NBA Player News

Clingan (illness) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Bulls.

Clingan was added to Thursday afternoon's injury report due to an illness, which is severe enough for the second-year center to be sidelined against Chicago. Robert Williams (foot) and Yang Hansen (back) have both been cleared to play and should see more minutes off the bench while Scoot Henderson enters the starting lineup. Saturday against the Hornets is Clingan's next chance to play.

Riley will start Thursday versus the Hawks.

Riley will fill in for Kyshawn George, who is nursing a knee injury, and he'll be joined in the first unit by Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and Tristan Vukcevic. Riley played well in his previous two starts this season with averages of 17.0 points, 2.0 assists, 2.5 triples and 2.0 swipes per contest, so he's on the radar as a potential streamer Thursday evening.

Kuminga is in the Hawks' starting lineup against the Wizards on Thursday, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Kuminga was impressive in his Hawks debut in Tuesday's blowout win against the Wizards, and he'll move into the starting five for Thursday's rematch due to the absences of Jalen Johnson (hip) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (foot). Kuminga ended Tuesday's game with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals over 24 minutes.

Risacher is starting Thursday's game against the Wizards, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Risacher will return to the starting five after coming off the bench in his team's last two games. The 2024 first-round pick out of France hasn't done much while running with the starters lately, as he's averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22.6 minutes over his last eight starts.

Sheppard is not in the Rockets' starting lineup against the Magic on Thursday,.

Sheppard was moved into the Rockets' starting lineup for Wednesday's 128-97 win over the Kings, and he put together a strong stat line with 28 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and seven three-pointers over 32 minutes. However, the second-year pro will revert to a bench role for the second leg of Houston's back-to-back set due to the return of Amen Thompson, the latter of whom will join Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith in the starting five.

Suggs will come off the bench Thursday against the Rockets.

The Magic evidently like the way the starting five has been playing together, so they'll elect to utilize Suggs off the bench in his return from a three-game absence. This will mark the first time this season that the 24-year-old has served in a bench role.

Gibson signed a contract with Memphis on Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Gibson's last NBA action took place during the 2024-25 season while he was with Charlotte, and as Charania notes, the USC product would be the 35th player to appear in an NBA game after turning 40 years old. His role has yet to be determined, but there could be a scenario in which he sees regular bench minutes with Santi Aldama (knee), Brandon Clarke (calf) and Zach Edey (ankle) all dealing with their respective injuries. At the very least, Gibson will provide key veteran leadership for a relatively young roster.

Johnson (shoulder) is available for Thursday's game against the Nets.

Johnson was late addition to the injury report with a left shoulder sprain, but he's good to go Thursday. Over his last 10 outings, Johnson has averaged 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 three-pointers in 21.6 minutes per game.

Anderson has agreed to a contract buyout with the Grizzlies and plans to sign with the Timberwolves upon clearing waivers, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Anderson will bring some depth to the forward spots in Minnesota, but it's unlikely he'll earn enough minutes to make a meaningful impact in fantasy leagues. Anderson's departure from Memphis should help Olivier-Maxence Prosper earn consistent minutes to close out the season.

Gafford is out for Thursday's game against the Kings due to right ankle injury management, per Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS Sports.

It's possible the Mavericks have an eye toward Gafford suiting up Friday against Memphis. Marvin Bagley is the most likely candidate to replace Gafford in the starting lineup and makes sense as a plug-and-play fantasy option Thursday.