NBA availability

Analyst Devin Harris expects Kyrie Irving, out 19 months, to be eased back. His view, not team word: "I would be shocked if he actually played that Indiana game." Dallas opens with 3 games in 4 nights, the Spurs home opener the back end of a back-to-back.

No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa rolled his ankle during preseason, Wizards guard Trae Young said, giving no status or timeline. Young raised it as a setback: "we fell short of that, obviously, with the number one pick AJ coming down, rolling his ankle."

Nate Ament went through everything in the Bucks' Oct. 19 contact practice, and Taylor Jenkins will see how he responds on Oct. 20. The G League hasn't even come up: "right now I want him thinking about carving out a rotational spot for us." Everyone else was available.

"I'm not going to be playing 38 minutes per night," Portland's Damian Lillard, 36, says. He felt fine at 20 to 25 minutes in preseason and the guard depth means less load. He plans to play back-to-backs but may sit one somewhere, to stay fresh for the postseason.

Branden Carlson still has concussion headaches and isn't 100%, Portland coach Micah Nori said, adding Carlson has had one before: "So hopefully he will be okay." Chris Youngblood tweaked his Achilles but practiced a little. Micah Potter is still working back from an illness.

"Nate Bittle is out of the boot, so he's reconditioning now," Toronto's Darko Rajakovic said at practice, calling the team in "pretty good health." Asked whether Alijah Martin had tweaked his knee, he said Martin went through a whole practice and "was completely fine."

Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr missed Lakers practice again, JJ Redick said; Bronny James and Dalton Knecht had excused absences. Collin Sexton was "in practice, full participant," though Redick did not say whether he will play in the next game.

Asked for an update on Josh Hart, Knicks coach Mike Brown answered for the whole roster: "Yeah, no, no, everybody's healthy. Nobody was held out of any portion of practice." He did not address Hart individually.

Jalen Smith will start at center for the Bulls with Nic Claxton out, Tiago Splitter said, with Tobe Awaka "just coming back." Splitter wants everyone but the shooter chasing misses 75% of the time, up from about 40%: "we don't have the best shooting team in the NBA."

Nic Claxton must practise full speed with the Bulls before he returns; Tiago Splitter would only say "on average" two more weeks. Zach Collins practised fully but won't commit to 21 October, and expects limited minutes: "whether that's 10 minutes, 15, 20 minutes, not sure."

Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson said Nae'Qwan Tomlin sat out practice and Sam Merrill was limited; Khalifa Diop is "coming back from a setback." Atkinson wants a 10-man rotation, likely named only at game time: "I've made that mistake before... the guy tweaks an ankle."

T.J. McConnell (hamstring) isn't back yet and a couple more Pacers are still getting healthy, per Indiana's media availability. Quenton Jackson has run the bench at point guard; Rick Carlisle says he's "ready for... being a full-time roster guy and being ready at all times."

Joel Embiid is "ready to go" for the 76ers' opener, Nick Nurse said: "Some of those things weren't going on a year ago." Dean Wade, Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall did not practice. Wade wore a practice jersey anyway. "Shouldn't make any judgments by those jerseys," Nurse said.

"I feel good. You know, just taking it day by day," said Anfernee Simons, who has missed 76ers practices over the past week. With no preseason game reps, he expects to "find my way" over the first 20 games. Asked if he'll play in the opener: "I can't confirm or deny that."

"It's still a grind, even for everybody... You're not in midseason mode." Kawhi Leonard on his conditioning before Toronto's opener. He gauges readiness by playing games and seeing how he feels, says "you can't go as hard as you used to" and that recovery is now big.

Jrue Holiday hurt his hand guarding Sacramento. An X-ray found "nothing was broke"; swelling kept him out of Portland's final exhibition. Micah Nori thinks he'll be good for the Phoenix opener. Robert Williams III sat too. Nori: "We really missed them, which is no excuse."

Maxime Raynaud isn't available for the Sacramento Kings, and Domantas Sabonis tied that to how the frontcourt is being covered. Asked about Precious Achiuwa playing center and the team leaning on Ben Simmons, he said: "we don't have Max, you know."

