NBA Player News

Towns (knee) is active and starting in Tuesday's game against the Thunder.

Towns will be able to return from left knee soreness following a one-game absence, which is excellent news considering he appeared very hobbled after suffering the injury in-game versus the Lakers on Thursday. Minnesota's lineup will be at full strength for a duel against the Thunder, who entered Tuesday with an 18-9 record, 3.5 games behind Minnesota atop the Western Conference.

Collins (knee) is available for Tuesday's game against the Jazz, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.

Victor Wembanyama (ankle) has also been cleared, so Collins will presumably come off the bench. Collins fared well in a spot start Saturday against Dallas, scoring 14 points (6-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt) with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals across 28 minutes.

Nurkic (personal) is probable for Wednesday's game against the Rockets.

This is great news for a Phoenix team that has been without its starting center for the past two games. Nurkic will presumably be back in the starting lineup, where he will be matched up against Alperen Sengun. Through nine December contests, Nurkic has averaged 14.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.0 steals.

Duren (ankle) is cleared to play and in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against Brooklyn, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.

Duren went through Detroit's full slate of morning shootaround and pregame warm-ups Tuesday, and he's officially cleared for action following a 19-game absence. Despite rejoining the starting lineup, Duren topping out at 20-25 minute workload isn't implausible given his lengthy absence. He is averaging 28.9 minutes per game across 14 appearances this season.

Zeller (ankle) will play Tuesday against Memphis.

Zeller has been cleared to play following a two-game absence due to a right ankle sprain. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had logged 20-plus minutes in each of Zeller's latest absences, but he's a candidate to be subtracted from the Pelicans' frontcourt rotation.

Vucevic will not play Tuesday against Atlanta due to a bruised adductor, Cody Westerlund of 670TheScore.com reports.

Vucevic will miss his first game since the spring of 2022 after appearing in all 82 games last season and starting the Bulls' first 31 contests of 2023-24. Andre Drummond will likely start and has streaming credibility for his rebounding prowess, while coach Billy Donovan noted that Terry Taylor and Patrick Williams could also see small-ball minutes at the five.

Embiid (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Magic, Ky Carlin of USA Today reports.

Embiid will miss a second consecutive game due to a right ankle sprain, and his status moving forward remains unclear. Wednesday's matchup is the second contest of Philadelphia's current four-game road trip, and given Embiid currently isn't with the team in Orlando, it's safe to presume his availability for Friday's contest in Houston and Saturday's showdown in Chicago is also in doubt. Paul Reed should draw another start at center Wednesday.

Koloko (illness) will not play Wednesday versus Washington.

Koloko has yet to suit up this season while dealing with a respiratory illness. He remains sidelined indefinitely.

Len (ankle) is available for Tuesday's matchup against Portland.

Len is available for the first time since Nov. 13. JaVale McGee was operating as the primary backup to Domantas Sabonis in Len's absence. In six appearances, Len has averaged 2.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.0 minutes, so his availability shouldn't impact Sacramento's rotation.

Lively (ankle) recorded 20 points (8-9 FG, 4-9 FT), 10 rebounds and one assist across 32 minutes during Monday's 128-114 victory over Phoenix.

In his return from a four-game absence due to a sprained ankle, Lively reclaimed his spot in the starting five and didn't seem to miss a beat. He turned in a highly efficient performance from the field and secured his fifth double-double of the season, though the lack of blocks and poor free-throw shooting lessened the overall impact of his strong contributions elsewhere. Regardless, fantasy managers are likely happy to see a productive outing from the rookie center in his first game back, and he faced no obvious playing-time restriction.