NBA Player News

Drummond (ankle) is available for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game versus the Hawks, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Drummond has been upgraded from questionable to available Wednesday after missing Chicago's previous three contests with a left ankle sprain. Drummond has averaged 9.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 18.5 minutes across his previous 10 appearances.

Fernando will come off the bench for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game against the Bulls, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Fernando drew the start in the final game of the regular season but he'll retreat to the second unit since Clint Capela (rest) is back in action. While it's assumed Atlanta will trim down their rotation, Fernando should see upwards of 20 minutes Wednesday.

Capela (rest) isn't on the injury report for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game against the Bulls.

Capela will return to action Wednesday after sitting out Atlanta's regular-season finale for rest purposes. The 29-year-old big man should reclaim his starting spot from Bruno Fernando. Capela has averaged 12.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals in 28.6 minutes across his past 10 appearances.

Bamba won't start Wednesday's Play-In Game against the Heat.

With Joel Embiid (knee) sidelined, Bamba drew a spot start during the regular-season finale and posted four points, six rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes during a 107-86 win over Brooklyn. Across 40 appearances off the bench this season, Bamba has averaged 3.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 10.3 minutes per game.

Embiid is available and in the starting lineup for Tuesday's Play-In Tournament game against the 76ers.

As expected, Embiid has been upgraded from questionable to available Tuesday despite dealing with a left knee injury. The superstar big man tallied 29 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes during his only other appearance against Miami this season.

The Thunder announced Wednesday that Sarr sustained a ruptured left Achilles' tendon rupture while playing for the G League's Oklahoma City Blue on Monday in the club's 117-100 win over the Maine Celtics in Game 3 of the G League Finals.

While the Thunder are expected to release an updated return timetable for Sarr in the coming months, he'll need surgery to address the injury and will likely miss a significant chunk of the 2024-25 season. Sarr split time between the NBA and G League this season as a two-way player and would have been ineligible to compete for the Thunder in the playoffs even if he hadn't suffered the significant injury Monday. Sarr is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Embiid (knee) remains questionable but is expected to play Wednesday against the Heat, barring a setback during warmups, Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Embiid got through the team's morning shootaround without issue, but the 76ers' medical staff would like him to get through his pregame routine before officially clearing him. However, it seems very likely that he'll be out there, so he's a reasonable target in daily fantasy leagues.

The NBA announced Wednesday that Porter has received a lifetime ban for violating the league's gaming rules, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Commissioner Adam Silver suggested last week that a lifetime ban from the NBA was on the table for Porter, and the league officially confirmed the punishment Wednesday. Per a press release from the NBA, Porter "disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor" and limited his playing time to impact his prop bets in at least one Raptors game. Porter also placed at least 13 bets on NBA games between January and March of 2024, although none of the wagers involved a game in which Porter played. The league's investigation remains open, but Porter will be permanently barred from playing in the league.

Embiid (knee) participated in Wednesday's morning shootaround, Ky Carlin of USA Today reports.

Embiid logged two straight practices coming into the morning shootaround, but he's still carrying a questionable tag for Wednesday's game against Miami. Despite the questionable designation, it would be a big surprise if Embiid was unable to suit up Wednesday.

Jackson-Davis amassed two points (1-1 FG) and one rebound in 11 minutes during Tuesday's 118-94 Play-In Game loss to Sacramento.

Jackson-Davis got the starting nod Tuesday but was limited to just 11 minutes in the loss. He was simply outclassed here, resulting in the Warriors leaning more into their veterans in an attempt to get the victory. While it has been a disappointing season for Golden State, Jackson-Davis has been a positive, carving out a consistent role on a team in need of a youth movement.