NBA Player News

Porzingis (calf) is listed as probable for Thursday's game versus the Cavaliers, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.

Despite dealing with a nagging calf issue, Porzingis is expected to suit up for the first leg of Thursday's back-to-back against Cleveland. The 28-year-old big man saw a full workload, tallying 21 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes during Tuesday's contest.

Valanciunas registered 16 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 18 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal across 33 minutes during Wednesday's 142-122 win over Washington.

The 18 boards were a season high for Valanciunas, while the double-double was his fifth in the last six games and 12th of the year in 25 contests. The veteran center had a bit of a slow start to the campaign on the glass and is still averaging below 10 boards a game for the first time since 2018-19, but over his last 12 games, he's delivered 14.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 blocks a night.

Embiid closed Wednesday's 129-111 win over the Pistons with 41 points (14-24 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 12-12 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals across 31 minutes.

The All-Star center piled up 30 of those points in the first half, as the Sixers grabbed an early lead they wouldn't relinquish. Embiid has reeled off eight straight games with at least a double-double, tossing one triple-double into the mix as well. Over that stretch, he's averaging a dominant 36.5 points, 12.0 boards, 6.9 assists, 2.1 blocks, 1.3 steals and 1.1 threes while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor. The departure of James Harden has allowed Embiid to take on more of a distribution role in the Philly offense, and his 6.4 assists a night on the season are more than two dimes better than his previous career high.

Nurkic chipped in 15 points (7-15 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 22 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 31 minutes during Wednesday's 116-112 loss to the Nets.

Wednesday was a significant day for Phoenix with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal taking the court together for the first time, but Nurkic served up a reminder that he's an integral part of the the team as well. The big man finished third on the Suns in scoring and pulled a team-high 22 boards, outrebounding the rest of the team's starting lineup combined. It was the first time this season that Nurkic has grabbed 20 or more boards, and his total tally of 22 rebounds was one shy of his career-best mark set on New Year's Day in 2019 against Sacramento while a member of the Trail Blazers.

Boucher finished Wednesday's 135-128 victory over the Hawks with two points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and two blocks across 10 minutes.

Boucher played through a recent quad injury, blocking two shots in 10 minutes. Unfortunately, he didn't contribute much on the offensive end of the court. He recorded just two points and didn't have much shot volume, continuing his disappointing season. Despite a somewhat fantasy-friendly game, Boucher's days of being a viable asset appear to have passed him by.

Poeltl amassed 15 points (5-8 FG, 5-8 FT), 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks over 32 minutes during Wednesday's 135-128 victory over the Hawks.

Poeltl played at least 30 minutes for the first time in more than two weeks, delivering his 10th double-double of the season. He added at least three blocks for just the fourth time, rounding out one of his better overall performances. With that said, he remains outside the top 90 in standard leagues, a rank that managers would love to see increase moving forward.

Gibson (recently signed) won't play in Wednesday's game against the Jazz, Steve Popper of Newsday reports.

An earlier report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Wednesday noted that Gibson signed a one-year deal to return to New York. However, with the transaction yet to officially be processed, he'll be unable to suit up Wednesday. However, he's expected to join the team at some point during the Knicks' five-game road trip, which ends Dec. 20.

Ayton (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Jazz.

Ayton has missed three straight contests with right knee soreness and is at risk of missing a fourth straight tilt. If he can't go Thursday, expect Duop Reath to remain in the first unit.

Biyombo will start Wednesday at Houston.

After a one-game stint with the reserves, Biyombo will return to the first unit for Wednesday's tilt. In 15 starts this season, Biyombo is averaging 6.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over 26.8 minutes.

Kessler (foot) will play in Wednesday's game against the Knicks.

Kessler will return from a one-game absence due to right foot soreness after initially being labeled questionable for Wednesday's tilt. In 15 games, Kessler is averaging 8.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks across 25.1 minutes. The second-year big man will continue to come off the bench behind Kelly Olynyk at the center position.