NBA Player News

Ayton (rest) won't play in Wednesday's preseason game against the Mavericks, NBA reporter Jovan Buha reports.

Ayton will rest Thursday, joining several other Lakers regulars on the sidelines for the team's penultimate preseason game. The big man is coming off a strong showing Tuesday, when he posted 10 points (4-9 FG, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and one assist across 26 minutes. The Arizona product will have one final opportunity to see preseason action Friday against the Kings.

Collins is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's preseason game against the Kings, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.

There's a chance that Collins will sit out this preseason matchup for rest purposes. If that turns out to be the case, the next opportunity for him to suit up will be Friday against the Warriors, which will be the Clippers' preseason finale.

Chomche (undisclosed) won't play in Wednesday's preseason game against the Celtics, Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic reports.

Chomche hasn't played in the preseason yet due to an undisclosed injury. The two-way player likely won't be part of the opening night rotation, so if his injury lingers, it won't have much of an impact. His next chance to play will come Friday.

Queta is in the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's preseason game against the Raptors.

Queta, who started Friday's game before coming off the bench Sunday, will rejoin the first unit Wednesday. The 26-year-old has primarily served as a depth piece during his Celtics tenure, but he could see a notable increase in minutes and production as coach Joe Mazzulla evaluates his center rotation among Queta, Chris Boucher, Luka Garza and Xavier Tillman following the offseason departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford.

Poeltl (back, illness) is in line to play during Wednesday's preseason game against Boston, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports

The Raptors plan to deploy their starters Wednesday, so it appears that Poeltl will be in uniform. The veteran big man hasn't played yet this preseason due to a back injury and an illness, so his presence on the floor will be a welcome sight for fantasy managers.

Looney (knee) will miss two to three weeks due to a proximal tibiofibular ligament sprain in his left knee, NBA reporter Chris Haynes reports.

Looney has been dealing with knee soreness, which has turned out to be an injury that will need as much as three weeks to heal. He'll likely be out of the lineup for his new squad until November. New Orleans will likely turn to Derik Queen (wrist) and Karlo Matkovic (elbow) to help shoulder the load in the frontcourt behind projected starter Yves Missi.

Okongwu (rest) is in line to play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Rockets, Caleb Johnson of 92.9 The Game reports.

The 2020 first-rounder is slated for action in Thursday's final tune-up prior to Atlanta's Oct. 22 season opener against the Raptors. Given the sizable gap between the preseason finale and the start of the regular season for the Hawks, Okongwu may play during the second half against Houston.

Porzingis (rest) is expected to be available for Thursday's preseason finale against the Rockets, Caleb Johnson of 92.9 The Game reports.

With ample rest between the preseason finale and the regular-season opener Oct. 22 against the Raptors, Porzingis will get plenty of playing time against Houston. The veteran big man had a bit of a rough outing in his last preseason performance, finishing with five points, one assist and one steal across 12 minutes against the Rockets on Oct. 6.

Hartenstein logged 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt), eight rebounds, one assist and two blocks across 22 minutes of Tuesday's 116-112 preseason win over the Bucks.

Hartenstein was back in action after sitting out Saturday's loss to the Pacers for rest purposes. Through two preseason games, Hartenstein has looked sharp with 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in 19.9 minutes per contest.

Embiid (knee) participated in "most" of Wednesday's practice, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com reports.

This isn't a substantial update by any means, as Embiid has been participating in several practices lately. Embiid was a full participant during Sunday's team scrimmage in front of fans, and it sounds like his knee continues to respond well to the increased workloads. On Tuesday, coach Nick Nurse didn't rule Embiid out for Friday's preseason finale against Minnesota, but even if he suits up, it's unlikely he'd play a major role during an exhibition.