NBA Player News

Sabonis (undisclosed) is out for Saturday's preseason game against the Warriors, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports.

This will be Sabonis' second straight missed preseason game, and the Kings have not yet listed an injury for him. His next chance to play will come Tuesday against Portland. Maxime Raynaud and Precious Achiuwa should see a boost with Sabonis unavailable.

Ayton is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's preseason game against the Pistons, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

The Wizards will tweak their frontcourt and will have Alex Sarr next to Anthony Davis, meaning Ayton will move to the bench. Ayton is likely to see most of his regular-season minutes off the bench, with Sarr and Davis expected to start when healthy.

Sarr is in the starting lineup for Saturday's preseason matchup with the Pistons, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

Joining Sarr in the first unit for Saturday's exhibition will be Trae Young, Kyshawn George, AJ Dybantsa and Anthony Davis. Deandre Ayton will work in the second unit with Sarr active.

Embiid (rest) is out for Saturday's exhibition against the Celtics, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Nick Nurse is resting most of the vets for Saturday's exhibition, so Jabari Walker could get all the run he can handle. Embiid should return for Friday's preseason rematch with Boston.

Richards will start in Saturday's preseason game against the Timberwolves, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Richards will get the start with Bam Adebayo (rest) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (rest) taking the night off. There should also be additional minutes available for Bobby Portis.

Jackson is not in the Clippers' starting lineup against the Raptors for Saturday's preseason game.

Brook Lopez will instead get the start Saturday, with Jackson coming off the bench. Jackson logged four points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal over 16 minutes in the Clippers' 104-101 win over the Warriors during this past Sunday's preseason opener.

Duren (reconditioning) won't suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Wizards, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

Duren is still working himself into game shape after sitting out training camp while his contract negotiation played out, but he is hopeful to suit up at some point during the preseason. His next chance to get out there will come Wednesday in Minnesota.

Lopez is in the starting lineup for Saturday's preseason matchup with the Raptors, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Tyronn Lue will use the preseason to find what groups mesh best, so a strong showing from Lopez on Saturday would help his case for a starting role. As a starter last season, Lopez averaged 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 triples and 1.3 blocks per contest on 45/37/74 shooting splits.

Sarr (right foot) will play in Saturday's preseason game against the Pistons, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

Sarr underwent a procedure in mid-June to repair a fracture in his right foot, and he's progressed enough in his recovery to make his preseason debut Saturday. He'll likely operate under a heavy minutes restriction, but it's a positive sign to see the third-year big man on the floor before the 2026-27 regular season commences.

Bittle (foot) has been ruled out for Saturday's exhibition game against the Clippers, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bittle has been working through a foot injury since at least early September. The Raptors have four preseason games left, but it's unclear whether Bittle will suit up for any of those games or whether he'll be available for the team's regular-season opener against the Bulls on Wednesday, Oct. 21.