NBA NEWS and notes 12/5/19

HOU Danuel House - Questionable
• if House is out McLemore will get another start he's been solid at times when he starts for this team
NOP Kenrich Williams - Questionable
NOP Derrick Favors - Questionable

• Josh Hart gets a bump if Williams is out
NYK Elf Payton - Questionable
NYK Frank Ntililikina - Questionable
NYK Marcus Morris - Questionable
• Dennis Smith Jr will get a bump if either Payton or Ntililikina are out
• Kevin Knox will start if Morris can not paly tonight. Knox missed last game
PHI Josh Richardson - OUT
• Korkmaz will likely start again and James Ennis will get more run off the bench
PHO Aron Baynes - Questionable
• Frank Kaminsky will get another start if Baynes is out
WAS Ian Mahinmi - Questionable
WAS Mortiz Wagner - Questionable
WAS Thomas Bryant - Questionable
• Rui Hachimura will start again at Center and Davis Bertans will get big minutes again if Wagner and Bryant are out

Shake Milton (illness) is available for Thursday's game vs. Washington.
Milton was also available on Monday, but he never left the bench in that win vs. Utah. We're not expecting him to be in the rotation much, if at all, while Raul Neto and Mathise Thybulle are healthy.

Joel Embiid did not practice on Wednesday, but he'll be good to go for Thursday's game in Washington.
Teams have been experimenting with resting players on practice days instead of game days this season, so it'll be interesting to see if Embiid plays in both games of the upcoming Saturday-Sunday back-to-back set. He should be in for a big game against the center-less Wizards on Thursday.

Josh Richardson (right hamstring) has been ruled out for Thursday's game in Washington.
This will be Richardson's fourth consecutive game on the sidelines, and it is somewhat concerning that he's getting ruled out a full day in advance of tip-off. He was able to get in a workout on Monday, but we haven't heard of him getting through a practice and with Saturday's game being the first of a back-to-back, he could sit that one out as well. Furkan Korkmaz, James Ennis and Mattisse Thybulle will continue to pick up the slack while J-Rich is out.

Ian Mahinmi (right Achilles) is questionable for Thursday's game against the 76ers.
Mahinmi has been out since training camp due to issues with his right Achilles, so even if he's cleared for tomorrow's game, he'll likely be extremely limited. The Wizards could use him with Thomas Bryant (foot) out for the next few weeks.

Moe Wagner (ankle) went through some of Wednesday's light practice and coach Scott Brook said he's not sure if he will play against the 76ers on Thursday.
The official injury report has him as questionable. He missed Tuesday's game against the Magic and the Wizards basically had to roll with no centers, leading to big minutes for Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura. If Wagner can return, he would likely be looking at a huge role while Thomas Bryant (leg) remains out for multiple weeks.

C.J. Miles underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair ligament damage in his left wrist and he is currently without an official timetable to return.
It's possible this procedure will take Miles out for the rest of the year, but that doesn't mean much in fantasy hoops. He was averaging just 6.4 points and 1.1 triples per game in 16 minutes a night.

Troy Brown Jr. will again come off the bench on Thursday vs. the 76ers.
Brown Jr. was replaced by Isaac Bonga in the first unit on Tuesday, and it looks like that's a trend that will hold for the time being. Brown hasn't been very good this season, so there's no reason to own him anywhere.

Frank Ntilikina (back) is being listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Nuggets.
Ntilikina missed Monday's game with the back issue, but there's a chance he'll be back in action tomorrow night. We'll have a better idea on his status following shootaround, but there's a chance Elfrid Payton (hamstring) will also return on Thursday, which would give David Fizdale the opportunity to be extra annoying with the PG rotations. Stay tuned.

Marcus Morris (neck) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Nuggets, but he said he plans to play.
He's sat out the past two, but it looks like he'll be back in action tomorrow night, which would shift Kevin Knox back to the second unit.

Elfrid Payton (right hamstring) is being listed as questionable for Thursday's game vs. the Nuggets.
Head coach David Fizdale said it was possible that Payton would be able to get back out there tomorrow night, although he'll likely be limited in his first game back after spending a little over a month on the sidelines, and it's unclear who will emerge as the starting PG in NY.

Danuel House (illness) is questionable for Thursday's game in Toronto.
House has missed the past two games due to the illness, but we'll have a better idea on his availability for Thursday based on his activity level at shootaround. If he's out again, Ben McLemore would be in line for another start,

Kenrich Williams (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday against the Suns.
He is getting over an ankle injury from last week, and he was away from the team on Tuesday for the birth of his first child. Coach Alvin Gentry said Williams could be back, and the Pelicans likely miss him badly after two bad losses with Williams on the sidelines.

Derrick Favors (personal) is questionable for Thursday's game vs. the Suns.
New Orleans is giving Favors all the time he needs to return after the death of his mother. We'll have a better sense for his status after shootaround on Thursday. If he doesn't play, Jahlil Okafor and Jaxson Hayes will continue to absorb extra playing time.