NBA Player News

Horford (rest) will not play in Sunday's preseason game against the Lakers, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports.

This appears to be a planned maintenance day for Horford. He'll likely be back in the mix for Tuesday's exhibition against Portland. Quinten Post will start in the frontcourt alongside Draymond Green on Sunday.

Adams (rest) will be available for Tuesday's preseason game against the Pelicans, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Adams was rested for Wednesday's preseason game against Utah, but Rockets coach Ime Udoka is planning for his regulars to play in the final two preseason games. Adams and Clint Capela are likely to split the backup center duties this season, though there has been some talk of Alperen Sengun playing some power forward as well.

Poeltl (back, illness) did not practice Saturday, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Poeltl didn't play in Friday's preseason game against the Celtics due to a back issue, though that was considered a minor issue. He's now under the weather, putting his status for Sunday's preseason game against the Wizards in jeopardy.

Sarr (calf) said Saturday that he's expecting to play in Sunday's preseason game against the Raptors, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

Sarr participated in the non-contact portion of Monday's practice and has since continued to progress. Sunday's game is the first of a back-to-back set, so Sarr will likely play in just one of these games, with the Wizards aiming to ramp him up gradually.

Kornet finished with seven points (2-4 FG, 3-4 FT), six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 18 minutes of Friday's 134-130 preseason win over the Jazz.

With Kelly Olynyk (heel) still sidelined, Kornet may have run away with the backup center job with a strong showing in the preseason. Additionally, Kornet has shown that he can thrive alongside Victor Wembanyama in certain situations as well.

Sabonis produced eight points (3-11 FG, 2-3 FT, 0-3 3Pt), four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a blocked shot over 17 minutes during Friday's preseason loss to the Trail Blazers.

Sabonis started cold and couldn't get anything going in the narrow loss, and was eventually pulled in favor of backups after racking up five fouls. His tepid showing is no cause for alarm, and it serves the Kings better to test out their bench rather than playing Sabonis for maximum minutes in the preseason. When the regular season begins, he will once again be a nightly double-double threat.

Hansen compiled 16 points (5-8 FG, 4-4 FT, 2-3 3Pt), four rebounds, three blocked shots and an assist across 17 minutes during Friday's 124-123 preseason win over the Kings.

Donovan Clingan has a firm role on the starting job at center for the Trailblazers, but Portland's 2025 first-round pick seems poised to serve as his backup. Although Duop Reath and Robert Williams are on the roster, the Chinese product's 7-1 frame and overseas experience have impressed throughout camp, giving him a slight edge over the previously tenured backups.

Wembanyama only needed 16 minutes to produce 22 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 9-10 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, one 3-pointer and one turnover during Friday's preseason win over the Jazz.

Wembanyama continues to impress in limited minutes through the postseason, so managers can feel confident taking him off the board within the first three picks on draft day.

Carter finished with 20 points (6-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists and one block across 21 minutes during Friday's 128-98 preseason win over the 76ers.

Carter put on a show in only 21 minutes on the floor Friday. The Duke product led the way for his squad in points and rebounds, finishing with the only double-double of the game while helping lead his team to a 30-point blowout win.

Boucher scored 19 points (7-10 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT) during Friday's preseason loss to the Raptors, adding nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and two turnovers across 23 minutes.

Boucher has started the first two preseason games for Boston, so it'll be interesting to see if he remains a starter for Sunday's game against the Cavs. If he can open the season as a starter in Boston, he could provide some low-end value in deep leagues, but he'll be inconsistent.