NBA Player News

Sengun (rest) will start at power forward Tuesday against the Thunder, Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network reports.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka is going to lean on a jumbo lineup with Sengun starting next to Steven Adams. With Fred VanVleet (knee) presumably out for the season, Sengun and Amen Thompson will be responsible for most of the playmaking.

Adams will start Opening Night against the Thunder, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports.

The Rockets will start a jumbo lineup of Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith, Alperen Sengun and Adams to open the regular season. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has previously said that his lineups could be fluid depending on matchups, but it's clear that he won't hesitate to utilize these larger lineups.

Hayes has a light wrist sprain but plans to play in Tuesday's game against the Warriors, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.

Hayes exited Friday's preseason game with what proved to be a right wrist sprain, though early signs suggest it won't impact his availability for Opening Night or beyond. The big man is expected to serve as Deandre Ayton's primary backup at center after starting 35 of 56 regular-season games last year, averaging 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 0.9 blocks in 19.5 minutes per contest.

The Rockets waived Carey on Saturday, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

Carey was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, and he wasn't expected to make the final roster. Look for him to suit up for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League.

The Kings announced Saturday that a recent MRI on Sabonis' right hamstring confirmed that the center sustained a Grade 1 strain during Wednesday's 109-91 preseason loss to the Clippers, Brenden Nunes of KHTK Sactown Sports 1140 reports. Sabonis is scheduled to be re-evaluated in one week.

While Sabonis' diagnosis doesn't represent a worst-case scenario, the fact that he won't be re-evaluated until next weekend means that he can be ruled out for at least the first two games of the regular season. With Sabonis sidelined, the Kings will likely turn to Drew Eubanks, Dario Saric and Maxime Raynaud to cover minutes at center in the short term.

Eubanks put up 10 points (3-4 FG, 4-6 FT), five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal over 20 minutes in Friday's 117-117 preseason victory over the Lakers.

Eubanks is in competition with Dario Saric for minutes behind Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) as the backup big man. While Eubanks started, it is worth noting that Saric played five more minutes.

Gafford (ankle) participated in the non-contact portions of Saturday's practice, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.

Coach Jason Kidd said he was unsure of Gafford's status for Opening Night on Oct. 22, but he wasn't ready to rule him out. Gafford has been battling a sprained ankle since the first day of Dallas' training camp, but he appears to be trending in a positive direction.

Collins will be sidelined for at least four weeks due to a left wrist fracture, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

This injury occurred in Chicago's preseason finale and required surgery. Based on this timetable, the earliest Collins will be able to return is Nov. 16 against the Jazz. Collins was projected to open the regular season as the backup center behind Nikola Vucevic, but those minutes may fall to Jalen Smith to begin the campaign. The Bulls could also opt for smaller and quicker lineups.

The Hawks waived Bassey on Saturday, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports.

Despite a strong showing at training camp, Bassey was unable to make Atlanta's final roster. He'll likely draw some interest from around the NBA following this transaction.

Beringer put up 13 points (6-7 FG, 1-3 FT), three rebounds, three blocks, an assist and a steal through 28 minutes in Friday's 126-110 preseason loss to the 76ers.

Minnesota was without its entire projected starting lineup for this preseason contest, which paved the way for Beringer to start. The rookie was one of six players to reach double digits in scoring Friday, not to mention adding an impressive three blocks on the defensive end. Beringer will look to build upon this momentum into the regular season as he will try to carve out a role in the rotation behind Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.