Mobley is good to make his first appearance since straining his calf during a January 26 win over the Magic. While he isn’t guaranteed to start immediately due to a potential minutes restriction, Mobley’s return likely means Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill will lose some playing time.

Sabonis, who missed the Kings’ last four games before the All-Star break with a back injury, had been dealing with a partially torn meniscus suffered in mid-November. Per Wednesday’s report, the veteran center has already undergone the surgical procedure to repair the tear and is done for the season. Sabonis only played in 19 games this season, averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 29.7 minutes. With Dylan Cardwell (ankle) out for at least four weeks, the Kings will rely even more on Maxime Raynaud in the middle. The second-round pick is a must-add player.

Shams notes that “recent tests showed that he requires additional time and rehabilitation for soreness in his left high ankle sprain. The Magic will evaluate Wagner’s progress in three weeks.” With the NBA and fantasy basketball seasons drawing to a close, a three-week timeline for re-evaluation puts serious doubt on Wagner’s availability after he is cleared and begins ramping back up. This is a massive blow for Orlando and Wagner’s fantasy managers. Anthony Black should continue to soak up minutes, and he should be rostered everywhere. Black has made the most of his new opportunities and is enjoying a breakout campaign.

According to Irving’s agent, “this is about Kyrie being 1000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season.” Dallas is near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, and the team has no incentive to rush Irving back before he’s fully healthy. Fantasy managers holding out hope for an end-of-season return can finally drop him and free up a valuable IL spot.

Edwards received 10 of the 14 votes for MVP of the All-Star Game, with Kawhi Leonard receiving the other four. Edwards’ highest-scoring game was the first matchup with Team World, which ended with a Scottie Barnes game-winning triple after Edwards forced overtime with a three-pointer of his own. They lost to Team USA Stars in the second game of the night, but they got revenge in the championship by winning 47-21. Edwards has had his best season as a scorer thus far and will look to build on this performance with a strong finish to this season.

Team USA Stars ultimately lost to Team USA Stripes in the championship, but overall, this was a great performance from Leonard, who has had an excellent season for the Clippers. De’Aaron Fox hit a game-winning triple to beat the Stripes in the first matchup, but Leonard provided the heroics in his home arena against Team World. He scored 31 points in that 12-minute game, including what ended up being the game-winning triple. However, he fell flat in the championship game. Still, Kawhi has been incredible this season and will get the next few days off to ensure he is fresh for the final stretch of the season.

Team World lost both of their games to each of the Team USA teams by a combined total of five points. Wemby certainly can’t be blamed for the losses. He scored 33 of the team’s combined 80 points and was efficient while doing it. Heroics from Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard prevented Wemby and Team World from getting a win, but Wembanyama was still one of the best players in the All-Star Game and appears primed to finish the regular season strong.

Undrafted from Arizona in 2024, Johnson has been a part of the Heat’s bench for the last two seasons. The 24-year-old forward won the slam dunk contest, besting the Spurs’ Carter Bryant in the final round. Bryant earned the only 50 score of the night with a dunk that resembled Vince Carter’s iconic dunk in the 2000 slam dunk contest, but failed to complete a dunk on his next turn. Johnson won the competition with a windmill jam after taking off from a step inside the free throw line.

Lillard’s score of 29 in the final round was enough to beat Kon Knueppel, who had 17, and Devin Booker, who had 27. The 35-year-old point guard won the three-point contest for the third time in his career, tying Larry Bird and Craig Hodges for most in NBA history. Lillard is out for the season after rupturing his left Achilles during last year’s playoffs.

Giannis has been sidelined since straining his right calf for the second time this season during a January 23 loss to the Nuggets. At the time, he set a four-to-six-week timeline, and the former league MVP is on the right path. “I feel like the break doesn’t help, because now I gotta get on the court, I gotta play some 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 5 vs. 5,” Antetokounmpo said Saturday. “Players are on vacation right now, so it’s kinda hard for me to do that. “So once I check all those boxes, I’m ready to go. I feel like I can play a game today.” Giannis has made it clear he will play again this season. And the Bucks’ wins over Orlando and Oklahoma City heading into the All-Star break likely sparked optimism about the team’s chances of earning a playoff berth once they get their star forward back.