NBA Player News

Reese (two-way) is listed as inactive for Thursday's game against the Pistons.

Per the terms of his two-way contract, Reese will be eligible to play in just eight games the rest of the season, so the Wizards are choosing to hold him out Thursday in an effort to preserve his availability. The undrafted rookie has been seeing significant playing time when Washington has made him available, as he's averaging 9.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 29.6 minutes per game through his first five NBA contests.

Cooper is in the starting lineup for Thursday's matchup with the Pistons.

This will be Cooper's first career start, and it'll be Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Alex Sarr joining him in the first unit for Thursday's game. Per 36 minutes this season, Cooper owns averages of 15.8 points, 5.7 assists and 1.3 triples per contest.

Bitadze is in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Hornets.

Bitadze is filling in for the injured Wendell Carter (rib) on Thursday. It'll be the third start of the season for Bitadze, who has averaged 11.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game with the first unit.

Champagnie won't start Thursday's game against Detroit.

With Sharife Cooper stepping into the starting lineup, Champagnie will slide to the second unit. Bilal Coulibaly (heel) is out, so Champagnie could still see meaningful burn. Over five appearances off the bench this month, he has averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 21.2 minutes per contest.

Gill is coming off the bench Thursday against the Pistons.

Alex Sarr is returning to the starting lineup, forcing Gill to the bench. He should split the backup center minutes with Tristan Vukcevic on Thursday, hurting Gill's fantasy value.

Sexton (fibula) is available for Thursday's game against Cleveland, Will Gottlieb of AllCHGO.com reports.

As expected, Sexton has been cleared to suit up for a second consecutive contest following a four-game absence due to a left fibular head contusion. He logged 18 minutes in Wednesday's loss to Toronto, finishing with 14 points (4-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-8 FT), five assists, two rebounds and one steal.

Smith (calf) is out for Thursday's game versus the Cavaliers, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports.

Smith will hit the sidelines for the second leg of this back-to-back set, but he should be able to get back out there for Monday's matchup with the Rockets. Nick Richards and Guerschon Yabusele will likely pick up the slack in Smith's absence.

Morant (elbow) is out for Friday's game against the Celtics.

The star guard is still recovering from a UCL sprain in his left elbow. The Grizzlies are expected to re-evaluate Morant soon, but he can be deemed doubtful for future contests until that happens.

Watson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday's game against Toronto.

Watson hasn't played since Feb. 4 due to a right hamstring strain. While he'll miss a 19th consecutive contest Friday, the Nuggets are hopeful that the fourth-year forward will return to the hardwood in the near future. Spencer Jones will likely continue to see increased burn for as long as Watson is sidelined. His next chance to return will come Sunday against Portland.

Clarke (calf) will remain on the inactive list for Friday's game against the Celtics.

Clarke has been out since Dec. 20 and continues to get ruled out a full day in advance of tipoff, suggesting he's made little progress in his recovery from the calf injury. The Grizzlies are going nowhere fast, so there's not much incentive for Clarke to get back out there. Until Memphis provides a timetable for Clarke, he should be viewed as week-to-week.