NBA Player News

Embiid won't play in Monday's preseason contest against the Nets due to an illness, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.

Embiid was initially expected to make his preseason debut versus Brooklyn, but he was surprisingly ruled out Monday morning. It was speculated that he was still just resting, but prior to tipoff, coach Nick Nurse revealed the reigning MVP is dealing with an illness. Embiid's status for Friday's preseason finale against the Hawks remains unclear, but James Harden is trending toward suiting up for that contest after sitting out all of Philadelphia's preseason matchups thus far.

Sharpe (ankle) will play in Monday's preseason game against Philadelphia, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.

Sharpe sprained his left ankle during the Nets' preseason opener and was sidelined for about a week. He's competing for backup center minutes behind Nic Claxton.

Claxton (lower body) is available for Monday's preseason game against Philadelphia, Ky Carlin of USA Today reports.

Claxton was unavailable for Thursday's exhibition game against Israeli club Maccabi Ra'anana due to a sore glute, but he'll be back in action a few days later. He tallied seven points, four rebounds, an assist and a block in 16 minutes during the Nets' preseason opener against the Lakers.

Jones will start Monday's exhibition against Israeli club Maccabi Ra'anana, Sam Amico of HoopsWire.com reports.

With Cleveland's usual starters sidelined, Jones will start at center. He'll be joined by Ty Jerome, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert and Dean Wade.

Allen (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday's game against Israeli club Maccabi Ra'anana, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Allen is still dealing with an ankle injury and will rest Monday, along with the rest of Cleveland's starters. The Cavaliers announced Oct. 7 that Allen would be re-evaluated in two weeks, so it's unclear whether he'll be available for Friday's preseason finale. However, if he's healthy by then, it's possible that he sees a fairly normal workload since the Cavaliers plan to use the first three quarters of that matchup as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

Lyles recorded 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-6 3Pt), two rebounds, an assist and two steals across 17 minutes off the bench in Sunday's 121-115 preseason overtime loss to the Warriors.

Lyles is expected to operate as a scoring threat off the bench once the regular season rolls around, and he showed his ability to do so in this game. A solid long-range shooter who can also finish from close range, Lyles is pretty much locked into a bench role for the Kings while also being more than capable of handling a starting role if needed.

Sabonis finished with 19 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds and five assists across 25 minutes in Sunday's 121-115 preseason overtime loss to the Warriors.

Sabonis is an absolute double-double machine, and he keeps racking them up even in the preseason. The star big man has averaged a double-double in each of his last four seasons and aims to keep that streak going in 2023-24 as well.

Jokic posted 15 points (6-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-5 FT), nine rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block across 23 minutes in Sunday's 116-102 preseason win over the Bulls.

Jokic needed only 23 minutes to end up one rebound away from a double-double while also dishing out five dimes, as he continues to show how big of an impact he can make on offense even if limited minutes. The Nuggets are cautious of overusing their star players in the preseason as they gear up to defend their title, so it seems unlikely that the two-time MVP winner would see more than 20 or 25 minutes of action in the remaining contests before the start of the regular season.

Davis recorded 16 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals across 19 minutes in Sunday's 108-97 preseason loss to the Bucks.

Davis is expected to be one of the Lakers' main offensive weapons when the regular season starts Oct. 24, but he's already showing dominant traits in the preseason with his stellar two-way play. Through four preseason contests, Davis has averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks across only 17 minutes per game.

Holmgren will play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Bucks, Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder reports.

Holmgren was rested during Sunday's preseason contest along with several other key players. Holmgren's impressive play in the preseason has seen his ADP rise in recent fantasy drafts.