NBA Player News

Smart will start Sunday's game against the Jazz, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Smart returned from a nine-game absence Friday, posting six points, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block in 18 minutes off the bench during a 101-73 win over Phoenix. Sunday will be the veteran's first start since March 21, but he's been a regular in the first five, averaging 9.5 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 29.6 minutes across 53 starts this season.

Clark will start Sunday against the Pelicans.

This will be Clark's first start of the season and he'll be joined in the first unit by Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Shannon, Joe Ingles and Joan Beringer. Clark owns per-36 averages of 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 triples and 2.0 steals this season.

Shannon will start Sunday's game against the Pelicans.

Shannon will make just his second start of the season due to the team resting the majority of their rotation players. Shannon has averaged an impressive 28.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 29.5 minutes per contest over his last two appearances.

Slawson was ejected in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Pistons after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul, Tony East of Forbes.com reports. He'll finish with two points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five steals, four assists, two rebounds and one block in 27 minutes.

Slawson got the starting nod in Sunday's regular-season finale and tallied a career-high five steals. However, he was ejected from the game with 9:33 remaining in the final quarter.

Valanciunas will come off the bench for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Spurs.

Nikola Jokic (wrist) will return from a one-game absence, but he'll likely have his minutes limited, so Valanciunas could still see quality playing time in the reserve role. Per 36 minutes this season, Valanciunas has averaged 23.3 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per contest.

Nnaji will start Sunday's game against the Spurs.

Nnaji will be making just his fourth start of the season. He has seen at least 25 minutes in each of his previous three starts.

Harper won't start Sunday's game against the Nuggets.

With Stephon Castle (knee) back in action, Harper will retreat to the second unit. Over his last five appearances off the bench, the rookie first-rounder has averaged 14.8 points, 4.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per contest.

Richard (back) is available for Sunday's game against the Clippers.

Richard was in danger of missing this contest, although he will be on the floor for a second consecutive game. With the Warriors locked into the final Play-In spot, there's a chance Richard might see more action than usual.

Small (thigh) is available for Sunday's game against the Rockets.

Small missed three straight games due to a left thigh contusion before being cleared to return against the Jazz on Friday. He didn't end up playing against Utah, though Adama Bal (ankle) will hit the inactive list Sunday, so Small could return to the rotation and see significant minutes for the shorthanded Grizzlies.

Clayton (hip) is out for Sunday's game against the Rockets.

Clayton will miss a second straight contest to close the regular season due to a left hip injury. His rookie campaign comes to a close with a solid stretch of games, as he averaged 13.2 points, 6.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per contest over his last five appearances, scoring in double figures in each of those games.