Jared McCain, after Thunder practice: "My mental's great. My physical's great. Body feels great." He sees his role as spacing and "finding windows" for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell when doubled; his confidence, he says, doesn't hinge on minutes.

From the Rockets' practice: Marcus Smart was sick, by a brief, partly garbled account. Ime Udoka said Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams have "no restriction," but some players will miss back-to-backs early in the season while Houston leans on its depth.

Max Christie was limited at Mavericks practice with a sore foot. "He's here shooting and doing stuff, but yeah, he wasn't full go," Dusty May said. Morez Johnson Jr. had a good practice, though May said "I can't imagine he's going to be able to play a full 48."

Franz Wagner (shoulder) got "some light work in" at Orlando's practice but is "still being evaluated." Asked about concern, Sean Sweeney wouldn't commit. His order for lingering issues, games or not: "health first, then it's conditioning, and then it's basketball."

Orlando's Noah Penda will miss the start of the season with a new hamstring injury on the same leg as his first, which imaging showed had fully healed. Timeline? "I have no idea, honestly." He won't rush back. Sean Sweeney: whoever gains minutes has "to be ready to go."

Oklahoma City rookie Otega Oweh is out for the season. Kenrich Williams, after practice: "Yeah, it sucked. Like, it just like gives you a bad feeling... especially for a guy like him, like rookie, like was playing, was playing pretty good."

Suns coach Jordan Ott hopes Luke Kennard and Oso Ighodaro are back for opening night but didn't commit. Everyone else came out of the preseason healthy: "I think we're in a pretty good place there." Miles Bridges returned, and Ott called his defensive intent "high level."

"I feel great. I'm excited to play," a healthy Jalen Green said after the Suns' Oct. 16 game. He's slowing down from his Houston days as a table-setter, "not looking for my shot right away in the beginning of the offense," hunting the right pass and two feet in the paint.

Brandon Ingram is out of surgery. Tyronn Lue saw him when he woke: "He was in good spirits. And the doctor said it was a great surgery." No timeline; Lue says the Clippers can be special once he's back. With five rotation players out, young and two-way players get chances.

Kobe Sanders went through the Clippers' full practice on Oct. 17. Asked whether Sanders would be ready, Tyronn Lue gave no formal status but liked what he saw: "he looked pretty good. He's comfortable."

"Marvin hasn't played. He's been hurt." David Adelman explained why Marvin Bagley III got an extended fourth-quarter run in Denver's preseason finale. Tyus Jones got one too because "Tyus needed to play more minutes," and Adelman said he was very impressed with that group.

Ziaire Williams, back from a hamstring injury, was on a planned minutes limit and has foot soreness. JJ Redick hopes for "3 really good days with him" so the Lakers forward "can play more than 10 minutes" Oct. 21. Luka Doncic sitting the second half was planned, Redick said.

Jabari Walker, LeBron James and Dean Wade have played center in 76ers lineups with no true big. James said clean rebounding is the key and "we haven't logged enough minutes with it to know good or bad." Wade turned his ankle Oct. 16; James said "he'll be great."

Khris Middleton is back playing for the Wizards. "Yeah, it's great to see him back out there," coach Brian Keefe said, calling Middleton a smart player who makes the right play.

Jalen Duren isn't all the way back yet. "We're still rounding him into game shape," Jarrett Jack said after the Pistons' game, calling it "the biggest marker probably for us in this whole thing" heading toward Oct. 20. He's also learning a few offensive tweaks.

Franz Wagner (right shoulder soreness) will be re-evaluated, Sean Sweeney said after Orlando's Oct. 16 game. So will Noah Penda (right hamstring tightness) and Jase Richardson (back soreness), who both left the game. No timelines; Desmond Bane didn't know how bad either is.

