NBA Player News

Green (knee) has been cleared to play in Tuesday's Play-In Game against the Trail Blazers.

Green was held out for the final two matchups of the regular season due to a knee issue, but it won't prevent him from suiting up Tuesday. He should be back in the starting lineup in his return, which would bump Amir Coffey back to a bench role.

Booker (ankle) is available for Tuesday's Play-In Game against the Trail Blazers.

Booker missed the final two matchups of the regular season due to right ankle injury management. However, he'll be a full go for Tuesday's clash. Booker caught fire on the offensive end down the stretch, averaging 30.8 points in his last five appearances, and he'll be relied on heavily to get the job done during Tuesday's Play-In Game.

Grant (calf) is listed as questionable for Tuesday's Play-In Game against the Suns.

Grant holds a questionable tag after missing the final seven games of the regular season due to a right calf strain. Averaging 18.6 points across 57 regular-season contests, the veteran wing would provide a welcome scoring boost as the Trail Blazers look to secure the No. 7 seed with a win over the Suns. Grant has started each of his past 24 appearances, though it's possible he comes off the bench (if active) with the team rolling out a starting five of Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Monday on NBA Today that Embiid (abdomen) isn't expected to be available for the Play-In Tournament.

This isn't an unexpected update from the Sixers after Embiid underwent a successful appendectomy on Thursday. Charania notes that Embiid is in the early stages of his recovery from surgery, which will need to be followed up with a separate physical rehab before he's cleared for game action. Philly is scheduled to face Orlando on Wednesday and would play again Friday only if it fails to defeat the Magic. Adem Bona and Andre Drummond will be asked to hold down the fort at center until Embiid returns.

Smith (foot) has been ruled out for Tuesday's Play-In Tournament game against the Hornets.

Smith hasn't seen game action since April 4 and will be inactive to open the postseason due to right foot soreness. The guard saw his role in the rotation diminish down the stretch of the regular season, and his absence shouldn't have much impact on the Heat rotation in Tuesday's contest.

Jovic (ankle) is out for Tuesday's Play-In Game against the Hornets.

Jovic was sidelined for Miami's last four games of the regular season due to a left ankle sprain, and his absence will extend at least one additional matchup. If the Heat are able to fend off the Hornets on Tuesday, Jovic would have a chance to return for Friday's game, which will determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Fontecchio (ankle) is available for Tuesday's Play-In Tournament matchup against the Hornets.

After sitting out Sunday's regular-season finale due to left ankle soreness, Fontecchio is ready to suit back up Tuesday. Unless Pelle Larsson (leg) winds up being unavailable, Fontecchio might not see a meaningful role in the frontcourt.

Larsson is questionable for Tuesday's Play-In Tournament matchup against the Hornets with a left lower-leg contusion.

The swingman missed Sunday's regular-season finale with the issue, and the Heat are likely to see how Larsson is feeling closer to Tuesday's tipoff before updating his status. If Larsson is ultimately downgraded to out Tuesday, Jaime Jaquez would be asked to step up and likely see more playing time.

McCullar finished with 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-6 3Pt), two rebounds, two steals and one assist across 25 minutes during Sunday's 110-96 loss to the Hornets.

McCullar dealt with a quadriceps injury in late March that kept him from playing at the tail end of the G League season, but the two-way player has been healthy for the past couple of weeks. With the Knicks holding out seven players for Sunday's game and with Mikal Bridges playing less than a minute before checking out of the game for good, McCullar got the chance to see some extended run at the NBA level. Due to his terms of his two-way contract, McCullar won't be eligible to suit up for the Knicks during the postseason. He finished the regular season with averages of 2.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 7.4 minutes per game across 21 appearances.

Johnson ended Sunday's 149-128 win over the Bulls with 20 points (6-12 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 8-9 FT), one rebound and one assist in 25 minutes.

The second-year guard came over from Washington as part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis (finger) to the Wizards, but Johnson still struggled for regular action at the NBA level with Dallas. Johnson averaged 3.9 points, 1.1 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per tilt through 23 games for the Mavericks this season. All signs point toward Dallas exercising Johnson's team option for 2026-27, and perhaps he'll have a clearer path to minutes if the Mavs don't re-sign Khris Middleton.