NBA Player News

Ariza was in the starting lineup Tuesday night, likely for defensive reasons. The two steals were nice, but outside of that statistic, the veteran wing did not offer much in the way of value. The man he replaced in the starting lineup, Stanley Johnson, ended up having his best offensive showing of the season to date. Johnson shot 7-of-13 from the field and 1-of-3 from the foul line, scoring a season-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes. With the Lakers in need of scoring, it was Johnson who was on the court during the team’s fourth-quarter rally. Who starts Wednesday’s game in Portland remains to be seen, but neither Ariza nor Johnson has been consistent enough to merit being rostered in most leagues.

James is back on the injury report, but the probable tag suggests he will play. He’s only missed three games this season, the most recent being on December 28.

Yabusele has missed Philadelphia’s last two games with a right knee injury. Joel Embiid (foot) remains out, so Yabusele will figure prominently in the rotation if he can play. Whether or not he starts depends on the availability of Andre Drummond (toe), who is also questionable for Tuesday night.

This will be a ninth straight absence for Lowry and a sixth straight absence for Martin. Philly is dealing with a ton of injuries, which was allowed Eric Gordon and Ricky Council IV to start, and Justin Edwards to play a significant role off the bench. They could have some reinforcements on the wing if Paul George returns, but there will be minutes for Gordon, Council and Edwards regardless as long as Martin and Lowry are sidelined.

Theis will remain in the starting lineup, a decision made easy due to Yves Missi (illness) sitting. Also of note is Green’s inclusion in the lineup, as he fills the void left by Zion Williamson (illness).

Heading into this game, Wiggins had been on quite the year. Over their three previous games, he averaged 25.0 points, 1.3 steals and 3.3 threes per game. However, he was held to a new season-low in points and had an atrocious night shooting the ball. Overall, Wiggins has had a bounce back season, so this game shouldn’t be held against him too strongly. He still ranks inside the top-100 over the course of the season and will look to bounce back in Sacramento on Wednesday.

George and Mykhailiuk are the lone holdovers from the lineup that began Friday’s loss to the Pelicans. Collier starts for Collin Sexton, while Filipowski and Kessler replace Cody Williams and Drew Eubanks, respectively.

Moody took on a larger role in their last game after Draymond Green (calf) exited early, and with Green now set to be re-evaluated in a week, Moody should continue to play a significant role. Gary Payton II got the start in place of Green, but Moody played a much larger role and was much more impactful in the box score. This was Moody’s third straight game scoring in double figures, and he should have the opportunity to keep it going over their final three games of the week, starting in Sacramento on Wednesday.

Curry didn’t have a great shooting night, but he led the team in scoring despite the blowout loss. He had been on fire, scoring at least 25 points and hitting at least four 3-pointers in each of their three previous games. However, the entire team fell apart in this game. They still have three more games this week, though that includes a back-to-back. Curry hasn’t played in both legs of a back-to-back since November, and it seems likely that they’d make him available in Sacramento on Tuesday and have him sit out against Chicago on Wednesday.

George did not play either game of Philadelphia’s weekend back-to-back, with Ricky Council IV replacing him in the starting lineup. While a risky streaming play, Council will be worth the risk if the 76ers remain as shorthanded as they’ve been recently.