NBA Player News

McLaughlin (ankle) is available for Sunday's Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series against the Trail Blazers, NBA reporter Matthew Tynan reports.

McLaughlin missed each of the first three games of the series due to a left ankle sprain. He has progressed enough in his recovery to suit up for Game 4, though he's unlikely to crack the Spurs' playoff rotation, given that he averaged just 6.4 minutes per game off the bench across 44 regular-season contests.

Wembanyama (concussion) is available for Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Trail Blazers on Sunday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Wembanyama entered the league's concussion protocol following the Spurs' Game 2 loss. He was unavailable to play in Game 3 on Friday, but the superstar center has progressed enough in his recovery to play in Game 4 on Sunday, and his return will result in Luke Kornet reverting to a bench role. In Game 1 last Sunday, Wembanyama played 33 minutes and finished with 33 points, five rebounds, one assist and two blocks.

DiVincenzo will undergo surgery Sunday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon that he suffered during the Timberwolves' Game 4 win over the Nuggets on Saturday.

DiVincenzo will have his surgery done by Dr. Martin O'Malley, the same surgeon who repaired the torn right Achilles of Jayson Tatum in May 2025. The fact that the procedure is taking place within 24 hours of DiVincenzo's injury should help with the recovery, though it would be unfair to expect the veteran guard to return as quickly as Tatum did, which was in essentially 10 months. It seems more likely that DiVincenzo will miss the entire 2026-27 season, though if he does progress enough to return, it wouldn't be until late in the regular season. The Timberwolves will also be without Anthony Edwards (knee) for multiple weeks, so the team will turn to Ayo Dosunmu, Mike Conley and Bones Hyland to carry more of the load for the rest of the postseason.

Lawson (back) is available for Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Cavaliers on Sunday, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Lawson popped up on the injury report due to back spasms, but he has been given the green light to play in Sunday's pivotal game as the Raptors look to even the series at 2-2. He saw just two minutes of playing time during the Raptors' Game 3 win on Thursday, when he missed his lone field-goal attempt without recording any other counting stat.

Jones contributed zero points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt), four rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 25 minutes during Saturday's 112-96 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Jones performed clean-up duty and also stepped in for Aaron Gordon briefly after the latter went to the locker room due to a calf injury. Jones' meager production mimicked below-average results from the first-unit wings, yet he could be relied on for a bigger role in Game 5 if Gordon's calf issue limits him in any way. Although Jones started for Gordon in Game 3, he's generated only 11 total points over the four-game series against the Timberwolves.

Johnson logged nine points (3-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), two rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 27 minutes during Saturday's 112-96 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Johnson's production has slowed in the first round, averaging only 10.0 points, 1.5 assists, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.8 steals over four games against the Timberwolves. Although Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are propping up the team with stellar production, the two superstars need more help from the supporting cast. Right now, Johnson isn't holding up his end of the bargain. The Nuggets will face elimination Monday night, and the pressure will be on Johnson, Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon to deliver better results.

Braun ended Saturday's 112-96 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with eight points (2-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 34 minutes.

Braun only took four shot attempts in the loss, ceding most of the backcourt output to Jamal Murray in the Game 4 defeat. Now facing an elimination game, the Nuggets desperately need more production from the supporting cast, and Braun could be set up for an easier task with Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) and Anthony Edwards (knee) shelved.

Gordon closed Saturday's 112-96 loss to Minnesota in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with nine points (4-11 FG, 1-5 3Pt), one rebound and one block in 23 minutes.

Gordon briefly headed to the locker room with a calf injury but made it back to the bench before the end of the contest. It seemed obvious that Gordon was struggling during a few possessions, and he may not be ready for Monday's elimination game against the Timberwolves. More news should emerge after Monday morning.

Gobert finished with four points (2-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 15 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals over 36 minutes during Saturday's 112-96 victory over the Nuggets in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Although Gobert didn't do much in the scoring column, he matched Nikola Jokic's rebound total with a team-high 15 boards in the contest. With Anthony Edwards (knee) out for multiple weeks and Donte DiVincenzo having suffered a torn Achilles early in Saturday's game, Gobert, Julius Randle and Ayo Dosunmu will be called upon to increase their production to offset the missing output. A bigger spotlight will be on Gobert, who will be tasked with keeping Jokic in check for at least one more game.

McDaniels logged 12 points (4-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and one block over 33 minutes during Saturday's 112-96 victory over Denver in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

McDaniels didn't have the most productive box score during Saturday's win, but he certainly made his presence felt with his layup in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter, drawing the ire of Nikola Jokic that resulted in a scuffle between both teams. It's unclear whether there will be any disciplinary action for Game 5 on Monday for the parties involved, but the Timberwolves can't afford to lose any more players for the rest of the playoffs, as they'll be without Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) until next season at minimum and Anthony Edwards (knee) for the remainder of the series and beyond. McDaniels has averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists over 36.0 minutes per game through the first four games of the series.