NBA Player News

Ayton (illness) will play in Saturday's game against the Pelicans, Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian reports.

Ayton was unable to play Thursday against Detroit, so Jabari Walker drew the start at center and put up 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks in 43 minutes. Although Walker could return to the bench, he'll likely maintain a large role for the shorthanded Trail Blazers.

Sims (illness) won't play in Saturday's game against the Pacers, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.

Sims isn't a major part of the rotation, but his absence for the third game in a row looms large with Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles) joining Julius Randle (shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) on the sideline. Taj Gibson and Precious Achiuwa will likely absorb nearly all the minutes at center Saturday.

Gibson is in the starting lineup to face the Pacers on Saturday, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.

Gibson will get the starting nod due to Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles) and Jericho Sims (illness) being sidelined. This will be the first start of the campaign for the veteran, who has made 13 appearances off the bench this term, averaging 10.2 minutes per contest.

Fernando (illness) will not play in Saturday's game against Houston.

Fernando has been picking up the backup center minutes recently with Clint Capela (thigh) out, averaging 13.3 minutes over his past three games. The Hawks are likely to utilize some smaller lineups with Fernando sidelined.

Tillman (knee) won't play against the Heat on Sunday, Justin Turpin of WEEI.com reports.

After being acquired from the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Tillman acknowledged he has no precise timeline to resume game action while he recovers from a sore left knee. The Celtics will continue to evaluate Tillman's status on a game-by-game basis, but he'll most likely sit out the team's upcoming Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back set with the Nets to heal up in advance of the All-Star break. Once healthy, Tillman could challenge Luke Kornet for a role as the Celtics' fourth option in the frontcourt behind Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.

Zeller is considered questionable for Saturday's matchup with Portland due to left knee soreness, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.

Zeller's final status will likely depend on how his knee is feeling closer to tipoff. He has not been a regular part of the Pelicans' rotation, so a potential absence is not likely to have an impact on anyone else's playing time.

Coach Tyronn Lue said Zubac will still be on a minutes restriction for Saturday's game versus the Pistons and next week against Minnesota and Golden State, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.

Zubac has played just 18 and 21 minutes, respectively, in his last two games since missing a lengthy period due to a calf injury. However, the 26-year-old big man should continue to ramp up his playing time over the next week.

Bamba will not play in Saturday's matchup with with the Wizards due to right knee soreness, Austin Krell of USA Today reports.

Bamba presumably picked up the injury in Friday's loss to the Hawks. It is not surprising to see the 76ers err on the side of caution with the big man's knee on the second night of a back-to-back set. In his absence, Kenneth Lofton will likely see the backup center minutes behind Paul Reed.

Sengun will not play in Saturday's game in Atlanta due to lower back pain, Ben DuBose of USA Today reports.

Sengun presumably picked up the injury in the Rockets' previous loss to the Raptors. The absence will mark his first of the season. As a result, Jeff Green, Jock Landale and Boban Marjanovic are all candidates to see increased workloads at center. Sengun's next chance to play will come Monday versus the Knicks.

Gafford isn't in the starting lineup for Saturday's game versus the Thunder, Grant Afseth of SI.com reports.

Gafford will make his Mavericks debut Saturday against the Thunder. However, Gafford will likely be eased into the rotation and should serve as the backup center to Maxi Kleber, with Dereck Lively (nose) being ruled out again.