NBA Player News

Lively (ankle) will not play Wednesday against the Pelicans.

This is an expected update from the Mavericks, but fantasy managers will have to wait for more clarity regarding the severity of his sprain -- it was previously reported that X-rays came back negative. With Lively out Wednesday, Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell are candidates to see increased minutes.

Drummond (toe) will not play Wednesday against the Knicks.

Drummond will miss his sixth game in a row Wednesday, though he did begin on-court work this week. His next chance to play comes Saturday against the Pacers.

Embiid (foot) will not play Wednesday against the Knicks.

This will be Embiid's sixth game in a row on the shelf. This update comes from the official injury report, so there's no word on his progress. Previously, the 76ers have reported that the center remains day-to-day. Guerschon Yabusele is likely to continue seeing big workloads in the meantime.

Ayton had two points (1-4 FG) and eight rebounds in 24 minutes during Tuesday's 132-114 loss to the Nets.

After returning from a one-game absence due to left calf soreness, Ayton had a nightmare showing as he was held to a season-low two points. January has been a tough month for the center, as he's posting averages of 8.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.8 blocks in 27.0 minutes per contest.

X-rays on Lively's right ankle returned negative after the center was removed in the first quarter of Tuesday's 118-99 loss to the Nuggets, NBA reporter Chris Haynes reports.

Lively was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle upon exiting the contest, and the X-rays confirmed that the second-year center avoided any structural damage. Even so, the severity of Lively's sprain isn't yet known, so the Mavericks haven't offered up a clear timeline for his return to action. Even if Lively's sprain is of the Grade 1 variety, he'll most likely miss Wednesday's game against the Pelicans. Daniel Gafford would presumably start Wednesday in Lively's place, while Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell could also fill out minutes at center.

Vucevic provided 22 points (10-16 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 15 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 35 minutes during Tuesday's 119-113 loss to the Pelicans.

It was the 25th double-double of the season for the veteran center, tying him for sixth in the NBA. Vucevic's shooting has been a little erratic of late, but over his last 14 games, he's still averaging 18.9 points, 11.0 boards, 3.4 assists and 1.7 threes. If the Bulls totally clean house ahead of the February trade deadline, Vucevic figures to be one of the prime trade assets they have.

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.