NBA Player News

Barnes (illness) is available for Friday's game against the Suns, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Barnes will shed his questionable tag due to an illness and suit up Friday. The star forward will hope to bounce back after a lackluster offensive performance in Wednesday's loss to New Orleans, during which he posted nine points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field. In five March games, Barnes has averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.8 minutes per contest.

Jovic (back) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Magic.

Jovic hasn't played since Feb. 20 due to low back injury management. The Heat haven't provided many details regarding where exactly Jovic stands in the recovery process, but the Serbian big man seems unlikely to reclaim a rotation spot once he's finally cleared to play.

Smith is listed as probable for Saturday's game against the Magic due to a right hip contusion.

The right hip issue is a new concern for Smith, who has seen increased playing time of late due to Norman Powell (groin) being sidelined. The probable tag suggests Smith is on track to play Saturday, though he'd likely see a dip in minutes if Powell is upgraded from questionable to available after missing the Heat's last seven games.

Powell (groin) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Magic.

Powell will aim to end a seven-game absence due to a right groin strain after being upgraded to questionable for Saturday's contest. If the veteran swingman is cleared to return, there would be fewer minutes available for the likes of Kasparas Jakucionis, Dru Smith (hip) and Simone Fontecchio.

Wiggins (toe) will remain on the inactive list for Saturday's game versus the Magic.

This will be Wiggins' fifth consecutive game on the sidelines, and it's not a good sign that he continues to get ruled out a day in advance of tipoff. For now, he should be considered highly questionable for Tuesday's game in Charlotte.

Cooper is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Celtics due to a right ankle and foot sprain.

After appearing in each of Washington's last 19 contests, Cooper could be at risk of missing Saturday's contest due to the lower-body injury. The two-way player has handled a muted role when Trae Young has been available for the Wizards, logging no more than 10 minutes in any of Young's first three appearances with Washington.

Herro (quadriceps) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Magic.

Herro is in danger of missing a third consecutive game Saturday, but we'll have a better idea on his status based on his activity level at shootaround. If he's ruled out again, Pelle Larsson and Davion Mitchell will likely continue to split his touches and minutes.

Daniels (toe) isn't listed on the injury report for Saturday's game against the Bucks.

Daniels was held out of Thursday's win over Brooklyn due to a left toe sprain, though he's set to return to action Saturday. With the 22-year-old guard returning to the lineup, Corey Kispert should slide back to the second unit. Over his last five games, Daniels has averaged 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.2 combined steals-plus-blocks in 32.8 minutes per tilt.

Kuminga (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Bucks.

Kuminga will receive a rest day Saturday after he recently returned from a three-game absence due to a left knee bone bruise, but he should be back in action for Monday's game against the Magic. Zaccharie Risacher and Mouhamed Gueye will likely pick up the slack in Kuminga's absence Saturday.

Porter is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against Atlanta due to right knee synovitis.

Porter returned from a four-game absence due to the same injury in Thursday's loss to Miami, playing 28 minutes and finishing with six points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. He's not believed to have experienced a setback in that contest, so his potential absence Saturday is likely just maintenance-related as the Bucks head into a back-to-back set. Even if Porter ends up playing Saturday, he'll be a candidate to sit out Sunday's home game versus the Pacers.