NBA Player News

Giddey (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Suns.

Giddey rolled his ankle during the Bulls' loss to the Thunder on Thursday. The injury will prevent him from suiting up Thursday, and the fifth-year pro's next opportunity to play is Sunday against the Kings. Rob Dillingham and Collin Sexton figure to be the top candidates to enter the Bulls' starting lineup in Giddey's absence.

Santos is starting Thursday's game against the Rockets, Anthony Slater of ESPN.com reports.

Santos will move into the starting lineup with Moses Moody (wrist) out for Thursday's action. Santos is no stranger to the first unit, as he's started 10 of Golden State's last 11 games.

Sheppard is not in the Rockets' starting lineup against the Warriors on Thursday, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Sheppard has started in each of the Rockets' last two games and is coming off a dominant double-double performance against the Wizards on Monday, when he also logged six steals. He'll revert to a bench role for Thursday's contest due to the return of Jabari Smith (ankle).

Marshall will come off the bench Thursday against the Magic.

Marshall will be utilized off the bench for the first time since Jan. 3. The Mavs evidently like what they've seen out of Khris Middleton in the first unit, so he'll run with the starters again Thursday evening.

Williams will be re-evaluated in 2-to-3 weeks after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in the third metatarsal of his left foot, Shane Young of the Suns' official site reports.

This is a huge blow for the Suns, as Williams has managed to remain relatively healthy up until this point in the campaign. His absence for the next few weeks should open up opportunities for Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach at center.

Konchar is in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Wizards.

Konchar will enter the starting five with Lauri Markkanen (hip) remaining sidelined. Konchar contributed across the board in his last start Feb. 26 against the Pelicans, as he finished with four points, five rebounds, one assist, five steals and two blocks in 26 minutes.

Harkless is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Wizards.

The Jazz are instead taking a look at John Konchar in the first unit. Harkless has averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 23.8 minutes per contest in his last four games (two starts).

Collier is in the Jazz's starting lineup against the Wizards on Thursday.

Keyonte George has been ruled out for Thursday's game due to right ankle injury management, so Collier will enter the starting lineup for the 16th time this season. Collier started in nine of the Jazz's first 10 games of February, and over that span he averaged 17.3 points, 9.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals over 33.7 minutes per game.

Ingram (thumb) has been cleared to play Thursday against the Timberwolves, Vivek Jacob of the Raptors' official site reports.

Ingram has been nursing a thumb sprain, but he'll manage to play through the issue Thursday evening. The Duke product is averaging 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in his previous five showings.

Smith (ankle) is available for Thursday's game against the Warriors.

Smith is back from a two-game absence with a sprained right ankle, and he should send Reed Sheppard back to the bench Thursday. Smith is looking to pick up where he left off in his last eight games before getting injured, as he was averaging 17.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks in 34.7 minutes per contest while shooting 57.6 percent from the field during that period.