

Orlando Magic guard/forward Franz Wagner (ankle) has been downgraded to out for Tuesday's matchup against Houston. After Wagner hurt his right ankle on Sunday versus Chicago, there was hope of him being available for the contest when he took part in the morning shootaround, but the team has now officially ruled him out. Joe Ingles will likely play a larger part in the rotation without Wagner, although he's been unproductive throughout the season, and fantasy managers should look elsewhere.


Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) is probable for Wednesday's game against the Toronto Raptors. Claxton missed Sunday's blowout loss to the visiting Sacramento Kings due to a sprained left ankle, but his absence with the injury is likely to be held to a one-game minimum. The 24-year-old shot-blocking extraordinaire is supplying 9.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 blocks in 30.1 minutes per game while shooting a paltry 26.3% from the charity stripe over his past five outings for the Nets, and his return would dump cold water on 2023 first-rounder Noah Clowney's recent surge. Claxton should be able to pull down plenty of boards against Toronto, who are without interior presence Jakob Poeltl (hand) and are giving up the third-most rebounds per game (15.9) to enemy centers this season.


The Minnesota Timberwolves announced on Tuesday that center Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) has been cleared for full-contact, 5-on-5 basketball activities and is progressing toward his return to play. Towns remains formally listed as out for Tuesday's matchup with the Washington Wizards, but it sounds like the 28-year-old All-Star big man is eyeing a return from March 12 left meniscus surgery as early as Wednesday's clash between two Western Conference heavyweights with the defending-champion Denver Nuggets. Naz Reid will have at least one more chance under the spotlight for the T-Wolves, averaging 18.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3.2 three-pointers, and 2.5 combined steals plus blocks across his last 11 appearances (all starts) alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota's starting frontcourt. Washington is surrendering more DraftKings points to opposing power forwards than any other team in 2023-24.


Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (foot) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Utah Jazz. Gordon missed their last game on Saturday versus Atlanta due to a right-foot strain. When he has missed time, 21-year-old Peyton Watson has posted 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in seven games. Christian Braun may also see more minutes on the court in Gordon's absence, as he started Saturday and logged 25 minutes.


Milwaukee Bucks point guard Patrick Beverley (ankle) is listed as probable for Tuesday's contest with the Boston Celtics. The 35-year-old has missed the last three games due to a sprained right ankle, but he will likely make his return to the court on Tuesday. Over his last 14 outings, he's averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game. Should the veteran point guard be unable to suit up, his next chance to return comes Wednesday versus the Orlando Magic.
