NBA Player News

Embiid (knee) will not play Wednesday against the Magic, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.

Embiid will miss his fifth game in a row Wednesday, but he seems to be getting closer to a return. He's been cleared to begin his ramp-up process on the court, but it remains to be seen if he'll be given the green light for Friday's rematch against Orlando.

Jokic provided 38 points (14-24 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and five steals over 40 minutes during Tuesday's 119-115 win over the Warriors.

Jokic finished four assists from what would've been his ninth triple-double of the season, but he excelled on both ends of the court once again. The star big man extended his red-hot start to the campaign, and he's averaging 30.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his last six appearances since returning from a three-game absence in mid-November due to personal reasons.

Duren recorded 11 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal over 20 minutes during Tuesday's 128-107 loss to Milwaukee.

The third-year center has seen his court time and production take a step back this season, but Duren is at least making an impact at the defensive end. In 12 games since returning from a minor ankle injury he's recorded multiple rejections five times, averaging 9.6 points, 9.2 boards, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in 24.3 minutes while shooting 63.9 percent from the floor.

Sabonis notched 27 points (13-19 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-4 FT), seven rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes during Tuesday's 120-111 victory over the Rockets.

It took a team effort, but the Kings rattled off 15 straight shots in the final stanza, eliminating an eight-point deficit and sealing a win. Sabonis was responsible for four of those shots, joining De'Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray in erasing Houston's lead. Although Tuesday's performance snapped an 18-game double-double streak, he notched his third-highest scoring total of the season in the win.

Sarr finished with 10 points (4-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal across 27 minutes during Tuesday's 118-87 loss to the Cavaliers.

The second overall pick in the 2024 Draft continues to have trouble producing at the offensive end consistently, but Sarr has been able to make an impact defensively to begin his career. He's failed to record at least one block only once in his first 19 NBA games, and he's snatched at least one block and one steal in four of the last five contests. Over that five-game stretch, Sarr is averaging 13.4 points, 7.4 boards, 1.8 assists, 1.8 threes, 1.4 blocks and 0.8 steals.

Kessler accumulated 17 points (6-7 FG, 5-8 FT), 11 rebounds and two blocks over 36 minutes during Tuesday's 133-106 loss to the Thunder.

Kessler was extremely efficient on both ends of the court despite the blowout loss, missing just one of his shots from the field and recording his fourth straight double-double. It was also his fifth double-double across his last six outings since returning from a hip injury that sidelined him for six contests. Kessler averaged 13.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game over that six-game stretch.

Valanciunas recorded 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-4 FT), 11 rebounds, one block and one steal in 19 minutes during Tuesday's 118-87 loss to Cleveland.

Injuries in the Wizards' frontcourt have allowed the team to take a look at Valanciunas and Alex Sarr in the starting lineup together, and the veteran center responded by producing his fifth double-double of the season Tuesday as he made his second straight start. Four of his double-doubles have come in the last 10 games, and over that stretch, Valanciunas is averaging 11.8 points, 8.2 boards, 1.7 assists and 0.8 blocks in 19.4 minutes a contest while shooting 56.8 percent from the floor.

Wagner supplied 20 points (7-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 5-9 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals in 28 minutes during Tuesday's 121-106 loss to the Knicks.

With Goga Bitadze (ankle) a late scratch, Wagner had his best performance of the season Tuesday by a wide margin, notching his first double-double of the campaign while also setting new season-high marks in points and rebounds. Despite coming off the bench, Wagner has been a consistent performer in the Magic's frontcourt. He's scored in double digits in all but one of his last eight contests, a span in which he's averaging 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Kleber provided zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and three rebounds in 10 minutes during Tuesday's 121-116 victory over Memphis.

Kleber was limited to just 10 minutes, the fewest he has played in more than a week. A couple of injuries to other players in recent times had opened up some additional playing time for Kleber. Unfortunately, he failed to make the most of the opportunity, scoring a total of just 10 points in the past seven games. As long as the frontcourt is relatively healthy, Kleber is unlikely to be a difference-maker moving forward.

Lively closed Tuesday's 121-116 victory over Memphis with 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-7 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 32 minutes.

Lively returned from a one-game absence, playing a season-high 32 minutes. He also recorded a season-best 17 points, tallying his fourth double-double. Although the Mavericks have a more than capable backup in Daniel Gafford, there is a chance coach Jason Kidd is now prepared to lean into Lively a little more. While both should continue to play meaningful roles, Lively is the logical choice to be given the majority of the minutes given his trajectory.