NBA Player News
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Ousmane Dieng SF | MIL
Bucks' Ousmane Dieng: Ruled out Saturday
Dieng is out for Saturday's game against the Hawks due to an illness, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
After leaving Thursday's loss to the Heat with the ailment, Dieng isn't feeling well enough to play Saturday and faces a short turnaround for Sunday's matchup with Indiana. His absence vacates a spot in the Bucks' starting lineup at shooting guard, which is likely to be filled by either AJ Green, Cam Thomas or Gary Trent.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo PF | MIL
Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo: Ruled out for Saturday
Antetokounmpo (calf) is out for Saturday's game against the Hawks, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Antetokounmpo will sit out the first half of the Bucks' back-to-back set as the team continues to manage his right calf injury. In his absence, Bobby Portis and Jericho Sims are expected to handle the bulk of the frontcourt minutes. Antetokounmpo's next chance to return will be Sunday's home matchup against the Pacers, and it's likely he suits up for it.
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Aaron Holiday PG | HOU
Rockets' Aaron Holiday: Moves out of rotation
Holiday (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Friday in the Rockets' 107-105 win over the Pelicans.
The Rockets didn't have Alperen Sengun (back) available Friday, but his absence wasn't enough for Holiday to stick around in the rotation. After Holiday had averaged 9.5 minutes per game while appearing in each of the past four games, he ended up ceding his spot in the Rockets' nine-man rotation to Jeff Green (nine minutes), with head coach Ime Udoka opting to add more size to the second unit while Dorian Finney-Smith replaced Sengun in the starting five.
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Sidy Cissoko SG | POR
Trail Blazers' Sidy Cissoko: Rejoins rotation Friday
Cissoko tallied 14 points (6-10 FG, 2-5 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block across 17 minutes Friday in the Trail Blazers' 124-114 win over the Jazz.
Cissoko saw a streak of 10 consecutive appearances come to an end when he went unused off the bench in the Trail Blazers' two-point loss to the Hornets on Tuesday, but he was able to reclaim a spot in the rotation Friday while Robert Williams (knee) sat out. Cissoko fared well during his time on the court, but he may nonetheless find himself back outside of the rotation Sunday in Philadelphia if Williams is cleared to play.
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Tyler Herro PG | MIA
Heat's Tyler Herro: Available for Saturday's contest
Herro (quadriceps) is available for Saturday's game against the Magic.
Herro is set to return to the starting lineup Saturday after sitting out the last two games with left quad soreness. Before the injury, he was averaging 24.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor in his past five games. His return, alongside Norman Powell (groin), puts the Heat backcourt at full strength as Miami seeks its eighth straight win.
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Norman Powell SG | MIA
Heat's Norman Powell: Upgraded to available
Powell (groin) is available for Saturday's game against the Magic.
Following a seven-game absence with a right groin strain, Powell is cleared to return to action Saturday. It's unclear if the All-Star swingman will be limited, but it's possible he'll face a slight minutes restriction. Over his last seven appearances, Powell has averaged 19.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals in 26.0 minutes per game.
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Al Horford C | GS
Warriors' Al Horford: Set to miss time with calf strain
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after Friday's 127-117 loss to the Timberwolves that Horford suffered a right calf strain during the contest and is expected to miss time, Anthony Slater of ESPN.com reports. "With a calf, we're not going to rush him back," Kerr said.
With Draymond Green (back) sitting out Friday, Horford picked up his 12th start of the season but played just five minutes before exiting with 7:05 remaining in the first quarter due to what the Warriors had labeled as right calf tightness. With Kerr confirming that the veteran big man strained his calf, Horford is expected to miss the Warriors' next game Sunday in New York and likely additional contests beyond that. The potential return of Green for Sunday's game could help offset Horford's absence, and Kristaps Porzingis and Quinten Post (ankle) could also move into larger roles in the Golden State frontcourt.
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Ziaire Williams SF | BKN
Nets' Ziaire Williams: Starting vs. Philadelphia
Williams is in the Nets' starting lineup against the 76ers on Saturday, Sharif Phillips-Keaton of USA Today reports.
Williams missed the Nets' last two games due to an illness. He's been given the green light to return for Saturday's matinee and will make his sixth start of the season due to the absences of Michael Porter (ankle) and Drake Powell (knee). Williams' last start was Feb. 11 against the Pacers, when he played 28 minutes and finished with 19 points, five rebounds, one assist, three steals and five three-pointers.
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Ben Saraf PG | BKN
Nets' Ben Saraf: Back to bench
Saraf won't start Saturday's game against the 76ers, Sharif Phillips-Keaton of USA Today reports.
With Nolan Traore back in action, Saraf will slide to a reserve role. However, the rookie could still see plenty of action, given Michael Porter (ankle) and Drake Powell (knee) are out Saturday.
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Terance Mann SG | BKN
Nets' Terance Mann: Starting Saturday
Mann is in the Nets' starting lineup against the 76ers on Saturday, Sharif Phillips-Keaton of USA Today reports.
Mann logged two healthy DNPs before returning to the Nets' rotation against the Hawks on Thursday, when he played 16 minutes off the bench and finished with eight points, two rebounds and one assist. Mann is back in the Nets' starting five for Saturday's contest and will work in an expanded role due to the absences of Drake Powell (knee) and Michael Porter (ankle).