NBA Player News
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Rocco Zikarsky C | MIN
Timberwolves' Rocco Zikarsky: Rejoins parent club
The Timberwolves recalled Zikarsky from the G League's Iowa Wolves on Thursday.
Zikarsky will rejoin the parent club ahead of Friday's game versus the Mavericks, but with the Minnesota frontcourt at full strength coming out of the All-Star break, the rookie big man is uncertain to be active for the contest. The two-way rookie out of Australia is still waiting to make his NBA debut.
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Kristaps Porzingis C | GS
Warriors' Kristaps Porzingis: Tracking to play Thursday
Porzingis (Achilles) participated in practice Wednesday and is considered questionable for Thursday's game against the Celtics, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports.
Porzingis is officially listed as questionable, but per Anthony Slater of ESPN.com, Porzingis said Wednesday that he's "good to go." The veteran big man hasn't appeared in a game since Jan. 7 due to a left Achilles injury. Given the lengthy absence, expect Porzingis to be limited if available. Still, his return could cut into the playing time of Gui Santos and Quinten Post.
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Mason Plumlee C | SA
Spurs' Mason Plumlee: Won't play Thursday
Plumlee won't play in Thursday's game against Phoenix due to return-to-competition reconditioning, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Plumlee signed a 10-day contract Tuesday, but he'll require an uncertain amount of time to ramp up before being available to make his Spurs debut. The veteran center underwent surgery in late December to address a groin injury, and his injury type being only conditioning indicates he's recovered from the issue. His next chance to play will come Saturday against Sacramento.
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Joel Embiid C | PHI
76ers' Joel Embiid: Dealing with shin injury
Embiid has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Hawks due to right shin soreness and right knee injury management, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
Embiid was held out of the 76ers' final two games before the All-Star break due to right knee injury management. However, a shin issue cropped up over the break, so Embiid will be held out of Thursday's contest with the hopes that he'll be available to return against the Pelicans on Saturday. Adem Bona and Andre Drummond will continue to cover most of the minutes at center in Embiid's absence.
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Dylan Cardwell C | SAC
Kings' Dylan Cardwell: To miss four weeks
Cardwell sprained his left ankle at Tuesday's practice and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento reports.
The timing is unfortunate for the rookie with Domantas Sabonis (knee) set to miss the remainder of the season. Based on this timetable, the earliest possible return for Cardwell is March 19. The rookie has been a bright spot for the team, posting 5.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.2 minutes across 29 appearances. Maxime Raynaud should step into a starting role until Cardwell is cleared to play again.
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Domantas Sabonis C | SAC
Kings' Domantas Sabonis: Undergoes season-ending surgery
Sabonis underwent season-ending knee surgery Wednesday to repair a torn left meniscus, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
With the 12-44 Kings' season circling the drain, Sabonis elected to go under the knife after attempting play through the injury this season. The star big man averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per tilt across a career-low 19 games this year before going down. With Dylan Cardwell (ankle) now sidelined for the foreseeable future, rookie second-rounder Maxime Raynaud has a big opportunity to seize the lion's share of the center minutes going forward.
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Zach Collins C | CHI
Bulls' Zach Collins: Remaining out for Thursday
Collins (toe) is out for Thursday's game against the Raptors.
Collins has been sidelined since late December with a sprained right toe, and his timeline for a return remains murky at best. With the big man looking to be week-to-week, the backup center minutes behind Jalen Smith (calf) belong to Nick Richards and Guerschon Yabusele in the interim.
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Nicolas Claxton C | BKN
Nets' Nic Claxton: Out with ankle issue
Claxton won't play Thursday against the Cavaliers due to a right ankle sprain, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Claxton had missed the Nets' final game prior to the All-Star break due to right hip soreness, but after recovering from that injury, he rolled his right ankle at practice Wednesday and will miss another contest. In Claxton's absence, Day'Ron Sharpe will start at center and could be in line for a 30-plus-minute role if he's able to stay out of foul trouble.
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Kristaps Porzingis C | GS
Warriors' Kristaps Porzingis: Practices Tuesday
Head coach Steve Kerr said that Porzingis (Achilles) practiced Tuesday and will participate in a scrimmage Wednesday before the Warriors determine his status for Thursday's game against the Celtics, Anthony Slater of ESPN.com reports.
Porzingis was traded from Atlanta to Golden State on Feb. 4 but hasn't played since Jan. 7 due to a lingering left Achilles injury. The Warriors are expected to provide another update on the veteran big man's status after Wednesday's scrimmage, and for now, he should be considered questionable for Thursday's contest.
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Ivica Zubac C | IND
Pacers' Ivica Zubac: No timetable for return
Head coach Rick Carlisle said that Zubac (ankle) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice and that it's going to be "a while" until he returns to game action, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Zubac was traded from Los Angeles to Indiana on Feb. 5 but has yet to make his Pacers debut due to a left ankle sprain. It appears likely that the 15-40 Pacers will give the big man ample time to ramp up, as they aren't expected to make a postseason push. In the meantime, Jay Huff and Micah Potter should continue to see significant minutes. Zubac should be considered week-to-week until Indiana offers an update on his progress.