NBA Player News

Sabonis chipped in six points (3-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-1 FT), 10 rebounds and three assists across 17 minutes during Tuesday's 130-117 loss to the Heat.

The Kings are taking no chances with Sabonis, and his minutes will likely be capped for at least another week. Given the conservative route taken by the team, he might be a scratch during the second half of Sacramento's back-to-back set against Toronto on Wednesday. Maxime Raynaud continues to start for the Kings, but Dylan Cardwell has been more productive off the bench.

Ayton (eye) won't return to Tuesday's game against the Nuggets, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Ayton sustained a left eye injury late in the second quarter and won't return during the second half. He'll finish with four points (2-5 FG) and eight rebounds in 15 minutes. The big man's next opportunity to play will come Thursday against the Clippers.

Nurkic notched 16 points (7-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 18 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and one block across 31 minutes in Tuesday's 127-122 win over the Timberwolves.

Nurkic impressed Tuesday, stuffing the stat sheet en route to his second career triple-double, with his first coming Jan. 16, 2019, when he played for Portland. The big man led all players with a season-high 18 rebounds. Additionally, he tied the game-best mark in assists, setting a new season high. Nurkic has racked up three double-doubles and a triple-double over his last five appearances, averaging 16.6 points, 14.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per tilt during that span.

Ayton is questionable to return to Tuesday's game against the Nuggets due to a left eye injury, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.

Ayton was hit in the eye late in the second quarter and did not start the second half. If the big man isn't cleared to return, Jaxson Hayes and Drew Timme will likely pick up the slack the rest of the way.

Ayton did not start the second half of Tuesday's game against the Nuggets due to an apparent facial injury, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ayton appeared to take a hit to the face in the second quarter and has yet to leave the locker room. If the big man is unable to return, Jaxson Hayes and Drew Timme are candidates for increased burn the rest of the way.

Lopez contributed zero points (0-3 FG, 0-2 3Pt), one rebound and three blocks across 14 minutes during Tuesday's 138-110 loss to the Bulls.

Lopez added three blocks in the loss, although that's really where the good news ends. With Ivica Zubac now healthy, Lopez is playing a modest role off the bench, providing no value outside of the shot-blocking. At best, he can be considered for streaming purposes, although even that might be a stretch at this point.

Sengun supplied 20 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 13 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks across 34 minutes in Tuesday's 111-106 win over the Spurs.

Sengun turned in a well-rounded performance, securing his fourth double-double over his last five outings. The star big man finished as Houston's second-leading scorer and reached the 20-point mark for a third straight game. Furthermore, he led all players in rebounds and assists while making his presence felt on the defensive end. Sengun tied the game high in swats and has recorded a block in six consecutive contests.

Reid will come off the bench for Tuesday's game in Utah.

Rudy Gobert is back in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game, so Reid will retreat to the second unit. As a reserve this season, Reid has posted averages of 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.5 triples per contest.

Ware (hamstring) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game in Sacramento.

Ware is dealing with some tightness in his hamstring, so the Heat will err on the side of caution with their second-year center on the second leg of a back-to-back set. His absence will open up minutes for Nikola Jovic. For now, Ware should be considered questionable for Thursday's game in Portland.

Drummond is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Suns, per Ky Carlin of USA Today.

Joel Embiid (ankle) is receiving a maintenance day Tuesday, allowing Drummond to enter the first unit. Drummond makes sense as a plug-and-play fantasy option, as he's averaging 9.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 blocks in 26.6 minutes per tilt across 15 starts this season.