NBA Player News

The Thunder recalled Topic from the G League's Oklahoma City Blue on Friday, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Topic presumably took part in practice with the Blue earlier in the day before rejoining the parent club. The 2024 first-round pick will provide depth out of the backcourt for Friday's game against the Nuggets but may find himself outside of the rotation with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) set to return to action.

Smith is out for Saturday's game against the Heat with a right ankle sprain.

Smith rolled his ankle during Thursday's tilt against Orlando, and he'll need at least one game on the sidelines. The star big man can be deemed day-to-day ahead of Monday's clash versus the Wizards. Reed Sheppard is the most likely choice to replace Smith in the starting lineup and appears to be a strong fantasy option in all leagues Saturday.

Green (back) is expected to play in Saturday's game against the Lakers, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic.

Green practiced Friday, signaling that he's feeling better after sitting out Wednesday's contest against Memphis. With Kristaps Porzingis (illness) also appearing to be close to a return, Quinten Post is likely to be phased out of the Golden State rotation entirely if both Porzingis and Green are available Saturday.

Porzingis (illness) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Lakers, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic.

Porzingis practiced Friday, which is an encouraging sign as he aims to finish a three-game absence. If the star big man is able to play Saturday, fewer minutes would be available for Al Horford at center.

The Suns waived Anthony on Friday, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

The Suns acquired Anthony at the trade deadline in a deal with the Bucks, but the guard never joined the team and is now free to sign elsewhere on the open market. On the year, Anthony has averaged 6.7 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per tilt through 35 games with Milwaukee and should attract some attention from clubs in need of backcourt reinforcements.

Drummond (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Thursday in the 76ers' 124-117 win over the Heat.

Drummond saw action each of the 76ers' previous six games and started on four occasions, but he never appeared to be in line for a long-term stay in the rotation. Top center Joel Embiid was out of the lineup for five of those contests due to shin and knee injuries, and Drummond's minutes were limited to garbage time during the lone game in which Embiid was active during that stretch. With Thursday's game proving to be more competitive while Embiid made his second start in a row, head coach Nick Nurse kept Drummond on the bench and leaned exclusively on Adem Bona as the team's backup center.

Gardner (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Thursday in the Heat's 124-117 loss to the 76ers.

Recently upgraded from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, Gardner had appeared in each of the Heat's previous 10 contests, though his playing time had tailed off of late while Miami has moved closer to full health. The rookie ended up falling out of the rotation entirely Thursday, with head coach Erik Spoelstra opting to go with Simone Fontecchio (nine minutes) as the 10th man. Gardner could eventually take his spot on the second unit back from Fontecchio, but the former will realistically need Miami to be without multiple key contributors in order to see meaningful minutes in a given game.

Clark (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Thursday in the Timberwolves' 94-88 win over the Clippers.

For the second straight contest and the third time in four games, Clark failed to see any playing time. The third-year player had previously appeared in 28 straight contests from Dec. 21 through the All-Star break, but he averaged just 12.3 minutes per contest over that stretch. Clark appears to have ceded his meager role in head coach Chris Finch's rotation to fellow wing Terrence Shannon, who has received just 10 total minutes while taking the floor for the past two contests.

Mann (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Thursday's 126-110 loss to the Spurs.

Mann had appeared in each of the Nets' last seven contests and averaged 21.7 minutes per contest over that stretch, but head coach Jordi Fernandez opted to move the veteran wing out of the rotation Thursday to reopen a spot for Ziaire Williams, who had been a DNP-CD in the team's previous game Tuesday. The Nets may just have been building in a de facto rest day for Mann in the front end of the back-to-back set, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the 29-year-old re-entered the rotation Friday in Boston.

Toppin (foot) recorded three points (1-4 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal across eight minutes in Thursday's 133-109 loss to the Hornets.

Available to play for the first time since Oct. 26 after completing his recovery from right foot surgery, Toppin entered the starting five but ended up seeing the fewest minutes of any of the 10 players that the Pacers made active for the contest. While he'll likely head back to the bench if Pascal Siakam (wrist) is available for the Pacers' next game Sunday versus the Grizzlies, Toppin should at least see his minutes pick up a little bit in his second contest back from foot surgery.