NBA Player News

Wembanyama (ankle) is out for Thursday's game against the Nuggets, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.

Wembanyama tested out his right ankle injury during warmups, but he's simply not feeling healthy enough to give it a go. Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk are candidates to start in Wembanyama's place.

Markkanen (hip) won't play Friday versus the Trail Blazers.

Markkanen is expected to be re-evaluated soon, but the fact that he's still getting ruled out 24 hours in advance of tipoff suggests he's still not close. Until the Jazz provide a meaningful update on where Markkanen is in his recovery, he should be viewed as week-to-week.

Murray (ankle) will play Thursday against the Spurs.

Murray carried a probable tag leading up to tipoff, and he's since been cleared to play after testing his ankle in pregame warmups. The Kentucky product is averaging 27.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists in his previous five matchups.

George (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday's game in Portland.

George suffered a right hamstring strain during Wednesday's loss to the Knicks, so it's not surprising at all to see him hit the sidelines for Thursday's game. Given the tricky nature of hamstring injuries, partnered with Utah's desire to try and keep their top-8 protected pick in the upcoming draft, this is something that could turn into a multi-game absence for George. Isaiah Collier will be the primary beneficiary while George is out.

Garland is out for Friday's game against the Bulls due to left toe injury management, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.

Garland will take a seat Friday after playing in three straight games for LA. The Clippers have shown a tendency to start Kris Dunn at point guard when Garland isn't available, so that option should be on the table versus Chicago.

Rupert will start Thursday versus Dallas.

Joining Rupert in the starting lineup for Thursday's game will be Javon Small, Jaylen Wells, GG Jackson and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. In Rupert's previous start this season, he finished with five points (2-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five rebounds, two steals and one turnover in 32 minutes.

Jackson will start Thursday's game against Dallas.

Jackson came off the bench Tuesday in Philly, but he'll rejoin the starting lineup Thursday evening, bumping Taylor Hendricks back to a reserve role. There will be plenty of minutes to go around for both Jackson and Hendricks considering Memphis has only seven active players for Thursday's matchup.

Small will start Thursday versus the Mavericks.

Small should get all the run he can handle as one of the eight available players on the Memphis roster for Thursday's game. Across two starts this season, Small has posted averages of 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 triples and 1.0 steals per game.

Hendricks isn't in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against Dallas.

Hendricks started Tuesday's game against Philly, but he'll revert to the bench Thursday with the Grizzlies choosing to see what GG Jackson can do in a starting role. Hendricks logged 26 minutes off the bench Saturday and should see plenty of playing time against Dallas given the fact that he's one of seven active Memphis players for Thursday's tilt.

Coward (knee) won't play Thursday against the Mavs.

Coward will sit out Thursday's game, with it being the first of a back-to-back set, but he should return for Friday's meeting with the Pistons. With Coward unavailable, Jahmai Mashack, Javon Small and Rayan Rupert should see an uptick in minutes.