NBA Player News

Williams (back) is out for Monday's game against the Nuggets.

Williams entered the day doubtful due to a lingering back injury, and the team has since confirmed that he'll miss another contest. His next chance to return will arrive Tuesday in Sacramento.

Ayton (knee) didn't travel with the Suns for Wednesday's game against Dallas, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.

The Suns have yet to officially rule Ayton out for Wednesday's clash, but this is a pretty good indication that the big man will miss at least one more contest. Per Rankin, Ayton stayed in Phoenix to receive "rigorous treatment" as he attempts to return to play as soon as possible.

Gobert ended with 10 points (3-8 FG, 4-6 FT), 15 rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes during Monday's 112-106 loss to New York.

The veteran center has delivered three straight double-doubles and five in the last six games en route to 21 through 31 contests. Gobert's looking much more comfortable in his second season with Minnesota, and over that six-game surge he's averaging 14.8 points, 12.3 boards, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 assists.

Reath (back) won't play Monday against the Suns, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Reath was previously added to the injury report as doubtful, so this update isn't a real surprise. His next opportunity to return will arrive Wednesday in Dallas.

Towns racked up 29 points (10-18 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 6-6 FT), six rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes during Monday's 112-106 loss to the Knicks.

The veteran center snapped out of a brief scoring slump that had seen him average 11.7 points over the prior three games while shooting just 37.9 percent from the floor. Towns' numbers have declined a bit from his peak, a product of Anthony Edwards' emergence on offense and Rudy Gobert's presence on defense, but he still produced 20.1 points, 9.6 boards, 2.8 assists and 1.6 threes over 12 contests in December.

Skapintsev was waived by the Knicks on Monday, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.

Skapintsev was on a two-way contract with the Knicks, but he played a total of two minutes across two appearances. It's not immediately clear if the Knicks have a replacement lined up for their vacant two-way slot.

The Heat recalled Robinson from the G League's Sioux Falls Skyforce on Monday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Miami is going to be shorthanded for Monday's game against the Clippers, so Robinson will provide some depth at the end of the bench. Robinson has made 13 appearances for Miami this season with averages of 6.1 points,f 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 16.2 minutes.

Embiid (ankle) will be back in action for Tuesday's game against the Bulls.

The 76ers have completely removed Embiid from the injury report after he missed the past four games with an ankle sprain. While Embiid was sidelined, the 76ers relied heavily on Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris on the offensive end, while Paul Reed saw a significant jump in minutes and produced some solid fantasy lines. Reed's minutes are likely to trend down to the teens again, while Mo Bamba will struggle to see playing time.

Sabonis had 13 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 21 rebounds, 12 assists and one steal across 32 minutes during Sunday's 123-92 win over the Grizzlies.

Sabonis didn't look good from an offensive perspective and struggled with his shot a bit, but he was impressive in other areas of the game and recorded his third triple-double over his last five appearances. The star big man is averaging 20.3 points, 13.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists since the start of December.

Nurkic logged 19 points (8-17 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 13 rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes during Sunday's 112-107 victory over Orlando.

Nurkic returned to action three games ago following a two-game absence due to personal reasons, and he's been outstanding down low for the Suns, tallying two double-doubles and recording at least 10 boards in every outing in that span. His scoring contributions will be secondary in a star-driven offense where Devin Booker and Kevin Durant lead the way, but Nurkic will remain valuable across all formats while being deployed as a two-way center in a starting role.