Jonas Valanciunas (hand) will play and start Friday against the Wizards, the Star reports.

Valanciunas (hand) will play and start Friday against the Wizards, the Star reports.

Analysis:

Valanciunas suffered injuries to both his face and hand in Tuesday's game against the Thunder. He's starting and should be ready for a full load of minutes Friday. In returning to the starting lineup, he'll push Tyler Hansbrough to a bench role, diminishing some of the extra minutes he was receiving.