Indiana will likely have a light day Oct. 17 and Oct. 18 off before the New Orleans opener, assistant Lloyd Pierce said. Ivica Zubac is "the non-shooting 5," he said; Jay Huff and Larry Nance Jr. change the spacing. On Aaron Nesmith: "Obviously, we're missing Aaron."

Tyrese Haliburton walked off gingerly at the half with a charley horse: "I get a few charley horses a year, so stretch and I'll be fine in a couple of days." Indiana assistant Lloyd Pierce said they came out "pretty much unscathed" and called that the win of the night.

Matisse Thybulle was set to start the Lakers' Oct. 16 preseason game, with a plan to play him 25 minutes "and see how he responds." JJ Redick said his workload will need managing all season. Quentin Grimes, who started the first four, will "start a lot of games," he said.

Dejounte Murray sits New Orleans' preseason finale on Oct. 16, though Jamahl Mosley said he "was able to get on the floor and get some stuff done." Minutes will "look similar" to the regular season because players aren't yet in shape and need game reps, Mosley said.

"Oh no, I'm playing." Asked at the Phoenix Suns' Oct. 16 shootaround whether he'd sit, Dillon Brooks said he'd play and named Jaren Jackson as his matchup. The gap before the opener in Portland, he said, is "a good little stretch to... get practice in and get healthy."

Anthony Black is a "full participant," Sean Sweeney said at Orlando's shootaround, but he would not commit to Black playing against Miami: "We're just gonna keep ramping him up, and then we'll see what makes the most sense for him."

Oklahoma City came out of its Oct. 15 preseason game healthy, Mark Daigneault said. With Chet Holmgren and J-Will out, the Thunder tried a big-to-big action: "We've never worked on it. I don't know if you could tell." It showed what they'd need to work on if they explore it.

Wizards big Alex Sarr, back from injury, says he's "getting used to the pace" and has "been feeling good." Spacing beside Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton is his biggest adjustment. Brian Keefe wouldn't detail Khris Middleton's minutes: "he is trending in the right direction."

Anthony Black took full part in Orlando's practice, but Sean Sweeney said his ramp-up will continue; he is moving well and feels good. Jonathan Isaac also practiced, and Sweeney liked what he saw: "Did a good job. It's great to see him out there."

A left knee injury will send Julian Strawther for an MRI on Oct. 15. Nuggets coach David Adelman had no further information after Denver's preseason game on Oct. 14: "Hoping for the best, to be honest."

Davion Mitchell needed stitches near his eye in Miami's preseason game and stayed in. He shot his free throws, then got stitched: "this is just going to be a handful of stitches. I want to play." Erik Spoelstra said he still wanted the fourth quarter, and they let him.

"I definitely need one, one more game for sure." Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to play the Heat's final preseason game rather than sit it out, chasing as many reps as he can. Teammates and coaches want him to be aggressive and make plays, and he says he'll keep at it.

Keegan Murray played 19 minutes in the Kings' Oct. 13 preseason game, and Doug Christie said he is still finding his legs at both ends of the floor as Sacramento brings him back slowly: "19 minutes for him as we build him up is good."

Jamison Battle practiced and will be available Oct. 15, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. Battle, Allen Graves and Kyle Anderson are in an open race for the 9th through 11th rotation spots, and Rajakovic said he is "not gonna shy away from throwing different guys in the fire."

De'Aaron Fox hasn't played a preseason game and Tobias Harris is "still coming back," with no timeline, Spurs' Harrison Barnes said at shootaround. Lineup undecided, so don't read it as an opening-night preview: "we're not gonna have our full roster until... a little bit."

Asked if he was limping, the Kings' Emanuel Sharp shrugged off the knocks: "So it ain't nothing new. ... But I'm good." Nor is he fazed by Damian Lillard, Ja Morant or Jrue Holiday: "I'm not looking at these guys intimidated or anything." He credits Doug Christie for that.

Spencer Jones has done no contact work and must get through 1-on-1, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 before he's cleared, Nuggets coach David Adelman said: "It looks like he's heading that way." Marvin Bagley III's absence means Denver has seen him with DeMar DeRozan only in scrimmages.

