NBA Player News

There will be a formal announcement on Saturday, and the NBA has been expected to induct Kobe into the Hall of Fame since his tragic helicopter crash in January. Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston adds that Rudy Tomjanovich will also be elected to the Hall of Fame in what is the best class since 2009 (Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan, C. Vivian Stringer). It’ll be an emotional day for the NBA community as it honors one of its greats.

Vincent’s night on the court ends after he played just seven minutes as LeBron James’ replacement in the starting lineup. Dalton Knecht started the third quarter, and he’ll play a few more minutes due to the Lakers’ lack of depth. The long-term impact of an extended absence for Vincent will be limited, as James’ availability is of far greater importance.

Reddish played 11 minutes off the bench before the back spasms forced him to the bench. The Lakers wing was not with his teammates to begin the third quarter. With LeBron James (illness) out and Gabe Vincent (oblique) also questionable to return, JJ Redick may have to lean more on his starters to pull out a win on Saturday.

Starting for the ill LeBron James, Vincent played seven minutes before exiting Saturday’s game. He was not on the bench when the second half began, with Dalton Knecht replacing Vincent in the lineup to start the third quarter.

Cunningham paced his team in scoring alongside Jaden Ivey on a poor shooting night against Denver. He’ll look to rebound in his next outing after positing three straight double-doubles with at least 20 points before Saturday’s dissapointment.

Murray cracked the 30-point mark for the first time this season against Detroit. The Nuggets point guard is having a down year from an efficiency standpoint but his amid his best statistical month of the season in December with averages of 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists on 47.4% shooting.

Jokic put together yet another masterful performance against the Pistons. The Nuggets star is averaging 31.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game in December.

Plumlee started Saturday’s game for Jusuf Nurkic, who is serving a three-game suspension for fighting. While he didn’t offer much scoring value, not attempting a shot from the field, Plumlee’s rebounds, assists, and defensive stats were solid. As for the rotation behind him with Nurkic suspended, Oso Ighodaro played 20 minutes off the bench and finished with two points, six rebounds, one assist, and two steals. While the Suns only play two games in Week 10, Nurkic’s suspension makes Plumlee a worthwhile pickup in deep leagues.

Dunn replaced Royce O’Neale in the starting lineup on Saturday, and the rookie will likely retain that role for the foreseeable future. O’Neale suffered a sprained left ankle during the second quarter of Saturday’s game and did not return. Dunn was 1-of-6 from three, but a 5-of-6 night from two led to his establishing a new career-high with 15 points. Dunn will be worth rostering until more is known about the severity of O’Neale’s injury, and Josh Okogie also deserves deep-league consideration. He played 31 minutes off the bench, finishing with 11 points (4-of-8 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), nine rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and one 3-pointer.

Beal was much better offensively on Saturday after he shot 5-of-18 from the field in Friday’s loss to the Mavericks. With Devin Booker (groin) out of the lineup, there are more scoring opportunities for Beal, who has attempted at least 17 shots in five straight games. During this stretch, he has provided top-50 fantasy value in 9-cat formats despite shooting 50% from the foul line. Booker’s absence may be the catalyst Beal needed.

Durant has scored 31 points or more in four of his last six games, but turnovers were an issue on Saturday. He committed eight, with three occurring during the fourth quarter. During his postgame press conference, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer discussed a need to improve the offensive spacing, which would help Durant from a playmaking standpoint. Getting Devin Booker back on the court would help, but KD and the Suns will have to figure things out while the star guard recovers from his groin injury.