered his best scoring performance he dropped 25 points on the Kings back on Dec. 26. When Ayton is healthy, Reath typically sees minutes in the teens, giving him little fantasy appeal. Should Portland's starter in the middle miss additional time, however, his 27-year-old rookie understudy might have some DFS appeal.

Gobert closed Friday's 124-120 overtime loss to the Kings with 16 points (6-9 FG, 4-8 FT), 16 rebounds, one assist and three blocks across 42 minutes.

The veteran center racked up his 41st double-double of the season in 58 games, putting him fifth in the NBA in that category behind Domantas Sabonis (55), Nikola Jokic (49), Anthony Davis (47) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (47). Gobert also recorded multiple blocks for the fifth straight game and the ninth time in his last 12, and over that latter stretch, he's averaging 14.8 points, 13.3 boards, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 assists while shooting 66.3 percent from the floor.

Sabonis (undisclosed) produced 21 points (7-14 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-10 FT), 15 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks over 41 minutes before fouling out of Friday's 124-120 overtime win over the Timberwolves.

Sabonis briefly left the contest and went to the locker room for an undisclosed reason, but he returned and nearly posted another triple-double. He also tied his season high with three blocks. Since the All-Star break, Sabonis is averaging 17.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.6 steals-plus-blocks in 36.4 minutes per game.

Bolden signed a two-way contract with the Hornets on Saturday.

Bolden signed a 10-day deal with the Hornets on Feb. 20 and made one appearance, totaling one rebound in five minutes, before being waived to make room for Aleksej Pokusevski. However, Bolden will return to Charlotte via a two-way contract and report immediately to the G League's Greensboro Swarm, where he'll presumably spend most of his time. In a corresponding move, the Hornets waived Nathan Mensah.

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said Feb. 22 that Clarke (Achilles) has been taking part in more minimal contact work on the court and is expected to play before the end of the season, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reports.

Jenkins offered up no concrete timeline for Clarke's return, but since he's not taking full contact just yet, the veteran big man can probably be viewed as week-to-week rather than day-to-day at this stage of his recovery from the left Achilles' tendon tear he suffered just under a year ago. Given the 20-40 Grizzlies aren't shaping up as playoff contenders, the team has little incentive to rush Clarke back on the court until they're fully confident in his health.

Bagley provided 10 points (5-9 FG) and 10 rebounds across 28 minutes during Friday's 140-115 loss to the Clippers.

Bagley produced in line with his seasonal averages in the defeat, but his move to the Wizards has given the Duke product more output as a full-time starter. The Wizards didn't have to part with much to acquire Bagley, and they felt confident enough with him to send Daniel Gafford packing. The 24-year-old Bagley has plenty of potential, and despite the team's current woes, he has some rebounding value as a waiver-wire target.