NBA Player News

Bitadze was placed in the concussion protocol and will not play Wednesday versus the Bucks, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Bitadze was originally considered questionable for Wednesday with a hip injury, but he also took a shot to the head during Sunday's 104-99 win over the 76ers and started to show symptoms of a concussion later on. With the new diagnosis, Bitadze is in danger of missing additional time. Wendell Carter will likely enter the starting five in Bitadze's stead Wednesday, while Jonathan Isaac could see elevated minutes as the Magic's top reserve big man.

New York recalled Hukporti from the G League's Westchester Knicks on Wednesday.

Hukporti will be back with the Knicks to provide added depth in the frontcourt in Wednesday's game against the 76ers, but he's unlikely to see any playing time if the contest is competitive.

Jokic closed Tuesday's 118-99 victory over the Mavericks with 10 points (4-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 14 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals over 29 minutes.

Jamal Murray stole the show with an epic 45-point performance, so Jokic took a backseat in the scoring column Tuesday. However, the star big man still found a way to make an impact and notched his third triple-double across six January appearances. Jokic continues to have an MVP-caliber season and is averaging close to a triple-double this season, posting 30.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 9.9 assists per contest across 34 appearances.

Gafford logged 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, one assist and one block across 19 minutes during Tuesday's 118-99 loss to Denver.

Gafford had a decent stat line considering the minutes he played, and the big man posted his best scoring output since Dec. 28, when he had 15 points in a loss to the Trail Blazers. Gafford could be in line for a bigger role in the short term if Dereck Lively (ankle) ends up missing time following the injury he sustained Tuesday, particularly with the Mavericks playing the second leg of a back-to-back set Wednesday.

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said that Clingan tweaked his ankle late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 132-114 loss to the Nets, Sean Highkin of Rip City Radio 620 Portland reports.

Though starting center Deandre Ayton (calf) returned to action, he had a roughly even split of the playing time at center with Clingan, who logged 22 minutes to Ayton's 24. The blowout nature of the contest had a lot to do with it, but Clingan also outperformed Ayton, finishing with four points (1-1 FG, 2-2 FT), 14 boards, two assists, two steals and one block. Despite the strong showing off the bench, Clingan's ankle is now a concern heading into Thursday's game against the Clippers. Billups acknowledged that the Trail Blazers aren't yet certain on the severity of Clingan's injury, so the rookie could be headed for further testing.

Hartenstein logged nine points (4-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 16 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 31 minutes during Tuesday's 118-102 win over the 76ers.

Hartenstein posted a game-high mark in rebounds and has now reached double-digit boards in 14 of his 24 regular-season appearances. The big man has contributed a double-double in four of the Thunder's last 10 outings, and he has recorded eight-plus rebounds in each of the club's last 18 outings. Hartenstein is also averaging career highs in several categories, including points (11.8), rebounds (12.2), assists (4.1), blocks (1.3) and minutes (29.8).

Clingan (head) checked back into Tuesday's game versus the Nets with 10:56 remaining in the second quarter.

Clingan left Tuesday's contest in the first quarter but returned shortly after with a cut on his face, per Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan Portland. Regardless, the rookie big man should continue to operate as Portland's backup center to Deandre Ayton.

Clingan went back to the locker room after sustaining an apparent head injury in the first quarter of Tuesday's game against the Nets, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan Portland reports.

Clingan took a knee to the head and was helped off the court by the training staff with a towel over his face. The rookie big man will likely undergo further testing to rule out a concussion, and he should be considered questionable to return until the team provides an update on his status.

Okongwu notched 22 points (9-14 FG, 4-5 FT), 21 rebounds, one assist and one steal over 28 minutes in Tuesday's 122-117 win over Phoenix.

Okongwu impressed off the Hawks bench in Tuesday's high-scoring contest, leading all players in rebounds while pacing the Atlanta second unit in scoring in a dominating 20-20 showcase. Okongwu set a new season high in rebounds, blowing past his previous season-best mark of 13 boards set Nov. 15. He has hauled in 10 or more rebounds in seven appearances while scoring north of 20 points on two occasions.

Lively has been ruled out for the remainder of Tuesday's game versus the Nuggets due to a right ankle sprain. He will finish the contest with four points (2-3 FG) and one block in four minutes.

Lively sprained his ankle early in the first quarter and was replaced by Daniel Gafford with 8:04 remaining in the period. The severity of the injury won't be known until Lively undergoes further testing, but he could face an uphill battle to gain clearance for Wednesday's game against the Pelicans. Gafford, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell are likely to cover most of the minutes at center for the remainder of Tuesday's contest, and any additional games that Lively might miss.