NBA Player News

Kalkbrenner (elbow) will be sidelined for Friday's game against the Magic.

Friday will mark a third straight absence for the rookie center. With Mason Plumlee (groin) out as well, Moussa Diabate should continue to start and see an expanded role.

Jackson (concussion) is out for Friday's matchup against the Celtics, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Jackson will sit out a second straight game due to a concussion. That should result in potentially more minutes for Jay Huff, James Wiseman and Tony Bradley.

Boucher is out for Friday's game against the Pacers due to personal reasons.

Boucher is not a regular part of Boston's rotation, so his absence won't affect the team significantly.

Joel Embiid is questionable for Friday's game against the Bulls due to right knee injury management, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Embiid is coming off a strong performance against the Nets on Dec. 23 but may sit out to give his knee a rest. If he's sidelined, more minutes would be in store for Andre Drummond and Adem Bona.

Horford (back) will be available for Thursday's game against the Mavericks.

Horford hasn't played since Dec. 4 but will finally be back in action. In his 13 appearances, he's averaged 5.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 21.5 minutes.

Poeltl (back) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Wizards.

Poeltl has been working through a back injury for most of the season, but he appeared to have aggravated the issue during the Raptors' loss to the Nets on Sunday. The injury will keep him sidelined for a second consecutive game, and his absence means Sandro Mamukelashvili will likely remain in the Raptors' starting lineup. Poeltl's next chance to play is Sunday against the Warriors.

Powell (illness) is available for Thursday's game against the Warriors, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Powell has not played in the Mavericks' last four games, the last two of which were due to an illness. He's been cleared to play Christmas Day, though his return shouldn't impact any of the other players in Dallas' rotation.

Adebayo is listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Hawks due to lower back soreness.

The Heat are playing the first leg of their back-to-back set Friday, so the team may sideline Adebayo for one of those games while the veteran center recovers from a back injury. Kel'el Ware would step into a more prominent role on offense, while Simone Fontecchio and Jaime Jaquez would be the top candidates to enter Miami's starting lineup if Adebayo were to miss time.

Bitadze (knee) is listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Hornets.

Bitadze was unable to play against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday due to a left knee strain, but the seventh-year center has a chance to return Friday. Jonathan Isaac would likely see a slight downtick in minutes off the bench if Bitadze is given the green light to play.

Wagner (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's game against Charlotte.

Wagner continues to progress in his recovery from a procedure in December of 2024 to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. He has been ramping up his practice activity in the G League with the Osceola Magic, but he's not quite ready to make his 2025-26 regular-season debut.