NBA Player News
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Goga Bitadze C | ORL
Magic's Goga Bitadze: Bumped back to bench
Bitadze will come off the bench for Saturday's game against the Lakers.
Bitadze started in place of Wendell Carter on Thursday, but now that Carter is healthy, Bitadze will retreat to a reserve role. Bitadze has played eight or fewer minutes in each of his last five games as a reserve.
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Jaylin Williams PF | OKC
Thunder's Jaylin Williams: Ejected Saturday
Williams was ejected from Saturday's game against Washington, per Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic.
After a scuffle near the end of the second quarter, Williams, along with Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace and Justin Champagnie were ejected from the contest. The 23-year-old went scoreless (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-0) with four rebounds and one block in nine minutes of work. The Thunder will be in action again on Monday in Philadelphia, although it's unknown if Williams will be available for that one. If not, Kenrich Williams would be the favorite to take his place in the rotation.
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Alperen Sengun C | HOU
Rockets' Alperen Sengun: Cleared to face Miami
Sengun (back) is available for Saturday's game against the Heat, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.
Sengun will shed a questionable tag in time to face Miami on Saturday night. The star center was a late addition to the injury report Saturday due to back tightness. In his last 11 games, Sengun is averaging 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists across 31.7 minutes.
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Cason Wallace PG | OKC
Thunder's Cason Wallace: Ejected from Saturday's contest
Wallace was ejected from Saturday's game against the Wizards, per Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic.
Wallace was one of four players tossed from the game following a multi-player altercation in the second half. Before his early exit, the sophomore guard recorded four points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three assists and two rebounds across 15 minutes of action. With both Wallace and Ajay Mitchell ejected from this contest, the Thunder will likely lean more heavily on Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso to close out the backcourt minutes against Washington.
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Justin Champagnie SF | WAS
Wizards' Justin Champagnie: Ejected Saturday
Champagnie was ejected from Saturday's game against Oklahoma City after participating in an on-court scuffle, Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic reports.
Champagnie is one of four players ejected following the altercation, and the only Wizard to be booted from the contest. He'll finish the game with three points (1-3 FG, 1-1 3Pt), one rebound, one assist and one steal across 14 minutes. Anthony Gill and Jamir Watkins should see more action for the remainder of the contest. Assuming no further punishment is handed down by the league, Champagnie should be back in action Sunday against the Knicks.
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Ajay Mitchell PG | OKC
Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Ejected from game
Mitchell was ejected from Saturday's game against the Wizards, Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic reports.
Mitchell was one of four players ejected from this contest for getting involved in the group altercation. Mitchell will finish the contest with 14 points (6-10 FG, 2-2 3Pt), three assists, one rebound and one steal in 15 minutes.
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Jalen Johnson SF | ATL
Hawks' Jalen Johnson: Sidelined Saturday
Johnson (shoulder) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Warriors.
Johnson will miss his first game of the month due to left shoulder inflammation, snapping a consistent run of elite production. The versatile forward has been a triple-double threat every time he takes the floor, falling just one assist shy of his 14th triple-double of the season in Wednesday's win over Dallas. With Johnson sidelined, Jonathan Kuminga is the primary candidate to enter the starting lineup and should see a significant increase in usage.
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Rayan Rupert SG | MEM
Grizzlies' Rayan Rupert: Inactive Saturday
Rupert (two-way) is inactive for Saturday's game against Charlotte.
Rupert has limited availability for the rest of the season due to his status as a two-way player, and the Grizzlies are opting to hold him out Saturday while the team has 10 other players active for the contest. The third-year forward will be able to play in six of the Grizzlies' remaining 12 contests after Saturday.
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Donovan Mitchell SG | CLE
Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell: Available for Saturday's contest
Mitchell (eye) is available for Saturday's game against the Pelicans, per Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints.com.
Mitchell will return to the starting lineup after a one-game absence caused by a left eye contusion. While his return leaves less usage for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder, both guards could still see decent usage Saturday with Jaylon Tyson (toe) ruled out. Tyson had moved into the starting unit during Mitchell's absence Thursday, but his status leaves a void in the wing rotation. Expect Ellis and Schroder to maintain a presence in the rotation to help bridge the gap, though Mitchell and James Harden will resume their roles as the primary engines of the Cleveland offense.
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Jaylon Tyson SF | CLE
Cavaliers' Jaylon Tyson: Out for Saturday
Tyson (toe) is out for Saturday's game against the Pelicans, Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints.com reports.
No surprise here, as Tyson was previously listed as doubtful. Nae'Qwan Tomlin and Keon Ellis could see a bump in minutes with this news.