NBA Player News

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was non-committal after Wednesday's 127-89 loss to the Thunder regarding whether Wembanyama (ankle) will be available for Friday's game against the Nuggets, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports. "We don't have a plan yet. Just see how his ankle is and we'll go from there," Popovich said of the rookie.

After appearing in seven straight games, Wembanyama sat out Wednesday with what the Spurs termed as "right ankle injury management." Based on that label, Wembanyama's absence in Oklahoma City was believed to be mainly for rest purposes as the Spurs played the second leg of a back-to-back set, but Popovich's comments suggest that the star center is dealing with a legitimate injury that could keep him out again Friday. If the Spurs opt to hold out Wembanyama for a second straight game, Zach Collins would be in store for another start at center and would make for an attractive streaming option.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that Porter (personal), who is under investigation by the league following multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months, could face a permanently ban from the league if the investigation finds that the 24-year-old had any involvement in the increased betting interest surrounding his prop bets earlier in the season, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports. "I have an enormous range of discipline available to me," Silver said. "But it's a cardinal sin, what he's accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. Because there's nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe."

Porter hasn't suited up for Toronto since March 22, with the Raptors listing him out for "personal reasons" while the investigation is ongoing. He'll almost certainly remain away from the Raptors for the rest of the season, and based on Silver's comments, Porter's future in the NBA moving forward would appear to be in significant question. The league's investigation stems from prop bets involving Porter for games played Jan. 26 and March 20, when the center exited those contests early due to an eye injury and an illness while playing just four and three minutes, respectively. According to the DraftKings Sportsbook, "unders" on Porter prop bets ended up being the biggest moneymakers for NBA bettors on both of those dates. For his part, Porter has yet to issue a public comment on the NBA's investigation.

Gobert logged 13 points (6-7 FG, 1-3 FT), 15 rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals in 39 minutes during Wednesday's 116-107 loss to Denver.

Although Gobert couldn't contain Jokic's scoring barrage, he fared about as well as possible off the glass against the presumptive MVP. The defensive stalwart played 39 minutes and seemed to run out of gas in the final frame, allowing Jokic to contribute nine points during a 22-7 run. The Timberwolves hope to have Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) back for the playoffs, and his presence could be the difference-maker if Minnesota meets Denver again in the Western Conference Finals.

Jokic closed with 41 points (16-20 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 7-12 FT), 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 38 minutes during Wednesday's 116-107 win over the Timberwolves.

Jokic turned in a majestic performance with the top seed in the West on the line. Jokic recorded this number despite being guarded by Rudy Gobert, who is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. Despite the critical win, the Nuggets are only one game ahead of Minnesota and Oklahoma City, so Jokic should still be on the floor for the final two games and probably won't get any pre-playoff rest.

Zubac didn't play in Wednesday's 124-108 loss to the Suns on Wednesday after being listed as available for the contest.

Shortly before tipoff, the Clippers were officially locked into the Western Conference's fourth seed in the NBA Playoffs. With most of their starting lineup out with injury, Zubac also got the night off after dealing with left ankle inflammation heading into Wednesday's contest. Instead, Mason Plumlee and Daniel Theis handled the majority of the center work. The Clippers have two games left in the regular season -- the first of which comes Friday against the Jazz -- and it's unclear how much, if at all, Zubac will play in those contests given the ankle issue and the team's locked-in playoff slot.

Zubac is not on the court during pre-game introductions for Wednesday's game against Phoenix, Justin Russo of the 'Clip & Roll' podcast reports.

Zubac was deemed available for the contest after being listed as questionable with an ankle injury. However, after not being listed in the starting lineup, Zubac isn't on the court during pre-game activities and could end up being inactive Wednesday, though nothing's been made official yet.

Eubanks will come off the bench for Wednesday's game against the Clippers.

Eubanks will rejoin the reserves for Wednesday's game due to Jusuf Nurkic being back from a one-game absence. In his last 10 appearances, Eubanks is averaging 4.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.

Plumlee will start Wednesday's game against the Suns, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Despite Ivica Zubac being active, Plumlee will draw the starting nod against Phoenix. He shouldn't be expected to see typical starter's minutes but could be a decent source of rebounds.

Zubac will not start Wednesday's game against the Suns, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.

Zubac has been dealing with inflammation in his left ankle ahead of Wednesday's game and will likely have his minutes monitored. He will be replaced by Mason Plumlee in the first unit.

Zubac (ankle) is available for Wednesday's game versus the Suns.

Zubac has been upgraded from questionable to available Wednesday despite dealing with left ankle inflammation. The 26-year-old big man has been one of the most efficient players in the league, shooting 64.7 percent from the field this season.