NBA Player News

Bamba (knee) continues battling soreness, but the Clippers are optimistic he can be available for the first week of the regular season, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.

Optimism for Bamba's Opening Night status could be dwindling slightly. He dealt with a fat pad impingement in his right knee last season, where a section of fatty tissue located behind his kneecap tendon gets pinched and inflamed, but it's unclear if his current soreness is related to the same issues.

Landale (rest) will be inactive for Thursday's preseason finale against San Antonio, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Landale will represent the team's only healthy scratch Thursday as Houston continues ramping up for Wednesday's regular-season opener against Charlotte. Landale "has taken a few bangs in training camp," per Lerner, hence the lightened workload.

Richards finished Tuesday's 111-105 preseason loss to the Knicks with eight points (1-1 FG, 6-6 FT), three rebounds, one block and one steal across 18 minutes.

Richards has started in each of the Hornets' four preseason games as Mark Williams continues to work through a foot injury. If Williams is unable to suit up for Opening Night, Richards should serve as Charlotte's starting center until the former returns. Richards started 51 of 67 regular-season games for the Hornets last year and averaged 9.7 points on 69.1 percent shooting and 8.0 rebounds across 26.3 minutes per game.

Nurkic (finger) plans to return to action in Thursday's preseason finale against the Lakers, Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reports.

Nurkic has yet to play in the preseason as he recovers from a left finger injury, but Phoenix's starting big appears to be near full health. Nurkic is right-handed, so any lingering limitations from his finger injury would have minimal impact on his shooting.

Adebayo scored 20 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 6-9 FT) while adding three rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks in 24 minutes during Tuesday's 120-117 preseason win over the Spurs.

The veteran center led all scorers on the night while also making an impact on the defensive end in an efficient performance. Adebayo has averaged a double-double in three of the last five campaigns while producing at least 2.0 steals-plus-blocks a game in all five of those seasons. There's no reason to suspect the 27-year-old's numbers are going to suddenly decline in 2024-25.

Poeltl scored 15 points (6-8 FG, 3-3 FT) while adding 16 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes during Tuesday's 119-118 preseason win over the Celtics.

It's the veteran center's second straight double-double in exhibition action. Injuries limited Poeltl to only 50 regular-season games in 2023-24, but when he's on the court he's a key secondary contributor for the Raptors.

Davis totaled 24 points (10-14 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot across 26 minutes in Tuesday's 111-97 preseason loss to the Warriors.

The Lakers gave the first unit more minutes on Tuesday, resulting in a higher total for Davis. The double-double is in line with what we should expect from Davis on a nightly basis in the regular season, although staying healthy is paramount for the veteran big man. He appeared in a career-high 74 games during the 2023-24 campaign.

Hartenstein delivered 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-7 FT), three rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block across 21 minutes in Tuesday's 124-94 preseason win over the Nuggets.

Hartenstein got the start at center with Chet Holmgren at power forward, and don't be surprised if the Thunder open their regular-season campaign against the Nuggets on Oct. 24 with this frontcourt setup. Even if he doesn't start and plays off the bench, Hartenstein will undoubtedly be a key contributor for Oklahoma City moving forward.

Jordan (rest) scored six points (2-3 FG, 2-6 3Pt) while adding nine rebounds and an assist across 17 minutes off the bench in Tuesday's 124-94 preseason loss to the Thunder.

Jordan returned to the hardwood after not playing in Denver's previous two preseason games. The veteran big man is expected to be a depth option off the bench and will likely be the third- or fourth-string center, with Dario Saric and Zeke Nnaji competing for the backup role behind Nikola Jokic.

Sabonis tallied 29 points (11-21 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 6-8 FT), 16 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 36 minutes during Tuesday's 117-114 preseason win over the Jazz.

Sabonis continued his dominant stretch of play Tuesday, and he converted his first three-pointer of the preseason. Sabonis led the NBA in triple-doubles with 26 last season and doesn't appear to be slowing down heading into the 2024-25 campaign.