NBA Player News
-
Joel Embiid C | PHI
76ers' Joel Embiid: Available Saturday
Embiid (knee) is available for Saturday's game against the Suns.
Embiid was initially listed as questionable due to right knee injury management, but the star big man will suit up Saturday. Embiid has been playing well of late, averaging 31.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 0.9 blocks per game over his last 10 appearances.
-
Jaxson Hayes C | LAL
Lakers' Jaxson Hayes: Starting sans Ayton
Hayes will start Saturday's game against the Warriors, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.
Deandre Ayton (knee) was a late scratch Saturday, resulting in Hayes getting the starting nod for the first time since Dec. 20. As a starter this season (four games), the seventh-year center has averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 28.8 minutes per tilt.
-
Deandre Ayton C | LAL
Lakers' Deandre Ayton: Late addition to injury report
Ayton has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Warriors due to right knee soreness, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Ayton was an extremely late addition to the injury report due to the knee issue, and his next opportunity to play will come Monday against the Thunder. With the big man sidelined, Jaxson Hayes will get the starting nod, while Drew Timme and Maxi Kleber are candidates for increased burn off the bench.
-
Kristaps Porzingis C | GS
Warriors' Kristaps Porzingis: Out through All-Star break
The Warriors plan to have Porzingis (Achilles) wait until after the All-Star break to make his team debut, Danny Emerman of SFStandard.com reports.
Porzingis has joined the Warriors after being traded from Atlanta, but the veteran big man has been dealing with an illness and an Achilles injury of late. Golden State will give Porzingis some additional time to recover before making his Warriors debut, holding him out until at least Feb. 19, when the team plays their first game after the All-Star break. With Porzingis sidelined, Draymond Green, Al Horford and Quinten Post should see plenty of minutes in the frontcourt.
-
Jock Landale C | ATL
Hawks' Jock Landale: Retreating to bench
Landale won't start against the Hornets on Saturday, Kevin Chouinard of the Hawks' official site reports.
The Australian big man got the starting nod in his Hawks debut Thursday, though he'll slide to the second unit Saturday with Onyeka Okongwu (mouth) back in action. Landale posted 26 points (10-14 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks over 32 minutes in Thursday's win over Utah and should operate as Atlanta's primary backup center going forward.
-
Nikola Jokic C | DEN
Nuggets' Nikola Jokic: Gets green light Saturday
Jokic (ankle) is available for Saturday's game against Chicago.
Jokic will shed his questionable tag due to a sprained left ankle and suit up Saturday. The three-time MVP has appeared in four outings following a 16-game absence with a knee injury, averaging 25.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals across 33.0 minutes per tilt during that span.
-
Alperen Sengun C | HOU
Rockets' Alperen Sengun: Triple-doubles in win
Sengun generated 17 points (6-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and three blocks across 37 minutes of Saturday's 112-106 win over the Thunder.
Sengun notched his second triple-double of the season, but he scored under 20 points for the sixth time in the last seven games. The standout center had been averaging 21.5 points per game across 37 games before the seven-game dry spell. Though the scoring production hasn't been there recently, Sengun has been productive elsewhere over his last seven outings, averaging 11.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals during that stretch.
-
Yanic Konan Niederhauser C | LAC
Clippers' Yanic Konan Niederhauser: Cleared to face Timberwolves
Niederhauser (illness) isn't on the injury report for Sunday's game against the Timberwolves, Janis Carr of the OC Register reports.
Niederhauser left Friday's game early due to an illness, but the issue won't prevent him from suiting up Sunday. With Ivica Zubac having been traded to the Pacers, Niederhauser is left to compete with Isaiah Jackson (recently traded) and Brook Lopez for center minutes.
-
Jusuf Nurkic C | UTA
Jazz's Jusuf Nurkic: Starting Saturday
Nurkic is part of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Magic, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Nurkic, surprisingly, will be part of a jumbo lineup that includes Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson. Nurkic had been a DNP-CD in back-to-back games, and the expectation was that Utah would opt for Nurkic to come off the bench while Jackson manned the center spot. However, it looks like Nurkic could remain in a significant role even with Jackson on the roster. In 38 regular-season appearances thus far, Nurkic is averaging 11.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists across 26.6 minutes.
-
Onyeka Okongwu C | ATL
Hawks' Onyeka Okongwu: Will play Saturday
Okongwu (mouth) is available for Saturday's game against the Hornets.
Okongwu missed Atlanta's last four games after undergoing a dental procedure Jan. 29, though he'll shed his questionable tag and suit up Saturday. With the big man back in action, Jock Landale will likely shift to a bench role. Okongwu has averaged 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 combined steals-plus-blocks in 31.6 minutes per game over his last five outings.