Max Strus, sidelined at Clippers practice, is "feeling a little better," Tyronn Lue said, "But we got to make sure we take our time." Brandon Ingram is doing more on the floor, but "it's going to be a while." Bradley Beal's knee rehab is "going pretty good," but no timetable.

Stephen Curry sat out the second half of Golden State's Oct. 12 preseason game, ramping up "a little more slowly than normal." Steve Kerr is limiting his practice load to keep him available, but "he's probably going to miss some games." Everyone was capped at 25-26 minutes.

Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins hopes Tyler Herro, out sick Oct. 13, is back Oct. 14. Nate Ament is moving more in the half court but still "constrained" — "positive progress," Jenkins said. AJ Green's knee, hurt against Minnesota, "feels good"; he's in knee pads and "good to go."

Anfernee Simons did half-court work at 76ers practice, no scrimmaging. On playing Oct. 16, Nick Nurse said "there's certainly some hope." He wants Simons back by Oct. 20, and Adem Bona too, "if we can." Healthy, Simons is his bench guard; if not, Labaron Philon Jr. plays.

"I think all 9 of us just seized the opportunity," Bennett Stirtz said of Oklahoma City's nine-man preseason roster, many with no G League or NBA experience. He played 37 minutes, hunting 3-pointers late with the paint packed; Mark Daigneault said pressure isn't new for him.

Jock Landale bled from the lip after a second-quarter play in the Hawks' Oct. 12 preseason game. "My lip's pretty sore right now," he said postgame, but called himself fine. He played past his usual 10 or so preseason minutes and said the extra time helped him find a rhythm.

Shaedon Sharpe is out and Micah Nori gave no timeline, saying Portland misses him "immensely." Nori still plans short stints across the roster, leaning on depth: "if we can keep them fresh, that's an advantage to us as other teams play their guys longer stretches."

De'Andre Hunter has played one game as a King and is still working off rust, Doug Christie said, but "DeAndre has been great." Christie likes him with Precious Achiuwa at center, Ben Simmons and Keegan Murray: "it's beautiful because you have the ability to switch."

Hornets' Tidjane Salaun, two preseason games in: "I feel pretty good with my body... I start to have a little bit more rhythm." His role is defense and rebounding: "that's where I can have the most success." Charles Lee says he's learning to impact offense without scoring.

Brandon Miller, back from a contusion and growing into Charlotte's number-one option, credited finding what he likes to do and that "the team trusts me to... go out there and perform the way I do." Since defenses won't help off him, they feed Naz Reid in the post often.

Darius Acuff Jr., asked if he was limping after the final play: "No, I just got hit a little bit. I'm good though." The Kings rookie wished he'd played more, and with Ben Simmons handling the ball he's happy to play off it: "I don't mind doing that at all."

The plan is for most Suns players to sit one of the next two preseason games, Jordan Ott said, but not which: "One of these 2. But we'll see. It's very fluid." They practice Oct. 12 and "see where we're at" Oct. 14. Center depth "took a hit with Mark" Williams; no detail given.

Every Knick came out of the last game okay and practiced, "a pretty good practice," Mike Brown said. Karl-Anthony Towns will pop out for jumpers a lot and has the green light to trail. Andre Drummond is told to keep rolling to the rim and shoot 3s only when wide open.

Dejounte Murray (toe) and AJ Johnson (finger) sat out Pelicans practice. On Murray, Jamahl Mosley said "we're just going to continue to be precautionary." On whether Murray could play through it once games count, he wouldn't commit: "We're 10 days into training camp."

Austin Reaves tweaked his ankle in training camp, delaying his first game next to Kevon Looney, the Lakers' media availability heard. Looney's role: screens that give Luka Doncic "easy looks where he don't gotta create for himself as much."

Ziaire Williams is "still dealing with that, like, kind of foot contusion. But again, it's not a concern," Lakers coach JJ Redick said Oct. 10. Arthur Kaluma is back: Redick said he returned to practice as a full participant.

