NBA Player News

Queta (foot) is officially doubtful for Wednesday's game against Indiana.

Queta is dealing with right foot soreness, which caused him to miss Monday's game against the Wizards. Luke Kornet has a firm grasp on third-string center minutes, so even when Queta is cleared, he doesn't have a clear path to playing time.

Williams (rest) isn't listed on the injury report for Wednesday's game against the Pistons.

Williams took a seat Monday for rest purposes, but as expected, the big man will return to action Wednesday. Across three appearances with Portland, he's averaging 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.3 steals in 23.0 minutes per game.

Duren is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against Portland with a left ankle sprain.

Wednesday marks the front end of a back-to-back set for Detroit, so Duren could be at risk of missing one or both of those contests now that he's nursing an injury. The 19-year-old center notched double-doubles in each of the Pistons' first three games but took a step back in Monday's 124-112 loss to the Thunder, finishing with eight points (4-11 FG, 0-1 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in 23 minutes.

Gafford (ankle) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Hawks.

Gafford missed Monday's matchup against the Celtics after spraining his ankle in the first half of Saturday's win over Memphis. In his absence, Bilal Coulibaly drew his first career NBA start as the Wizards opted for a small-ball lineup versus Boston. If Gafford remains sidelined, Washington may trot out the same starting lineup against Atlanta, but don't be surprised if the Wizards mix things up given they struggled mightily versus the Celtics.

Koloko (illness) is out for Wednesday's matchup against Milwaukee.

Koloko has yet to appear this season due to a respiratory condition. Wednesday's contest is the first half of a back-to-back set, as Toronto plays Philadelphia on Thursday, and it's likely Koloko will remain sidelined for both contests.

Kornet had one rebound and one assist over 11 minutes during Monday's 126-107 win over Washington.

This game was over after Boston put up 42 points in the first quarter. That allowed coach Joe Mazzulla to play almost everyone from the Celtics' bench, including Kornet. The lanky center saw eight minutes Opening Night, then got a DNP-Coach's Decision in Game 2. Kornet is well behind centers Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford on the Celtics' depth chart. Mazzulla also likes to experiment with small-ball lineups, which hurts Kornet's ability to see the floor. A rash of injuries must occur for Kornet to see anything more than limited playing time.

Landale (concussion) has been cleared to play in Wednesday's game against the Hornets, Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610 Houston reports.

Landale was able to practice Tuesday after missing the past two games. He's expected to reprise his role as the primary backup to starting center Alperen Sengun.

The Hornets exercised Williams' third-year team option Tuesday, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The move was merely a formality, as the $4.09 million salary he'll be due in 2024-25 is a relative pittance for a player who closed his rookie season on a high note and is viewed as the Hornets' top center for the immediate future. Williams has gotten off to a bit of a slow start through three games this season, averaging 11.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game.

Richards accumulated four points (1-1 FG, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal in 13 minutes during Monday's 133-121 loss to the Nets.

Richards logged the fewest minutes of any Hornet to take the court Monday. Mark Williams played a modest 23 minutes, but he was far more impactful (18 points, seven rebounds). Charlotte's interior defense is getting gashed, and Richards is more of an offensive rebounder and motor big than a solution to the Hornets' paint protection issues.

Sharpe contributed 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-3 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 10 minutes during Monday's 133-121 win over Charlotte.

The workload wasn't ideal, but Sharpe made a case for a larger role with his play Monday night. The concern here is that Nicolas Claxton (ankle) isn't even healthy yet, so it will be interesting to see how the frontcourt shapes up with Ben Simmons playing so well as a small-ball center.