NBA Player News

Whitehead will start Friday's game against the Jazz.

Whitehead will make his first career start due to the Grizzlies being extremely shorthanded Friday. Over four appearances this season, he has averaged 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.0 minutes per contest.

Williamson will start Friday's game against the Jazz.

Williamson will draw his second career start for the shorthanded Grizzlies. He started Monday's loss to Cleveland, posting 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 40 minutes.

Bal is in the Grizzlies' starting lineup against the Jazz on Friday.

The Grizzlies have seven players ruled out for Friday's game (and seven more done for the rest of the season), so Bal will be in the starting lineup for the first time in his NBA career. He is on his second 10-day contract with Memphis, and across seven regular-season games he is averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 threes and 1.1 steals over 29.0 minutes per contest.

Williams won't start Friday's game against the Kings, Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Williams got the spot start in Thursday's loss to the Lakers but will retreat to the second unit Friday. He has averaged 4.6 points in 11.6 minutes per tilt over his last five appearances off the bench.

Melton won't start Friday's game against the Kings, Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints.com reports.

The Warriors will go with Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis in the starting five, pushing Melton to the second unit for the first time since Feb. 3. He has averaged 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 21.3 minutes per game across 24 appearances off the bench this season.

Beringer is in the Timberwolves' starting lineup against the Rockets on Friday, Lachard Binkley of SI.com reports.

With Rudy Gobert (rest) and Naz Reid (shoulder) both ruled out, Beringer will be in the Timberwolves' starting lineup for the second time this season. The rookie first-rounder made his first career start Feb. 22 against the 76ers, when he played 17 minutes and finished with seven points and three rebounds in a 135-108 loss.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that Horford (calf) will be limited to around 15-to-20 minutes in Friday's game against Sacramento, Sam Gordon of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Horford will suit up after missing the Warriors' last 14 games due to a right soleus strain, but given the length of his absence along with the fact that Golden State is locked into the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, the club will use him with caution. The return of Horford could still cut into the workload of fellow center Charles Bassey (ankle), who logged 30 minutes in the Warriors' 119-103 loss to the Lakers on Thursday.

Santos (pelvis) will start Friday's game against the Kings, Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Santos will return from a two-game stint on the sidelines due to a right pelvic contusion. The 23-year-old forward has started each of his last five appearances, averaging 21.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals across 32.8 minutes per game during that span.

Anunoby has been ruled out for the rest of Friday's game against the Raptors due to a left ankle injury.

Anunoby checked out of the game at the 7:30 mark in the second quarter, and the veteran forward will be sidelined for the rest of Friday's contest. He'll end his night with two points (1-4 FG, 0-3 3Pt), five rebounds and three assists over 15 minutes. It's bad timing given the proximity to the start of the playoffs, and the Knicks should provide an update on Anunoby's health once he undergoes further tests on his ankle. Mohamed Diawara, Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet should see more minutes in Anunoby's absence.

Small (thigh) is available for Friday's game against the Jazz.

Small will shed his questionable tag and return from a three-game absence due to a left thigh contusion. The Grizzlies will be very shorthanded, so the rookie second-rounder is expected to see significant burn. He has started each of his last seven appearances, during which he has averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 25.3 minutes per showing.