"I would say we're not committed to that." JJ Redick on Walker Kessler for Oct. 12 or 13. The Lakers big did half of practice, no live work, after hitting a finger on the backboard; Oct. 11 shows if he can go live. Collin Sexton is "probably... a little bit further behind."

James Harden "had a full practice," Kenny Atkinson said, "so assume he's going to play and start" in Cleveland's second preseason game. Atkinson thinks everybody is available, and the Cavaliers will "increase the minutes too for our main guys."

Jalen Suggs "did more" at Magic practice and "was looking more like himself," Sean Sweeney said; Nikola Vucevic expects him ready for the regular season. With Suggs and Anthony Black out, Jase Richardson and Jevon Carter play point; Sweeney liked Richardson's last game.

Matas Buzelis turned his ankle blocking a shot and left as a precaution; he expects to travel and hopes to play Oct. 11 in Denver, per Chicago's postgame. Tre Jones and Jaylin Sellers sat "out of abundance of caution." Down 5 rotation players, "it gets thin really quick."

"I feel like I'm the strongest I've been," Kevin Porter Jr said after offseason surgery, his first. The Bucks guard says it deepened his appreciation for the game and predicts "the best year for me individually." He cited "what happened to" rookie Nate Ament, no status given.

Toumani Camara said the Trail Blazers "have 2 guys that haven't played in a long time" who are now back and finding their rhythm, and that he and Sidy Cissoko are working out how to play around them. He did not name the two returning players.

Nuggets regulars should play again against Chicago, then Denver picks which of its two Los Angeles games to rest people, David Adelman said at practice. He'll take the injury risk with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon since the group didn't play together last year.

Kevin Durant will not play the Rockets' next game. Ime Udoka said the plan was to shut him down at halftime, but Durant wanted more reps with Fred VanVleet. The bigger aim: cut his minutes after a heavy load last year and "use our depth and not have to rely on him as much."

"You're just kind of trying to get to that number, 16, 18 minutes." Nick Nurse on LeBron James, in what appeared to be his first game: first half only, shorter stints than normal. Joel Embiid played about 24 minutes; he "just needs to get some rust off," Nurse said.

De'Aaron Fox was a late Spurs scratch with "some tightness." Mitch Johnson doesn't "foresee it being anything serious" but will be "very cautious," and didn't say whether Fox travels to Phoenix. David Jones Garcia looks healthy after his ankle injury, Johnson said.

Anthony Edwards, back from an injury at the end of last postseason, hasn't looked limited. From Minnesota's postgame: "I haven't really noticed anything that he hasn't been able to do or anywhere he's been particularly cautious."

Tyronn Lue is holding off on installing more Clippers offense until he knows the status of "5 or 6 guys" he called "huge" to the team and its lineups. He didn't name them. Bradley Beal is out; Lue sees him as a lead ball-handler "when he gets back" but gave no timeline.

Jayson Tatum says he is healthy after 16 months with his injury, a year after "not knowing when or if I was going to... be back on the court." The Celtics star admitted: "Maybe I took the start of the season for granted. I just always assumed I would be out there."

Ruled out of Charlotte's Oct. 6 preseason game, Brandon Miller and Christian Anderson got hurt in practice and are day-to-day, coach Charles Lee said. Coby White is rehabbing a training-camp injury, no timeline. Lee: "other guys get the chance to play."

Kyle Anderson and Alijah Martin are "just still returning from injury," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said at practice. He sees Anderson as the veteran voice Garrett Temple once was: "I'm having same conversations now with him like I had with Garrett Temple... 2 or 3 years ago."

CJ McCollum sat out the Hawks' Oct. 5 game; Quin Snyder said they learned that morning he couldn't play, no reason given. That threw Kingston Flemings, a 19-year-old rookie, into his first game. "He competed. Saw some really good things," Snyder said, with "room for growth."

Anfernee Simons hasn't been worked into the 76ers' lineup, and Nick Nurse gave no timeline. Nurse on scoring: "Simons will provide some of that as well once we get him in there." Floated in the postgame room: Jaylen Brown with VJ Edgecombe or Simons alongside the second unit.

