April 3, 2026
Philadelphia 76ers center
Joel Embiid (illness) will play on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was upgraded from doubtful to probable earlier in the day, and Embiid has now been officially cleared to play. The former MVP will start the contest alongside
Tyrese Maxey,
VJ Edgecombe,
Paul George, and
Dominick Barlow. Since returning from a right oblique strain in late March, Embiid has averaged 30.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. With Embiid back on the floor,
Adem Bona and
Andre Drummond must settle for limited roles.
--Taavi PailkSource: Philadelphia 76ers
April 3, 2026
Chicago Bulls center
Nick Richards (elbow) will remain out on Friday against the New York Knicks. Chicago has downgraded his status from questionable to out, meaning Richards will miss a fifth consecutive contest. Fortunately for the Bulls.
Guerschon Yabusele (ankle) is good to go after initially carrying a questionable tag. He has been solid as a starter in recent games and should have a chip on his shoulder in Friday's game against the Knicks, who barely used him this season and traded him in February.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
Indiana Pacers forward
Obi Toppin (foot) will play in Friday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. The team has upgraded his status from probable to available, clearing the way for Toppin to make his seventh straight appearance. At times, he has been quite productive off the bench, but Toppin finished with only six points, three rebounds, and three assists on Wednesday against Chicago. His impact may be limited again on Friday, as Charlotte gives up the fifth-fewest bench points in the Association.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
Chicago Bulls guards
Josh Giddey (hamstring) and
Tre Jones (ankle) will be in action against the New York Knicks on Friday. Both players were listed as questionable on the initial injury report but were upgraded to probable around noon. Giddey will return from a one-game absence, while Jones is ready to make his 22nd straight appearance. The two have performed well as Chicago's starting backcourt duo and will try to outshine
Jalen Brunson on Friday night.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
Los Angeles Lakers point guard
Luka Doncic (hamstring) will be out indefinitely, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. The Slovenian superstar injured his left hamstring in Thursday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and will sit out the remainder of the regular season. His status is uncertain beyond that. This is a massive blow for the Lakers, who have enjoyed a great spell during the second half of the season with Doncic leading the way. The team will now lean more on
Austin Reaves and
LeBron James. Meanwhile,
Luke Kennard and
Marcus Smart (anke) are expected to handle heavier workloads.
--Taavi PailkSource: Shams Charania
April 3, 2026
Indiana Pacers forward
Pascal Siakam (knee) will suit up on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. His status has been upgraded from probable to available ahead of tip-off. Despite health issues, Siakam has played in seven consecutive games. He has averaged 22.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in 30.1 minutes over that span. The four-time All-Star draws a good matchup on Friday, with Charlotte ranked ninth in the league for most points allowed to power forwards.
--Taavi PailkSource: Indiana Pacers
April 3, 2026
Brooklyn Nets forward/center
Noah Clowney (ankle) has been cleared to play on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks. Initially, he was listed as probable for the matchup due to a sore left ankle. Clowney also recently dealt with a wrist injury. Since returning to the lineup, the 21-year-old has posted averages of 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 21.3 minutes per game. Brooklyn has reduced Clowney's minutes down the stretch, which significantly decreases his fantasy value.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
Brooklyn Nets center
Nicolas Claxton (hand, illness) will play in Friday's contest against the Atlanta Hawks. He's been dealing with a hand injury and an illness and was listed as probable on the initial injury report. With the Nets stuck near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Claxton's workload has decreased late in the season. In March, he averaged just 22.9 minutes per game, posting 8.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks. The matchup against Atlanta is an appealing one, but Claxton's reduced playing time down the stretch makes him a risky fantasy option on Friday.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
Sacramento Kings guard
Malik Monk (personal) has been listed as out for Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. On the initial injury report, Monk was listed as questionable due to a right shoulder injury that has been bothering him lately. However, he has been ultimately ruled out for Friday's game for personal reasons.
Devin Carter,
Killian Hayes, and
Daeqwon Plowden may all receive more playing time due to Monk's absence. His exit from the lineup also creates more offensive opportunities for
Nique Clifford, though he has gone cold recently.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
Minnesota Timberwolves guard/forward
Anthony Edwards (knee, illness) will play on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Edwards returned from a knee issue at the start of the week, but he has been battling an illness and didn't play on Thursday night against Detroit. His absence against the Pistons means that Edwards isn't eligible for any postseason awards now because he won't be able to reach the 65-game minimum threshold. This may be a motivating factor for him in Friday's game.
Mike Conley will relinquish his starting spot to Edwards, while
Ayo Dosunmu and
Bones Hyland will also have smaller roles.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
New Orleans Pelicans guard
Dejounte Murray (Achilles) will sit out the second leg of a back-to-back on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings. He hasn't yet played in both games of a back-to-back set since returning from a torn Achilles in February.
Jeremiah Fears, who scored 21 points in 26 minutes off the bench on Thursday against Portland, is expected to have a larger role without Murray. There's also a possibility that we will see
Jordan Poole back in the rotation on Friday night.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 3, 2026
Denver Nuggets forward
Peyton Watson (hamstring) is considered week-to-week, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post reports. Watson suffered a new hamstring injury in Wednesday's win over Utah. He returned from a right hamstring strain just two weeks ago. The 23-year-old looked good in his first few games back, but unfortunately, Watson re-injured his right hamstring on Wednesday night.
Julian Strawther could now have a bigger role off the bench during the final few regular-season games, while starting forwards
Aaron Gordon and
Cameron Johnson may also see an uptick in minutes.
--Taavi PailkSource: Bennett Durando
April 3, 2026
Golden State Warriors point guard
Stephen Curry (knee) is expected to rejoin the lineup on Sunday against the Houston Rockets, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. The two-time MVP has sat out 27 games due to a right knee problem. Curry has been scrimmaging this week, with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr saying that he has "looked good." Given he hasn't played since Jan. 30, it's likely Curry will have a minutes restriction when he returns to the court. Curry's return will impact the offensive roles of
Gui Santos and
Brandin Podziemski, while
Pat Spencer and LJ Cryer will see a decrease in playing time.
--Taavi PailkSource: Shams Charania
April 2, 2026
Milwaukee Bucks guard
Ryan Rollins (hip) is probable for Friday's contest against the Boston Celtics. He is expected to return from a one-game absence.
AJ Green and
Andre Jackson Jr. will lose playing time to Rollins, who has been Milwaukee's most productive player late in the season. The 23-year-old has averaged 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.8 steals over his last five outings. If he's cleared to play, Rollins should once again be a focal point of Milwaukee's offense, though Boston held him to just five points in their last meeting.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
April 2, 2026
Milwaukee Bucks forward/center
Bobby Portis (wrist) will miss a sixth straight game on Friday against the Boston Celtics. He is struggling to shake off a wrist injury, and since Milwaukee has nothing left to play for, it wouldn't be surprising to see Portis sit out the rest of the regular season.
Pete Nance has carved out a regular spot in the rotation during Portis' absence. He impressed with a 23-point outing on Wednesday against Houston, but it's unlikely he will be able to repeat that performance on Friday, especially with
Kyle Kuzma (Achilles) and
Myles Turner (ankle) back in the fold.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
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