NBA Player News

Towns (knee) is questionable for Thursday's game against the Mavericks.

Towns was sidelined for Saturday's win over Sacramento due to knee soreness but cleared an injury designation and played 29 minutes during Tuesday's loss to the Thunder, posting 16 points, six rebounds, one assist and five turnovers. It appears the issue is still bothering the talented big man, so if he's sidelined, Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson and Jaden McDaniels would be candidates for increased roles again.

Len (ankle) logged two minutes in Tuesday's 130-113 loss to the Trail Blazers, recording no statistics during his time on the floor.

All of Len's playing time came in the fourth quarter, when the outcome of the game was already decided. Though he's fully healthy again after missing six weeks with a high-ankle sprain, Len looks to be behind Domantas Sabonis, JaVale McGee and Trey Lyles on the depth chart at center.

Nurkic (personal) is available for Wednesday's game in Houston.

As expected, Nurkic has been upgraded from probable to available and will return to action following a two-game absence due to personal reasons. Across nine December appearances, Nurkic is averaging 14.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks in 30.1 minutes per game. He shouldn't face any restrictions during Wednesday's contest.

Yurtseven (illness) played two minutes in Tuesday's 130-118 win over the Spurs, missing his only field-goal attempt while recording no other statistics.

Though Yurtseven received minutes in his return from a four-game absence due to an illness, he wasn't included in the rotation. Yurtseven and three other deep reserves (Brice Sensabaugh, Luka Samanic and Taylor Hendricks) all played the final 2:08 of the contest when Utah had essentially already secured the win. With Utah at full strength in the frontcourt, Yurtseven looks as though he'll rank no higher than third in the pecking order at center behind Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk.

Claxton will not play in Wednesday's game versus the Bucks due to left ankle injury maintenance, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.

The Nets' schedule has been congested recently, as this is their second consecutive back-to-back set. Claxton played 26 minutes Tuesday night and finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. He will get the night off Wednesday but should be back in the lineup Friday against Washington. Day'Ron Sharpe had one of the best games of his season Tuesday, and he's likely to see increased playing time against the Bucks.

Drummond tallied 24 points (11-13 FG, 2-2 FT), 25 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and one assist across 39 minutes in Tuesday's 118-113 win over the Hawks.

Making his first start of the season in place of the injured Nikola Vucevic (groin), Drummond proceeded to deliver perhaps the best fantasy line from any player during the NBA's nine-game Tuesday slate. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Vucevic is expected to miss at least the next 7-to-10 days with his injury, likely setting Drummond up for a multi-game run as the Bulls' starting center. Given the lack of frontcourt depth behind him on the Chicago roster, Drummond could continue to have a clear path to 30-plus-minutes, and while fantasy managers shouldn't expect performances on par with Tuesday's outing regularly, he should remain an elite source of rebounds and a strong contributor in the points, field-goal percentage, blocks and steals categories for however long he sticks as a starter. Drummond looks like an excellent short-term pickup in both 12-team category and points leagues until Vucevic is back in action.

Gafford recorded 13 points (6-7 FG, 1-2 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals over 32 minutes during Tuesday's 127-119 loss to the Magic.

Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma are the undisputed leaders on offense for the Wizards, but Gafford has found a way to make his presence felt on both ends of the court. This was his fifth double-double of the season, and the big man has been playing well on offense of late, scoring 13 or more points in four of his last five appearances.

Vucevic is expected to miss at least the next 7-to-10 days with his left groin strain, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Given the estimated timeline, Vucevic will be sidelined for at least the Bulls' next four games after he missed his first game of the season in Tuesday's 118-113 win over the Hawks due to the injury. While the loss of Vucevic is another tough blow to a Bulls squad that's already without Zach LaVine (foot), Andre Drummond looked more than capable as a replacement in the starting five for Vucevic on Tuesday. Drummond compiled 24 points (11-13 FG, 2-2 FT) with 25 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and one assist in 39 minutes in the win, and while that level of production shouldn't be expected in most games, he looks like a worthy pickup in just about every format while Vucevic is sidelined. Head coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday that the Bulls could deploy some smaller lineups when Drummond isn't on the floor, with both Patrick Williams and Terry Taylor being candidates to see some run at center.

Richards ended Tuesday's 113-104 loss to the Clippers with 13 points (5-6 FG, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one block in 33 minutes.

Richards drew an eighth consecutive start and continued to play well amid Mark Williams' (back) extended absence. The Kentucky product is finally showing his stuff after a rocky 2022-23 season marred by injury. Richards was excellent while healthy, and he's flashing his potential nightly during his run as a starter. The Hornets also have P.J. Washington in the frontcourt, making Charlotte a potential player at the trade deadline.

Zubac totaled 18 points (7-11 FG, 4-8 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 31 minutes during Tuesday's 113-104 victory over the Hornets.

The Clippers' starting lineup finally did enough to make up for Kawhi Leonard's (hip) absence, and Zubac enjoyed one of his best stat lines of the season in the win. Zubac's fantasy relevancy is boosted by the fact that the team doesn't have many options for replacement big men, as players like Daniel Theis and P.J. Tucker have struggled as primary backups in the absence of Mason Plumlee (knee).