NBA Player News

Sabonis (face) went back to the locker room in the first quarter of Monday's game versus the Heat, Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Sabonis took a blow to the face and left for the locker room with a towel covering his head. The big man's status will be something to monitor as it is still early in the game. Alex Len and Trey Lyles are both candidates for an increased role if Sabonis is unable to return.

Williams (hamstring) has been cleared to play Monday night against New Orleans.

This will mark Williams' first game action of the 2024-25 campaign as he's finally been able to put a hamstring injury behind him. Expect Portland to keep a close eye on his minutes, especially considering his extensive injury history.

Bitadze is in the Magic's starting five for Monday's game against the Thunder.

Bitadze missed the Magic's last five games due to a strained tendon in his left foot. Not only will he return Monday, but he will also slide into the starting lineup while Wendell Carter is sidelined with a foot injury of his own. Bitadze hasn't played more than six minutes over his three regular-season outings, and though he's starting Monday, he could see less playing time than Moritz Wagner.

Claxton is starting Monday's game against the Grizzlies.

Not only is Claxton available for the second half of his team's back-to-back, but he'll enter the starting lineup for the first time this year Monday night. He's scored in double figures in three of his last four appearances and is averaging 8.3 rebounds over that stretch.

Queta will enter the starting lineup in Monday's game against the Hawks, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

The 25-year-old center will start alongside Al Horford in the frontocourt with Jaylen Brown (hip) out. Queta has played double-digit minutes in each of the Celtics' last three games, during which he averaged 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 75.0 percent from the field across 17.7 minutes per game.

Kornet isn't starting Monday's game against the Hawks, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Kornet has started Boston's last two contests at center, but it'll be Neemias Queta who gets the call Monday night, marking his first NBA start. Kornet is averaging 3.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in five games off the bench so far this season.

Adams (knee) is available for Monday's game against the Knicks, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post reports.

Adams is still in the final stages of his recovery from right knee surgery as he sat out Saturday's game against the Warriors. He appeared in the two games prior, during which he averaged 12.0 minutes per contest. Adams should see the same amount of minutes Monday and will be limited to five-minute stints, per Bondy, as he operates behind Alperen Sengun at center.

Davis (hip) is available for Monday's game against the Pistons, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

As expected, Davis has been upgraded from probable to available and will continue to play through right hip soreness. It hasn't slowed him down thus far, as he's averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.8 steals in 36.0 minutes per game.

Kleber (hamstring) will not play Monday against the Pacers.

Kleber will be sidelined for his fifth straight contest, and it's unclear when he'll return. His next chance comes Wednesday against the Bulls.

Claxton (hamstring) is available for Monday's game against the Grizzlies.

Claxton's only absence this season came during the second half of Brooklyn's first back-to-back set, so it's encouraging to see the big man cleared to suit up Monday after playing 22 minutes during Sunday's loss to the Pistons. However, despite being consistently available, Claxton remains limited due to a lingering hamstring injury from training camp. He's come off the bench in all six of his appearances, playing no more than 26 minutes in any single game. With Ben Simmons (rest/back) unavailable Monday, Claxton may move into the starting lineup, but it'd be surprising to see the Nets push Claxton during the second half of a back-to-back set after they've been cautious with him thus far.