NBA Player News

Kleber (abdomen) is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Warriors, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.

Kleber is dealing with an abdominal muscle strain and is in jeopardy of missing the Lakers' regular-season opener. If the big man is ultimately ruled out, Jaxson Hayes will likely see a slight bump in playing time.

Capela (rest) is off the Rockets' injury report for Tuesday's game against the Thunder.

Capela sat out Thursday's preseason finale but will return to game action in Houston's regular-season opener. The veteran big man is expected to provide frontcourt depth behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams this season, though he isn't guaranteed significant playing time.

Ware didn't practice Monday due to neck spasms, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.

It doesn't sound like a significant issue, though it's enough to leave Ware's status in the dark for Wednesday's season opener against the Magic. If he can't play, it's possible Jaime Jaquez will be needed to make a spot start.

Williams (knee) participated in contact work at Monday's practice, Sean Highkin of Rip City Radio 620 Portland reports.

It's a significant step in the right direction for Williams, who is recovering from knee surgery he underwent back in March. The veteran big man has a realistic chance of being available in Wednesday's season opener against the Timberwolves, perhaps hurting the upside of rookie big man Yang Hansen.

The Warriors don't plan to play Horford on both ends of back-to-back sets at all this season, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

This doesn't come as a shock, given that the veteran big man has had his workload managed in this way for several years now. Golden State's first back-to-back set comes Thursday against Denver and then Friday against Portland, meaning Horford will likely sit for one of those contests.

The Mavericks exercised the fourth-year team option on Lively's contract Monday.

No surprise here, as the move keeps Lively under team control until through 2026-27. The 2023 first-rounder is projected to play a key role down low for Dallas moving forward, and Lively could dominate the center minutes early on this season if Daniel Gafford can't get past his ankle sprain.

Poeltl (back) was a full participant in practice Monday, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.

After leaving Friday's preseason game against the Nets due to stiffness in his lower back, Poeltl is trending in the right direction for Wednesday's regular-season opener in Atlanta. The Raptors will provide more clarity on his status once they release their first official injury report of the season.

Gafford (ankle) went through a partial practice Monday, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News reports.

This is another step in the right direction after Gafford participated in some non-contact drills over the weekend. Coach Jason Kidd said Gafford looked good, but added that he will see how he responds overnight to the increased workload. For now, Gafford's status for Opening Night on Wednesday remains in the air.

Robinson (rest) did not practice Monday, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports.

Robinson has now rested for exactly one week. When asked about it, coach Mike Brown said it's not odd to have his workload managed for a whole week. Robinson's status for Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against the Cavaliers is now in the air, with Brown saying the team will use a 'next-man-up" mentality. Josh Hart (back) also did not practice Monday.

Sengun (rest) will start at power forward Tuesday against the Thunder, Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network reports.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka is going to lean on a jumbo lineup with Sengun starting next to Steven Adams. With Fred VanVleet (knee) presumably out for the season, Sengun and Amen Thompson will be responsible for most of the playmaking.