Ariel Hukporti went down injured against the Knicks and Nick Nurse gave no status or timeline. Jaylen Brown: "I hope it's nothing too severe. I guess they're going to get some second imaging." A reporter raised the Achilles; the 76ers haven't confirmed it.

Everyone plays in the Pelicans' Oct. 6 preseason opener, Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III included, coach Jamahl Mosley said at practice. Dejounte Murray is back from injury and scrimmaging daily against Jeremiah Fears, who added: "The guys not going to play a lot."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace travel but rest Oct. 6 after a high-intensity camp day, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said; all six play Oct. 7. Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber also sit, "still limited."

Christian Braun: asked whether his minutes show he's 100% for the season, Denver's David Adelman didn't say so. He pointed to Braun's dunk instead: "his confidence to get the dunk, to feel the explosion back, not at practice with a crowd there."

No rush on Jayden Quaintance. The Spurs rookie is rehabbing his injury every day, and Keldon Johnson said "his health is the main thing." Asked about news from the scrimmage that Tobias Harris will miss time, Johnson said he didn't know the extent and gave no timeline.

Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams are both still out and rehabbing. At Charlotte Hornets practice, Charles Lee said they're "just trending positively. They're doing a little bit more on the court every day." He gave no timeline for either player's return.

Scottie Barnes bumped his knee and the Raptors kept him out for the entire second half. "We were cautious how much we're gonna play him," Darko Rajakovic said. Missing a couple of injured players, he also limited minutes for others in their first game back from a long break.

Spurs 1/2 Spurs guard Stephon Castle said De'Aaron Fox is "fully back healthy" when asked if Fox played through more pain last postseason than he let on. Castle expects himself, Fox and Dylan Harper on the floor together more, so each will play more off the ball.

Portland practice: Deni Avdija, who said a back injury held him back last season, wants as many preseason minutes as he can get but to be smart: "We have an 82-game season." Micah Nori sees Scoot Henderson as "more of a combo type guy than just a true point guard."

Pelicans: Jamahl Mosley said everybody stayed healthy in the scrimmage. He's building Yves Missi as the defensive "anchor," guarding all five positions; Missi says he's being tried in varied coverages late in games. On Jordan Poole: "everybody here has a clean slate with me."

Derik Queen, who missed last year's camp with a hand issue, says this is his first training camp and he is participating in practice. He credited Jamahl Mosley for personally teaching him where and how to screen: "we didn't get that much last year from the head coach."

Pistons' Taurean Prince played Toronto the day after last season's neck injury, which cost him feeling in his left side until surgery. "My doctor told me if I would have took the wrong hit, I could have been a vegetable." His role is changing too, on offense and defense.

Knicks practice: Jalen Brunson said his offseason injury kept him in a cast longer than his earlier broken hand, with surgery about three weeks later. "I feel good, but also I know that it wasn't just my normal summer." Mike Brown said everyone passed the camp conditioning test.

From Thunder practice: Jalen Williams says he enters the season "Super healthy. Shot feels amazing." He says he is stepping into an "older-ish guy vet role." Kenrich Williams says newcomer Aday Mara has potential to be "a first-team, second-team, all-defensive type of guy."

From Hornets practice: PJ Hall, back from surgery, sat out the first two days of camp and said he's looking forward to "getting after it" on Oct. 2. Rookie Hannes Steinbach says his path into the rotation is playing physical, running the floor and "making the right plays."

Pistons practice: J.B. Bickerstaff said Taurean Prince looks healthy after his neck injury — "he's moving well, he's shooting it well." John Collins won't be asked to force step-back 3s, but "if he's open, he should shoot it 100 times in a row".

From Phoenix's practice: Devin Booker: Suns have "been healthy through this camp so far," Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks included. On Brooks' DUI charge: no distraction, "he addressed the team also, so we're moving on." Coach Jordan Ott: rotation players get minutes first.