NBA Player News

Williams (hamstring) has been upgraded to probable for Monday's game against the Pelicans.

Williams was upgraded to questionable before this update and continues to trend in the right direction. With Williams likely to make his season debut, it's fair to expect restrictions if he does get the green light to suit up. With Portland's frontcourt being so crowded, it will be hard for Williams to break out in a big way.

Bagley (illness) will not play Monday against the Warriors.

Bagley was unable to shake his questionable tag for this contest and remains day-to-day. Bagley hasn't been a consistent part of the rotation, so his absence should go unnoticed.

Bitadze (foot) is available to play Monday against the Thunder, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Bitadze will shake off his questionable tag and return from a five-game absence. With Wendell Carter (foot) sidelined Monday, Bitadze should find himself in the rotation, though Moritz Wagner may be the better bet to see most of the minutes at center.

Carter (foot) won't play Monday against the Thunder, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Carter was previously considered questionable, but the Magic will hold him out Monday evening. Fortunately for Orlando, Goga Bitadze (foot) has been given the green light to play. Bitadze and Moritz Wagner are candidates for increased roles in Carter's absence.

Zeller (personal) will not play Monday against the Celtics.

Zeller has yet to appear this season and remains without a timetable for a return.

Okongwu (toe) is available for Monday's game against the Celtics.

This is an expected move after Okongwu was held out of the front leg of the back-to-back set Sunday. In five regular-season appearances, Okongwu has averaged 12.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.4 minutes per contest.

Claxton notched eight points (2-4 FG, 4-12 FT), one rebound, five assists and one steal across 22 minutes during Sunday's 106-92 loss to the Pistons.

Claxton's workload of 21.7 minutes per game is far from ideal, as the Nets continue to rely on small-ball lineups. What's more concerning, however, is Claxton's free throw shooting. Through six games, he's hitting a mere 38.9 percent from the stripe, well on pace for a career-low mark.

Landale is not on the injury report for Monday's game against the Knicks.

Landale suffered an elbow issue during the second quarter of Saturday's game against the Warriors, but it's a good sign that he's not on the injury report at all. If Steven Adams (knee) is cleared to play Monday from his questionable tag, Landale won't be a lock to see the floor.

The Knicks converted Hukporti from a two-way contract to a two-year standard NBA contract Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. The second year of the contract is a team option.

The No. 58 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Hukporti has appeared in four of the Knicks' first five games of the season, missing his lone field-goal attempt while pulling down seven rebounds and blocking four shots across 29 total minutes. The Knicks had opened the campaign with only 12 players on the 15-man roster, but because league rules require teams to have at least 14 players on standard contracts for no more than 28 days during a season, Hukporti was upgraded from his two-way deal to help fulfill the roster requirement. While the fact that he's been moved off a two-way deal means he won't be restricted to the amount of games in which he can be active for the Knicks, Hukporti still looks to be on the outside looking in for a rotation spot, even while fellow big men Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) remain sidelined. Jericho Sims appears to have at least temporarily settled in as the Knicks' preferred backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns.

Lively had 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-3 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist over 20 minutes during Sunday's 108-85 victory over the Magic.

Daniel Gafford continues to start at center, but Lively has been putting up solid numbers off the bench, so the Mavericks' coaching staff keeps finding ways to have him on the floor regularly. Lively has two double-doubles in six appearances this season, and he's averaging a solid 9.3 points and 8.2 boards per game despite logging just 22.8 minutes per contest. He could be an automatic double-double threat if he were to see more minutes regularly.