NBA Player News

Robinson finished with four points (2-3 FG), 11 rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes during Friday's 135-125 loss to the Bulls.

Robinson played his first game of the season, leading the team with 11 rebounds. He slotted straight into the starting lineup, and although he was apparently not on a minutes restriction, he did manage just 20 minutes. As expected, he was non-existent on the offensive end, but the other aspects of his game appeared fine. His availability moving forward remains a mystery, although simply being back on the court is a step in the right direction.

Embiid produced 20 points (6-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 7-7 FT), six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and four turnovers in 25 minutes during Friday's 109-108 loss to the Celtics.

This was a season-high in minutes for Embiid, who has looked a little better with each game this season. He did take an elbow to the face from Derrick White, but he was able to play through it, so that shouldn't be something that impacts his status for Sunday's game in Brooklyn.

Williams (knee) will play Friday against the Nuggets, Sean Highkin of Rip City Radio 620 Portland reports.

Williams is set to make his regular-season debut after being recalled from the G League, where he was getting extra practice reps. However, he'll likely have a tight minutes cap. He could have value in a 20-minute role, but this is a wait-and-see situation for now. It'll be interesting to see how he impacts Donovan Clingan's playing time once he's fully up to speed.

Lively (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Pistons.

Lively will miss his third consecutive game due to a right knee sprain, and his next opportunity to play will come Monday against the Rockets. Dwight Powell is likely to see an uptick in playing time, especially if Daniel Gafford (ankle) is downgraded from questionable to out.

Gafford (ankle) is questionable for Saturday's game in Detroit.

This is the first time this season Gafford is getting hit with the questionable tag, and they sure could use him with Anthony Davis (calf) going down. He'll likely be eased back into things if he's cleared for Saturday's game, but his return would mean fewer minutes for Dwight Powell.

Davis (calf) is out for Saturday's game against the Pistons and Monday's game against the Rockets.

Davis has been diagnosed with a low-grade left calf strain, and he'll be re-evaluated ahead of Wednesday's tilt against the Pelicans. The Mavericks are already dealing with injuries to Daniel Gafford (ankle) and Dereck Lively (knee), which will make it even more difficult to plug up the center position for the time being. Dwight Powell could be thrust into big minutes down low, while P.J. Washington could be used as a small-ball center more frequently.

Towns (quadriceps) will play in Friday's game against the Bulls, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.

Towns has been a regular on the injury report to start the season, though he will shed his probable tag due to a right quadriceps strain and suit up Friday. The star big man is coming off his worst game of the season in Tuesday's loss to the Bucks and will look to bounce back against Chicago. Over four regular-season games, he's averaging 17.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in 33.8 minutes per game.

Robinson (ankle) won't have a minutes restriction in Friday's game against the Bulls, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.

Despite a lengthy stay on the sidelines with ankle injury management, Robinson will be all systems go Friday. The Knicks intend to deploy the veteran big man from the first unit as well. With New York's frontcourt back at full strength, it's possible Ariel Hukporti will be outside the rotation.

Allen (finger) won't play in Friday's game against the Raptors, Spencer Davies of SI.com reports.

Allen was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his left finger Thursday, and it appears that the Cavaliers will evaluate him on a day-to-day basis. The star big man can be deemed questionable for Sunday's showdown with the Hawks. Evan Mobley should dominate the usage in Donovan Mitchell's (hamstring) absence Friday, while Larry Nance makes sense as a plug-and-play fantasy option in a pinch.

Wagner (knee) is out for Saturday's game against Washington.

It doesn't appear Wagner has been cleared for contact amid his recovery from ACL surgery, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. The veteran big man can be considered out indefinitely going forward. In the interim, Goga Bitadze will continue to serve as the primary backup center behind Wendell Carter.