NBA Player News

Ayton (illness) is out for Friday's game against the Spurs, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.

Ayton will miss a game for the first time since Nov. 25 due to this illness, and this means the Blazers will be extremely thin when it comes to their frontcourt depth. Ayton and Robert Williams (not injury related) are out, while Donovan Clingan will be on a minutes restriction, so Jabari Walker will get the start at center. Ayton's next chance to play will come against Phoenix on Sunday.

Clingan (knee) is available for Friday's game against the Spurs, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.

Clingan will operate in a minutes restriction, as the big man will be available for the first time since Nov. 23, when he went scoreless but grabbed 19 rebounds in a win over the Rockets. With Clingan on a minutes restriction, Robert Williams (not injury related) out and Deandre Ayton (illness) out, Jabari Walker will get the start at center for Portland.

Embiid headed to the locker room just before the end of the second quarter during Friday's game against the Pacers, Derek Bodner of AllPHLY.com reports.

Embiid got hit in the face going for a defensive rebound late in the second quarter and looked to be in pain, as he headed to the locker room with a towel over his head just before the end of the first half. If he doesn't return for the second half, then Andre Drummond would be in line to see more minutes at center.

Richards is not in the starting unit for Friday's game against the Bulls.

Richards started in the 113-109 win over the Pacers on Sunday and finished with nine points and 14 rebounds across 25 minutes. However, expect him to see a considerable reduction in his playing time since Mark Williams got the start at center for this matchup. Richards is averaging 11.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season, but those numbers are likely to regress if he comes off the bench.

Williams is in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Bulls.

Williams returns after a one-game absence due to injury management and will be slotted right into the starting five. The big man is averaging 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds across 10.3 minutes per game in his first three outings this season, but he should see an uptick in playing time now that he'll run with the starters.

Davis (foot) is available for Friday's game against the Timberwolves, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Davis has been a mainstay on the injury report due to a nagging case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, but the star big man will continue to suit up and handle his regular workload at center. Davis is expected to see an uptick in his usage rate again with LeBron James (foot) sidelined. The star big man has averaged 23.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals across 35.8 minutes per contest in his previous 10 appearances.

Edey (ankle) has officially been ruled out for Friday's game versus the Nets.

No surprise here, as Edey was originally deemed doubtful for the contest. The rookie big man has been sidelined since Nov. 17, but he appears to be inching toward a return. His next opportunity to return to the court will come Sunday in Los Angeles versus the Lakers.

Valanciunas will come off the bench in Friday's game versus the Cavaliers.

With Alexandre Sarr (back) reclaiming his starting spot in the frontcourt alongside Justin Champagnie, Valanciunas will retreat to the bench. Over his last five outings (four starts), the big man has averaged 15.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 blocks across 23.6 minutes per game.

Vucevic (illness) is out for Friday's game against the Hornets, Will Gottlieb of AllCHGO.com reports.

Vucevic will miss a game for the first time this season, and his absence means Chicago will probably rely on Jalen Smith to play the bulk of minutes at center. Vucevic has been one of the Bulls' best players in recent weeks, averaging 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game across his last 10 contests. If the illness isn't a long-term thing, then he should be in contention to suit up for Monday's game at Toronto.

The Pacers acquired Bryant from the Heat on Friday in exchange for a future second-round pick swap, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Bryant had been an irregular part of Miami's rotation this season with Kevin Love and Kel'el Ware on hand to fill backup center minutes behind Bam Adebayo, but Bryant will help address a need in Indiana. The Pacers have already lost their top two backup options at center -- Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) and James Wiseman (Achilles) -- to season-ending injuries, so Bryant could have a clear path to serving as Myles Turner's primary understudy. His primary competition will come from Obi Toppin and Enrique Freeman, both of whom are undersized for the center spot and better suited for power forward.