NBA Player News

Adams (knee) won't play in Sunday's game versus the Pistons.

Adams will sit out the first leg of Houston's back-to-back Sunday due to right knee injury recovery. Jock Landale should operate as the backup center to Alperen Sengun in his absence. Adams will likely be available to return for Monday's matchup with Washington.

Kleber (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game versus the Nuggets, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Kleber is expected to remain sidelined for his eighth straight contest due to a strained right hamstring. With P.J. Washington (knee) and Dereck Lively (shoulder) also doubtful, Naji Marshall and Dwight Powell should receive increased playing time in Dallas' frontcourt.

Lively (shoulder) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game versus the Nuggets, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Lively is expected to miss his fourth straight contest Sunday due to a right shoulder sprain. If Lively is downgraded to out, Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell should continue to receive extended minutes.

Gobert notched eight points (4-5 FG), 15 rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 23 minutes during Friday's 127-102 victory over Portland.

Gobert was efficient from the field, dominant on the glass and active as a rim protector, ultimately making a sizable impact on both ends of the court in this huge blowout win for the Timberwolves. Gobert has been a bit inconsistent in the scoring column, but other than that, he's having a solid start to the year. Through nine appearances, the big man is averaging 11.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

Nurkic totaled 15 points (6-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes during Friday's 114-113 win over the Mavericks.

Nurkic has recorded three consecutive double-doubles, and the veteran big man is enjoying a strong start to the campaign due to his impressive two-way display. One area in which he's excelling is three-point shooting, as Nurkic has drained at least one three in five games in a row while going 5-for-7 in his last two contests. During the season, Nurkic is averaging 11.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while shooting 34.6 percent from deep.

Wagner finished Friday's 115-88 win over the Pelicans with 17 points (8-11 FG, 1-1 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.

Wagner delivered more points than Goga Bitadze, who was the starting center in Friday's win, but it's unclear if that will be enough to steal the starting job away from the 25-year-old. Wagner has been productive as a scorer and has recorded double-digit points in four of his last five appearances, shooting 51.2 percent from the field in that span.

Bitadze supplied 11 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal over 27 minutes during Friday's 115-88 win over the Pelicans.

Bitadze finished just one rebound shy of recording a second consecutive double-double. The big man is making the most of his newfound role in the first unit, scoring in double digits and grabbing at least nine boards in his three starts. He should remain in that role due to the health issues of players such as Wendell Carter (foot), Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) and Paolo Banchero (oblique) that are depleting the frontcourt.

Williams (hamstring) tallied 13 points (4-5 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block across 17 minutes in Friday's 127-102 loss to the Timberwolves.

After completing his recovery from a hamstring strain that sidelined him for Portland's first eight games of the season, Williams was cleared to play ahead of Monday's game against the Pelicans, but he didn't see any minutes in that contest. He again went unused in Thursday's 118-105 loss to the Spurs, but head coach Chauncey Billups opened up room in the rotation for Williams on the second leg of the back-to-back set. Though Williams is best suited for playing center, he saw some time at power forward Friday alongside rookie center Donovan Clingan. Williams produced well during his time on the court and even knocked down the first three-pointer of his career, which could inspire Billups to keep deploying Williams alongside either Clingan or starting center Deandre Ayton. While Williams has been a strong per-minute performer throughout his career, the Trail Blazers could look to keep him under 20 minutes in most games in an effort to manage his health after injuries have limited him to just 41 total appearances over the prior two seasons.

Jokic registered 30 points (11-13 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 7-7 FT), 11 rebounds, 14 assists and two steals in 40 minutes during Friday's 135-122 victory over Miami.

Jokic has recorded three straight triple-doubles. During that stretch, the three-time MVP has averaged 27.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in 39.0 minutes per game.

Lopez notched seven points (3-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes during Friday's 116-94 loss to New York.

After averaging 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 steals in 31.6 minutes per game over his first seven appearances, Lopez has totaled only eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and one block over his last two appearances. The veteran's 24 minutes Friday tied a season-low mark.