NBA Player News
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Donovan Clingan C | POR
Trail Blazers' Donovan Clingan: Ruled out for Thursday
Clingan (leg) won't play in Thursday's game against the Pelicans.
Thursday will mark a third straight absence for Clingan, whose next chance to return comes Sunday against the Warriors. With Robert Williams (illness) and Yang Hansen (face) iffy for Thursday, Duop Reath could be thrust into a heavy workload at center.
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Chris Boucher C | BOS
Celtics' Chris Boucher: Listed out with illness
Boucher is out for Thursday's game against the Bucks due to a non-COVID illness.
Boucher can be considered day-to-day with Boston's following contest lined up for Monday against the Pistons. His absence doesn't appear to impact Boston's rotation in a meaningful way, though it does perhaps entrench Josh Minott as the primary backup center.
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Maxi Kleber C | LAL
Lakers' Maxi Kleber: Ruled out vs. Spurs
Kleber (back) won't play in Wednesday's game against the Spurs, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Kleber is dealing with a lumbar muscle strain, making it unclear how long he'll need to recover. His absence should solidify Rui Hachimura's minutes and also keep Jaxson Hayes locked into the backup center role, while Jake LaRavia could see an uptick in minutes Wednesday.
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Alperen Sengun C | HOU
Rockets' Alperen Sengun: Cleared to face Clippers
Sengun (illness) isn't on the injury report ahead of Thursday's game against the Clippers.
Sengun missed back-to-back games with an illness, but after returning to practice Tuesday, he's been given the green light to face the Clippers. The 23-year-old big man had scored 25 or more points in three straight games before falling ill. He averaged 28.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks across 32 minutes during that stretch.
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Steven Adams C | HOU
Rockets' Steven Adams: Removed from injury report
Adams (ankle) is off the injury report for Thursday's game against the Clippers.
Adams sat out Saturday's game against Dallas due to right ankle tendinopathy, but his absence from the injury report means he's set to be available Thursday. Over his last six games, the veteran center has averaged 7.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 blocks in 22.0 minutes per contest.
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Amari Williams C | BOS
Celtics' Amari Williams: Out with hand fracture
Williams (hand) is out for Boston's game Thursday against Bucks, Zack Cox of the Boston Herald reports.
Williams needs to miss at least one contest due to a hairline fracture in his hand. It's unclear how much time he'll be sidelined with the injury, but the two-way player appears to be getting evaluated on a day-to-day basis after missing the Maine Celtics' G League win over the Capital City Go-Go on Wednesday.
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Dereck Lively II C | DAL
Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Set for season-ending surgery
Lively is slated to undergo season-ending surgery in the coming days to address lingering discomfort in his right foot, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Lively sought multiple opinions on his foot since suffering a setback in his last appearance Nov. 21, but doctors determined that surgery was the best course of action. The 21-year-old is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 season. He made just seven appearances during his third NBA season, posting averages of 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per contest. Daniel Gafford is likely to have a higher minutes floor for the rest of the season with Lively out of the mix, and Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell could continue to see more opportunities in backup roles.
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Jakob Poeltl C | TOR
Raptors' Jakob Poeltl: Near double-double in loss
Poeltl posted 10 points (5-7 FG), nine rebounds, three assists and two steals over 25 minutes during Tuesday's 117-101 loss to New York.
Poeltl has been a steady presence in the interior, averaging 11.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks in his last 14 games. He figures to continue holding down his role as the team's starting center, shooting a whopping 71.7 percent from the field.
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Goga Bitadze C | ORL
Magic's Goga Bitadze: Blocks two shots in loss
Bitadze ended with seven points (3-4 FG, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, one assist and two blocks across 17 minutes during Tuesday's 117-108 win over the Heat.
Bitadze extends his block streak to eight games, averaging 6.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.5 blocks across 17.4 minutes in that span. He has done a fine job backing up Wendell Carter and continues to be a great source of blocks and rebounds for fantasy managers.