NBA Player News

Gafford (ankle) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Clippers.

Gafford would have been in line to return to the starting lineup Saturday due to the absence of Anthony Davis (calf). However, Gafford will also miss the second leg of the Mavericks' back-to-back set Saturday while managing a right ankle injury. With Davis, Gafford and Dereck Lively (foot) all sidelined, Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell are the top candidates to enter the Mavericks' starting lineup. Gafford's next opportunity to play arrives Monday against the Nuggets.

Jokic is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Suns due to a left wrist sprain.

Jokic has yet to miss a game this season, but he's in jeopardy of being sidelined for Saturday's contest due to a left wrist injury. If the three-time MVP is not cleared to play, then Jonas Valanciunas would be the top candidate to enter the Nuggets' starting lineup.

Vucevic (knee) is probable for Saturday's game against the Pacers.

It was unclear if Vucevic would play Friday, but he powered through the knee injury and produced 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and one steal against the Hornets. It seems likely he'll play through it again Saturday.

Queta (ankle) has been upgraded to probable for Saturday's game against Minnesota, Marc D'Amico of the Celtics' official site reports.

Queta missed Wednesday's game against the Pistons due to a sprained left ankle. He appears poised to return Saturday, which means Luka Garza would likely revert to the bench. Across the five games before his injury, Queta averaged 11.0 points on 64.3 percent shooting, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks over 22.2 minutes per game.

Duren is out for Saturday's matchup against the Heat due to a lower left leg contusion.

Duren is coming off a strong performance against the Magic but suffered an injury in the process. As a result, the center will miss his third game of the season. In his stead, more minutes should be available for Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed.

An MRI revealed no structural damage to Drummond's right knee, Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Drummond injured his right knee during the first half of the 76ers' 115-103 win over the Nets on Friday, and the veteran center was unable to return to the contest. The good news is that Drummond appears to have avoided a serious injury, though it remains to be seen whether he'll be available to play Sunday against the Hawks. Adem Bona would be poised for a larger role if Drummond were to miss time.

Holmgren posted 23 points (8-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-6 FT), eight rebounds and one assist across 32 minutes during Friday's 123-119 victory over the Suns.

The third-year big man bounced back from a brief scoring slump that had seen him top out at 12 points over the prior three games. Holmgren had delivered more than 20 points in five of the six games before that, however, and through 12 contests in November he's averaging 16.6 points, 7.2 boards, 1.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 threes while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor in 27.9 minutes.

Williams chipped in 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-3 FT) and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes during Friday's 123-119 loss to the Thunder.

The fourth-year center produced his third straight double-double and seventh of the season in 17 games. Williams has been sitting out the second contest of the Suns' back-to-back sets this season to try and keep him healthy, and the plan seems to be paying dividends. Over his last 11 starts, he's averaging 13.6 points, 9.3 boards, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks while shooting 67.0 percent from the floor in 25.9 minutes per game.

Jokic finished Friday's 139-136 loss to San Antonio with 21 points (7-10 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 6-8 FT), nine rebounds, 10 assists, one block and one steal across 36 minutes.

The All-Star center fell one board short of his 11th triple-double of the season. Jokic has reached double digits in either rebounds or assists -- or both -- in 10 straight games, averaging a blistering 32.9 points, 12.4 boards, 10.5 dimes, 2.4 threes and 1.2 steals over that stretch while shooting 62.3 percent from the floor and a stunning 53.3 percent (24-for-45) from beyond the arc.

Okongwu recorded 18 points (8-14 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 0-1 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in 34 minutes during Friday's 130-123 win over Cleveland.

Okongwu got the start Friday due to the absence of Kristaps Porzingis (illness), and the former made the most of his opportunity by filling up the stat sheet during Atlanta's win. Okongwu has scored at least 15 points in each of his last eight outings (five starts), and over that span he has averaged 21.8 points on 58.2 percent shooting (including 48.2 percent from three on 7.0 3PA/G) along with 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals over 30.1 minutes per game.