NBA Player News

Ayton suffered a knee contusion during the first half of Sunday’s game and was not on the floor to begin the third quarter. Just before the start of the fourth, the Lakers announced that he would not return. Jaxson Hayes started the third quarter, with Maxi Kleber entering the rotation when he needed a break. That will likely be the rotation if Ayton can’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Clippers.

Williams missed Saturday’s game with an illness, but despite his questionable listing seems on track to play in Thursday’s game against the Pelicans. The 28-year-old center returned to a full practice on Tuesday. With Williams back, Yang Hansen will likely move to the bench and Duop Reath will see fewer minutes.

Clingan is set to miss his third game in a row with a leg injury. This isn’t much of a surprise as the 21-year-old center wasn’t able to fully participate in Tuesday’s practice. With Clingan out again, expect Robert Williams to start.

Booker is set to miss his fourth game in a row with a groin injury. The 29-year-old shooting guard was originally listed as questionable Wednesday against the Thunder. With Booker out, expect Collin Gillespie to continue starting for the Suns.

Kleber was initially listed as questionable with a back injury. The 33-year-old power forward is set to miss the contest, but his absence doesn’t significantly impact fantasy basketball.

Green hasn’t played since injuring his shoulder in last Friday’s game against the Pistons. Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters Green could be available on Thursday. If he’s out again, expect Kyle Kuzma to start and Gary Trent Jr. to play significant minutes off the bench.

Poole has been out since early November with a quad injury. The 26-year-old point guard is nearing a return given his questionable listing for Thursday’s game against the Blazers. Jose Alvarado will continue to serve as the backup point guard if Poole is ultimately ruled out again.

Miami only plays five games over the next two weeks, so Larsson shouldn’t miss many games. This isn’t a definitive timeline, but the expectation is that this isn’t a long-term absence. While he’s out, Dru Smith should fill extra reserve minutes in the backcourt.

Bryant is a late addition to the injury report, and if he is unavailable for the NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan would each likely take on a few extra minutes. However, that won’t make much of an impact on the Spurs’ rotation.

Lively was reportedly seeking other opinions last week, which is never a positive sign. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but after appearing in just seven games, his third year in the NBA will end up as a lost one. Anthony Davis will be asked to spend more time at center, especially when Daniel Gafford isn’t available. There will also be extra minutes for Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell, though only as depth pieces. Lively will only be 22 years old at the start of next season and will be an enticing option in fantasy hoops. However, he can be safely dropped in redraft leagues at this point.

Brunson took over this game early, and he entered halftime with 26 points. He wasn’t as dominant in the second half, but he did enough to help the Knicks advance to the semifinals of the NBA Cup. This was Brunson’s third straight game with at least 30 points, and he’ll look to keep that going against the Magic in Las Vegas on Saturday, with a chance to advance to the NBA Cup championship on Monday.