NBA Player News

Horford (back) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Timberwolves, Danny Emerman of SFStandard.com reports.

Horford is slated to miss a third consecutive game due to a sciatic nerve issue in his back, and his next opportunity to play is Sunday against the Trail Blazers. Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis will continue to see more minutes for as long as Horford is sidelined.

Hansen is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against New Orleans due to a face contusion.

Hansen made his first career start Sunday due to the absences of Donovan Clingan (leg) and Robert Williams (illness). He seemingly picked up what appears to be a minor face injury during the outing. Clingan remains out and Williams is questionable due to the same issues, which means Hansen could be in line for another significant workload if available.

Williams (Illness) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Pelicans.

Williams is at risk of missing a second consecutive game due to illness. With Donovan Clingan (lower leg) still sidelined, Williams would be in line to make a start if healthy. If Williams misses, Yang Hansen (face) and Duop Reath would see plenty of action.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.