NBA Player News

Ayton (back) is probable for Sunday's game against the Bulls, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan Portland reports.

The Blazers will have to tweak their lineup Sunday since Ayton has a shot at suiting up while Robert Williams (rest) won't feature. Ayton is averaging 9.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game across seven contests since the beginning of January.

Williams has been ruled out in advance of Sunday's game against the Bulls due to left ankle soreness, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan Portland reports.

Though Williams is being listed with an injury, he may just be getting some maintenance for the second half of a back-to-back set. While Deandre Ayton (back) was sidelined in Saturday's 125-103 loss to the Rockets, Williams started at center and posted four points (2-3 FG, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 20 minutes. Ayton will be back in action Sunday and should start, while the absences of Williams and Donovan Clingan (ankle) will likely clear the way for either Jabari Walker or Duop Reath to serve as Ayton's backup.

Drummond (toe) won't play Sunday against the Bucks.

Drummond returned from a six-game absence due to a sprained left toe in Saturday's 115-102 loss to the Pacers, starting at center while finishing with eight points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-1 FT), three rebounds and one steal across 26 minutes. Though he seemingly avoided any setbacks coming out of the contest, the 76ers will hold Drummond out for maintenance purposes in the second leg of this back-to-back. Guerschon Yabusele (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday, but he would likely start at center in place of Drummond if cleared to play. If Yabusele is out, however, rookie Adem Bona would likely be the next man up to start.

Hayes (shoulder) has been upgraded to probable for Sunday's game against the Clippers, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Hayes was previously considered questionable. The center will be on the streaming radar Sunday if Anthony Davis (foot) isn't able to shake off his questionable tag. In a fill-in start Friday versus the Nets, Hayes produced six points, nine rebounds and one assist in 33 minutes.

Okongwu ended Saturday's 119-115 overtime victory over Boston with 19 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 5-7 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists and four blocks over 32 minutes off the bench.

Clint Capela got the start at center once again but did little in his 21 minutes, while Okongwu produced his third straight double-double and ninth of the season from the second unit. The fifth-year big has gone 3-for-4 from beyond the arc as he continues to work on extending his shooting range, but his primary contributions continue to come at the rim -- through eight games in January, Okongwu is averaging 11.5 points, 10.9 boards, 3.1 assists and 1.6 blocks in 25.5 minutes a contest while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor.

Duren recorded 15 points (5-9 FG, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds and two assists over 25 minutes during Saturday's 125-121 loss to the Suns.

It's the second straight double-double and 15th of the season for Duren in 39 appearances. The third-year center's production has taken a step forward since the calendar flipped to 2025, and through 10 games in January he's averaging 11.5 points, 10.9 boards, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting an eye-popping 70.0 percent from the floor. On the season, Duren's 69.3 percent FG rate is fourth in the NBA, behind Walker Kessler (72.0 percent), Jarrett Allen (70.9 percent) and Daniel Gafford (70.5 percent).

Richards totaled 21 points (7-8 FG, 7-9 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist and one steal over 29 minutes off the bench during Saturday's 125-121 win over the Pistons.

While he didn't get the start in his Suns debut, Richards saw a starter's workload, as Mason Plumlee was on the court for only 13 minutes. Richards also made exactly the kind of impact Phoenix was hoping for when it acquired him from Charlotte, as the 27-year-old center recorded his sixth double-double of the season. The rest of the Suns' second unit managed just 13 points total and doesn't have a go-to scoring option, so Richards should be productive even if he stays on the bench, but a shift to the starting five seems inevitable once he gets more familiar with his new surroundings.

Sharpe has been downgraded to questionable for Sunday's game against the Thunder with a right eye injury, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Sharpe was a late addition to the injury report with what appears to be a new issue. Sharpe has fared well in limited minutes this season, averaging 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 17.4 minutes. If he's unable to play, Jalen Wilson and Tosan Evbuomwan could see more playing time.

Sarr recorded 11 points (4-10 FG, 3-7 3Pt), nine rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal over 30 minutes during Saturday's 122-114 loss to the Warriors.

Sarr finished just one rebound shy of recording what would've been his fourth double-double since the beginning of January. The rookie big man has shown flashes of his talent but has lacked consistency on a game-to-game basis. Still, he seems to be improving with each passing game. Through nine games in January, Sarr is averaging 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.9 blocks per contest despite shooting just 40.8 percent from the floor.

Turner supplied 18 points (7-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and one block across 28 minutes during Saturday's 115-102 win over the 76ers.

Turner made his presence felt on both ends of the court and notched a double-double for the second time over his last four contests. Even though Pascal Siakam led the way for the Pacers in scoring in this game, Turner delivered a solid outing and has managed to establish himself as a reliable two-way presence for the Pacers. The big man is averaging 17.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game since the beginning of January.