NBA Player News

Head coach Rick Carlisle said Saturday that Jackson has been cleared from the league's concussion protocol, though he'll need at least one more week to ramp up his conditioning, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Jackson hasn't played since Dec. 22 but appears to be nearing a return to action now that he's no longer experiencing concussion symptoms. Even so, Jackson looks like he'll remain out through at least next Saturday's game against Detroit while he ramps back up. In the meantime, the Pacers are likely to make use of a three-man rotation at center that includes Jay Huff, Micah Potter and Tony Bradley.

Williams (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Knicks.

Williams left during the second quarter of the Trail Blazers' 111-105 win over the Rockets on Friday after sustaining a right knee injury. If he's not cleared to play Sunday, then Yang Hansen would be in line for a more prominent role off the bench behind starting center Donovan Clingan.

Embiid is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Raptors due to left knee injury management, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

The 76ers and Raptors play in back-to-back games in Toronto on Sunday and Monday. Embiid will likely sit out of one of those games while managing a left knee injury, in which case Andre Drummond would be the top candidate to enter the 76ers' starting five. Embiid has played in each of the 76ers' last six games, and over that span he has averaged 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 blocks over 33.7 minutes per game.

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.