NBA Player News

Nurkic (toe) is questionable for Thursday's game against Dallas.

Thursday's game is the second leg of a back-to-back set, and if recent back-to-backs have been any indication, Nurkic could be due for a maintenance day. During Wednesday's loss to the Thunder, Nurkic had 15 points (6-16 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 15 rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals over 33 minutes. Kyle Filipowski could see increased minutes Thursday if Nurkic is held out.

Wagner (knee) is out for Friday's game against the 76ers.

The Magic had hoped Wagner would be able to make his season debut at some point this week, and his next chance to do so now arrives Sunday against the Pelicans. With the big man still recovering from ACL surgery, Goga Bitadze's minutes should remain solidified in the Orlando frontcourt.

Nurkic racked up 15 points (6-16 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 15 rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals over 33 minutes before fouling out of Wednesday's 129-125 overtime loss to the Thunder.

Nurkic recorded his 10th double-double of the year, loading up the whole box score Wednesday. The veteran center has averaged a productive 15.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.0 minutes per contest across his last nine games, shooting an efficient 60.9 percent from the field as well.

Horford ended Wednesday's 120-113 victory over the Bucks with eight points (3-6 FG, 2-4 3Pt), 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks over 19 minutes.

Despite coming off the bench, the 39-year-old big man collected a team-high 10 boards Wednesday. Horford has shown some per-minute upside recently, averaging 9.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in 15.3 minutes over his last six outings, but he figures to continue splitting the center minutes with Quinten Post.

Sarr posted 15 points (6-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals in 27 minutes during Wednesday's 131-110 loss to Philadelphia.

The Wizards traded for Trae Young (quadriceps) on Wednesday, and that could benefit Sarr over the long run as the point guard is known for generating easy looks for his pick-and-roll partners. Sarr has been trending up over his last three outings with 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 three-pointers.

Adams accumulated seven points (3-6 FG, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals across 30 minutes during Wednesday's 103-102 loss to the Trail Blazers.

Adams stuffed the stat sheet Wednesday, and he should continue to start at center for the injured Alperen Sengun (ankle) for the next few weeks. Over nine outings as a starter, Adams has averaged 9.4 rebounds, 6.9 points, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.6 minutes per game while shooting 55.8 percent from the field.

Reed closed with nine points (4-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt), six rebounds, six assists and one steal over 26 minutes during Wednesday's 108-93 victory over the Bulls.

Jalen Duren (ankle) remains out for Detroit, though he's due to be re-evaluated prior to their next game Saturday. Reed has fared well in his last three starts with 8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 27.3 minutes per contest.

Kalkbrenner (elbow) will miss Thursday's game against Indiana.

The rookie center will be sidelined for a 10th straight game and remains without a timetable to return. He can be considered doubtful for Saturday's game against Utah.

Drummond finished Wednesday's 131-110 win over the Wizards with 11 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals across 12 minutes.

Drummond recently fell out of the rotation for the 76ers, but he saw some action in garbage time Wednesday due to the lopsided score. With the entire Philadelphia frontcourt in good health, Drummond can be monitored from the waiver wire in most formats.

Poeltl (back) is scheduled to participate in Thursday's practice, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.

After he was recently cleared to resume taking contact, Poeltl will take another important step forward in his recovery from a lower-back strain by taking part in drills with his healthy teammates. Even if Poeltl checks out fine following Thursday's workout, he may not be cleared to play Friday in Boston, but it's apparent nonetheless that the veteran center is close to a return. Grange notes that the Raptors don't plan on re-signing recently waived big man Mo Bamba to a 10-day deal with the expectation that Poeltl will be back in the fold soon.