NBA Player News

Okafor became a free agent Friday after his 10-day contract with the Pacers expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

Okafor made one three-minute appearance during his brief stay with the Pacers, marking his first NBA action since the 2020-21 season. The Pacers brought Okafor aboard while starting center Myles Turner was tending to a cervical strain shortly before the All-Star break, but with Turner returning to action in Thursday's win over Memphis, Indiana may not be compelled to bring Okafor back on a second 10-day deal.

Bagley (ankle) recorded no statistics while playing the final 1:31 of Thursday's 127-111 loss to the Pacers.

Bagley made his Grizzlies debut in garbage time, playing for the first time since Dec. 23 after he had been sidelined due to a right ankle distal syndesmosis sprain before the Wizards shipped him to Memphis ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. So long as the Grizzlies have at least two or three of Jaren Jackson, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Jay Huff available in the frontcourt, Bagley likely won't be in the mix for a rotation spot.

Kessler (thumb) is not on the injury report for Friday's game against Thunder.

Kessler sat the Jazz's final game before the break, but he's recovered and should handle his regular workload in this one. The big man has been productive in recent weeks, averaging 15.8 points and 15.0 rebounds per contest over his last four outings.

Clingan totaled six points (3-4 FG), six rebounds, three blocks and one steal across 17 minutes during Thursday's 110-102 loss to the Lakers.

Deandre Ayton's (calf) injury will keep the center out for at least a month, so the starting job will be Clingan's to lose. Robert Williams also waits in the wings, but the Trail Blazers should probably prioritize Clingan's development. This may be his time to come into his own as a full-time starter. The rookie center will still be a risky fantasy call in the short term, but it's worthwhile to monitor his progress as he settles into a larger role.

Porzingis totaled 17 points (5-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-5 FT), four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal over 25 minutes during Thursday's 124-104 win over the 76ers.

Although Porzingis didn't have a huge impact outside the scoring department, he was still able to put together a full stat line despite his minutes being limited by Thursday's rout. The star big man remains a key producer in Boston's lineup on both ends of the floor, averaging 20.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 blocks, 1.3 steals and 2.8 three-pointers across his last eight contests while shooting 41.5 percent from downtown.

Turner (neck) finished Thursday's 127-113 win over the Grizzlies with 17 points (6-17 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, seven blocks, two assists and one steal in 32 minutes.

Turner was cleared to return for the Pacers' first game coming out of the All-Star break after he had been sidelined for the previous three contests due to a cervical strain. He was operating with no restrictions Thursday and was a menace in the paint, besting his previous season-high total of five blocks to bring his season average up to 1.9 rejections per contest.

Biyombo is starting Thursday's game against the Suns, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.

Biyombo put pen to paper on a 10-day deal with the Spurs on Feb. 8, and he'll get an opportunity to show what he can do Thursday after it was reported earlier in the day that Victor Wembanyama would be shut down for the rest of the year due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Biyombo could certainly earn consistent playing time with a strong outing versus Phoenix, though Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jeremy Sochan could also get looks at center going forward.

Bol is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Spurs.

After starting in the previous two contests, Bol will return to the bench due to the return of Devin Booker (back) to the starting lineup. The big man has experienced a sizable spike in his minutes of late, averaging 30.0 minutes over his previous four contests and putting up 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in that stretch.

Nurkic will enter the starting lineup in Thursday's game against Denver.

The big man will receive the starting nod with Mark Williams (conditioning) sitting out during the second night of a back-to-back set. Nurkic has accumulated nine points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and two steals across 34 total minutes in two outings (one start) with the Hornets.

Williams (knee) is available for Thursday's game against the Lakers, Sean Highkin of Rip City Radio 620 Portland reports.

The veteran big man will fight off knee soreness and suit up for the Trail Blazers on Thursday. Williams should serve as starter Donovan Clingan's top backup at center. Over his last eight games (two starts), Williams averaged 4.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.0 assists in 18.0 minutes.