AJ Dybantsa’s first regular-season game for the Wizards will have to wait.
Washington ruled out the No. 1 overall pick for Friday’s matchup with Toronto, marking the second straight game he’ll miss while he works back from a left ankle sprain suffered in the team’s preseason finale last week in Washington. Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported the decision.
The Wizards will also be without big man Tristan Vukcevic, who is dealing with a left hip impingement. Rookie center Felix Okpara is listed as questionable because of an illness.
Elsewhere around the league, the Mavericks are again dealing with multiple absences. Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberovic, Dereck Lively II and Caleb Martin will all miss a second consecutive game with their respective injuries, according to Christian Clark of The Athletic.
Aldama has right knee surgery, Biberovic right heel bursitis, Lively right foot surgery and Martin a right thumb sprain. Two-way player Jett Howard is doubtful with right calf soreness.
Clark noted it’s the first game of a back-to-back for Dallas, and Kyrie Irving is not on the injury report.
In Indiana, backup point guard T.J. McConnell will sit out Friday’s home opener against Dallas after missing the Pacers’ season opener on Wednesday.
The team said McConnell is still bothered by a right hamstring strain. There’s some movement on the rest of the backcourt, though: Aaron Nesmith has been upgraded to questionable with a left hamstring strain, while Ben Sheppard, who played Wednesday, has been downgraded to questionable because of a sore left knee.
Orlando got a more encouraging note with Anthony Black, who was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, though it was described by head coach Sean Sweeney as more of a walkthrough than a hard session. Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel reported that Black is making progress from a right ankle sprain, but he’ll still be out Friday against Minnesota after missing the home opener and the entire preseason. Jonathan Isaac remains out as well, sidelined for injury management involving his left knee.
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Marcus Sasser Just Gave The Mavericks A Needed Reason For Optimism
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What stood out most was how smoothly he fit into the game and how quickly he became part of the offense in a tough road environment. For a Dallas team looking for reliable guard depth, Sassers debut was the kind of early reminder that not every answer has to come from the usual names, even if one big question about how his role settles in still hangs over the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]