NBA Player News

Poeltl (back) is out for Sunday's game against the 76ers, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.

Poeltl is trending in the right direction but is still not ready to return. This means Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles will continue to handle the minutes at center against Joel Embiid (knee) and the 76ers. Poeltl's next chance to return will come against Philadelphia on Monday in the second leg of a back-to-back set.

Nurkic (toe) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against Charlotte.

Nurkic will miss a second straight game due to a toe sprain in his left foot. His absence will mean more opportunities for Kevin Love and Kyle Filipowski. Nurkic's next chance to play will come Monday at Cleveland.

Bagley (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Friday's 128-107 loss to the Pelicans.

After missing a Dec. 21 game against the Kings due to a calf injury, Bagley had served as the top backup to starting center Alex Sarr in each of the ensuing nine contests while averaging 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.6 steals in 19.0 minutes per contest. The Wizards provided no indication that Bagley was nursing any sort of injury heading into Friday, so the 26-year-old's lack of playing time simply looks to be the result of head coach Brian Keefe wanting to get a look at two-way player Tristan Vukcevic as the team's second-unit center. Vukcevic came through with an excellent line -- 15 points, five blocks, four rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes -- and fits better with the rebuilding Wizards' timeline than Bagley, a well-traveled veteran on an expiring deal. As a result, it wouldn't be surprising if Bagley remains out of the rotation moving forward to allow the Wizards to give Vukcevic an extended evaluation.

The Magic announced that Wagner (knee) will be available to make his season debut Sunday against the Pelicans.

Wagner had been in the midst of a career-best season in 2024-25 before tearing the ACL in his left knee in a Dec. 21, 2024 game before undergoing surgery a few weeks later. After a year-long rehab and recovery process, Wagner has finally been cleared to play again, though he'll likely operate under a minutes restriction. Prior to getting hurt, Wagner had been serving as the top backup to starting center Wendell Carter, though it's uncertain whether he'll be able to unseat Goga Bitadze for the No. 2 role following his lengthy absence due to the knee injury.

Kalkbrenner (elbow) is available for Saturday's game against the Jazz.

Kalkbrenner is officially ready to return from a 10-game absence due to a sprained left elbow. The rookie center is averaging 8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks across 25.6 minutes per game this season. He has started all but one of his 26 regular-season appearances thus far, though the Hornets could opt to deploy him off the bench, especially if he operates under a minutes restriction. Kalkbrenner's return will likely mean fewer minutes for Moussa Diabate and PJ Hall.

Eubanks (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Friday's 137-103 loss to the Warriors.

After returning to action in late December following a seven-game absence due to a left thumb avulsion fracture, Eubanks was part of the Sacramento rotation for four games before losing out on a regular role. Rookie two-way player Dylan Cardwell has since been recalled from the G League and has served as the top backup behind starting center Maxime Raynaud in the past two contests, leaving no minutes available for Eubanks. Even if the Kings opt to reassign Cardwell to the G League in the near future, Eubanks' time in the Sacramento rotation will likely be short-lived since Domantas Sabonis (knee) could be ready to return to action later this month.

Ayton had four points (2-6 FG) and five rebounds in 24 minutes during Friday's 105-101 loss to the Bucks.

Ayton had a tough night on both ends of the floor, so he ended up splitting the center minutes with Jaxson Hayes. Ayton is seemingly trending in the wrong direction, posting averages of 10.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 blocks over his last seven games.

Clingan closed with eight points (3-9 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 15 rebounds, six assists, one block and two steals across 33 minutes during Friday's 111-105 victory over the Rockets.

Clingan reached 15 rebounds for the sixth time this season. He's in the midst of a terrific fantasy campaign so far, posting averages of 11.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 27.2 minutes per contest.

Embiid chipped in 22 points (7-17 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 8-9 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 31 minutes during Friday's 103-91 victory over the Magic.

The oft-injured center came up just short of his fifth double-double in 18 games this season. Embiid has suited up for six straight contests -- his longest stretch of uninterrupted play so far in 2025-26 -- and scored at least 22 points in each, averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 boards, 4.3 assists and 1.2 blocks over 33.7 minutes while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor.

Towns produced 15 points (5-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 12 rebounds and five assists across 33 minutes during Friday's 112-107 loss to the Suns.

Towns scored just three points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field in the first half, though he picked up his production in the second and finished as one of six New York players to score in double figures. He also tied the team-high mark in assists. Additionally, Towns grabbed 12 boards en route to his third double-double over his last four appearances, marking his 25th such outing through 35 regular-season games.