NBA Player News

Nurkic will be in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Thunder.

Nurkic will be a starter for the Hornets for the fifth time this season Friday in Oklahoma City. The veteran big man is averaging 10.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game as a starter for Charlotte.

Clingan is listed as questionable for Friday's game versus the Nuggets due to an illness.

Clingan is in danger of missing his first contest since Feb. 4 due to an illness. Due to Deandre Ayton (calf) already being ruled out, If Clingan is unable to suit up, Duop Reath could receive increased playing time.

Robinson (ankle) has been cleared to play in Saturday's game against the Wizards.

After missing Thursday's loss to the Hornets, Robinson will return to the floor for the Knicks on Saturday. The veteran big man is coming off a strong performance off the bench in Wednesday's loss to the Spurs, finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and two blocks.

Capela underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed a ligament injury in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He'll be out for 3-to-4 weeks before being re-evaluated.

Capela had missed the Hawks' last four games due to a family matter, but he apparently injured his hand at some point before his recent leave of absence. Given the timeline laid out by the Hawks, Capela won't be back before the end of the regular season, and the team may need to advance past the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament for the veteran center to have a chance at playing again during the 2024-25 campaign. Dominick Barlow has stepped in for Capela over the past four games as the Hawks' backup center and has averaged 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 assists in 17.5 minutes per contest. Barlow should continue to hold down a spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future, at least until Larry Nance (knee) is cleared to play again.

Collins totaled six points (3-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and three rebounds over eight minutes during Thursday's 128-116 victory over the Kings.

Collins received fewer than 10 minutes of playing time for the first time since logging a DNP via a coach's decision Feb. 12. The big man will likely continue to see fewer minutes as long as Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams aren't restricted.

Nurkic registered nine points (3-3 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT) and seven rebounds in 15 minutes during Thursday's 115-98 victory over New York.

Nurkic made the most of his limited minutes off the bench Thursday. Mark Williams is being held out for injury management Friday against the Thunder, leaving the Hornets very shorthanded. Nurkic could be a popular streaming option as a result.

Williams (foot) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Thunder.

Williams will miss the second half of the club's back-to-back set due to left foot injury management. The big man's next opportunity to play will come Sunday against Miami. Moussa Diabate and Jusuf Nurkic should handle the workload at center due to Williams being sidelined.

Len logged 10 points (4-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-4 FT), nine rebounds, one assist and one steal across 17 minutes during Thursday's 118-89 loss to the Bucks.

Len stepped into the rotation after recording a DNP via coach's decision in each of the club's last three outings. The big man nearly recorded a double-double and was efficient in the blowout loss. However, Len is unlikely to stick around in the rotation whenever Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and Jarred Vanderbilt (groin) return.

Jemison (illness) recorded four points (2-3 FG) and five rebounds across 16 minutes Thursday in the Lakers' 118-89 loss to the Bucks.

After missing each of the Lakers' last four games while recovering from an illness, Jemison made his return to the rotation Thursday, stepping in as the backup to Jaxson Hayes. A two-way player, Jemison will be eligible to be active for just eight of the Lakers' remaining 13 contests, so he could be in store for some unannounced absences over the next few weeks. Even if he wasn't approaching his active games limit, Jemison likely would have been at risk of falling out of the rotation in the near future anyway with Rui Hachimura (knee) and LeBron James (groin) set to return from multi-game absences as soon as Saturday.

The Mavericks assigned Gafford (knee) to the G League's Texas Legends on Friday to participate in a 3-on-3 practice and will recall him after, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports.

Gafford hasn't played since Feb. 10 due to a right MCL sprain but appears to be ramping up toward a return to action. With Dereck Lively (ankle) and Anthony Davis (adductor) also set to practice in the G League, Dallas could receive a massive boost in their frontcourt before the end of the regular season.