NBA Player News

Looney will start Friday's preseason game against the Lakers and could play into the 20-minute range, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Looney recorded four points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 12 minutes during last Saturday's preseason opener. While the Warriors will trot out the same starting five Friday, all of the starters are in line to receive an increased workload.

Vanderbilt (heel) has been ruled out for Friday's preseason matchup against the Warriors, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

McMenamin relays that the Lakers are simply "monitoring soreness" in Vanderbilt's left heel, and there is no concern about his availability for the regular-season opener in Denver on Oct. 24. Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Taurean Prince are competing for the final spot in the starting lineup next to D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

Holmgren posted 16 points (4-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 7-7 FT), four rebounds, a steal and three blocks across 21 minutes in Thursday's 128-125 preseason loss to the Pistons.

Holmgren was excellent as a rim protector and displayed elite instincts on defense, but he struggled from the field and was poor as a rebounder, especially considering his size. Holmgren will open the season as the Thunder's starting center after missing the 2022-23 season with a severe foot injury.

Vucevic tallied 10 points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 22 minutes during Thursday's 133-124 preseason double-overtime win over Denver.

Vucevic saw increased minutes during Thursday's matchup and managed to improve upon his four-point performance from the Bulls' season opener against Milwaukee. The 32-year-old has appeared in at least 70 games in three consecutive seasons and has averaged double-doubles in five consecutive years. While appearing in all 82 games with the Bulls last year, he averaged 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 33.5 minutes per matchup.

Wiseman finished with 20 points (8-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block across 23 minutes off the bench in Thursday's 128-125 preseason win over the Thunder.

Wiseman is competing for the backup center role with Marvin Bagley, and the former certainly made a strong impression by outscoring the latter Thursday -- Bagley finished with nine points, seven rebounds and two assists across 21 minutes. Wiseman is making a strong case to earn valuable minutes off the bench behind Jalen Duren (ankle), but his fantasy value will presumably be limited as long as he's a backup.

Jokic recorded 17 points (8-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt), six rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 18 minutes during Thursday's 133-124 double-overtime loss to the Bulls.

Jokic has played exactly 18 minutes in each of his first two preseason contests, but he was more efficient Thursday than in Denver's opener. The defending champions have three more exhibitions before they open the regular season against the Lakers on Oct. 24.

Zubac (back) was a limited participant in Friday's practice session, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.

Zubac will be able to participate in pre-practice workouts as he continues to recover from a back injury, but he won't be able to take part in the full practice session. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Tuesday's preseason game against the Nuggets, but the Clippers seem to be bringing him along slowly in his recovery process.

Eubanks (ankle) didn't play in Thursday's 122-111 preseason win over the Trail Blazers.

Eubanks was questionable for Thursday's matchup due to a left ankle sprain, but he was ultimately unable to take the court. His next opportunity to suit up will be in a rematch against Portland on Monday.

Zeller (back) didn't play in Thursday's 120-87 preseason loss to the Rockets.

Zeller continues to deal with a back injury and was unavailable for a second consecutive matchup. It's unclear whether he'll be available for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Nurkic totaled 17 points (6-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot over 21 minutes versus Portland in a 122-111 preseason victory Thursday.

Nurkic's 21 minutes were par for the course for an exhibition contest, yet he finished with a full stat line that would be considered strong by regular-season standards. The big man was perhaps motivated by playing against his former team after Portland traded him to the Suns in an offseason deal that netted the Blazers Deandre Ayton, among others. Nurkic figures to see less usage with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal (back) alongside him in the starting lineup, though the center showed Thursday that he can still contribute in spite of the presence of his star teammates.