NBA Player News

Iwundu has been all over the league through five seasons. Since this is just an Exhibit 10 deal, he’ll probably be playing with the Stockton Kings this season, not the Sacramento ones.

Eason was once again a game-time decision, and Sunday’s game will be the sixth straight on the sideline for the Rockets forward. Dillon Brooks’ return to the lineup will help Houston depth-wise, while Cam Whitmore should remain in the rotation with Eason and Jae’Sean Tate (illness) out. Whitmore and Amen Thompson will provide value off the bench, with the latter already rostered in most standard leagues.

Wallace (quad) and Dort (ankle) are back in the lineup after sitting out Saturday’s win over the Hornets. Their returns mean Ajay Mitchell and Aaron Wiggins head to the bench, offering minimal fantasy value as reserves. Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Hartenstein will occupy their usual places in the starting lineup.

With both Ja Morant (shoulder) and Zach Edey (concussion) sidelined, Memphis will roll out a smaller starting unit for this game, which features JJJ at center. Pippen Jr. will replace Morant, and he has been a must-roster player when he gets to start this season.

With Duncan Robinson sidelined, Rozier and Love will get the starts, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. being moved back to the bench. This will be the first start since November 17th for both Rozier and Love, and both should see a significant boost in both minutes and production.

Jovic will be able to play through this ankle injury again, but his role has been too inconsistent to rely on him in most formats. He had just four points, two rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes off the bench on Saturday.

Clarke will join Zach Edey and Santi Aldama on the sidelines for this game, which means that there will be plenty of available minutes down low. Memphis will have to rely on some smaller lineups, though Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jay Huff should fill out the center minutes.

With the Nets trading Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers (the deal became official during Sunday’s game), Clowney was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench on Friday. He got off to a slow start before offering fantasy managers some redemption with 13 points and a few 3-pointers. Those who added Clowney should not get discouraged; Rome wasn’t built in a day. And with the Nets established as “sellers” ahead of the February trade deadline, Clowney won’t lack opportunities to show what he’s capable of.

Simmons was back in the Nets’ lineup after missing Friday’s loss to the Spurs, and he provided solid rebound and assist value. Unfortunately, there weren’t any defensive stats, which is problematic for fantasy managers since Simmons doesn’t offer much scoring. He’s averaging 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game on the season, so it’s difficult to view him as a must-roster player in standard leagues. And with Brooklyn beginning its Week 10 schedule with a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back, Simmons may be limited to two games.

Sunday was Thomas’s first game since November 25, and to no one’s surprise, he came out firing. The Nets guard scored a team-high 25 points, but conditioning may have been an issue after halftime. Thomas shot 2-of-9 from the field in the second half, the last miss being a fadeaway as time expired that would have given Brooklyn the win. He was under a minutes restriction in his first game back, and we’ll see if that holds for Thomas when the Nets visit Toronto on Wednesday. Brooklyn plays three games in Week 10, including a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back, which could make this a two-game week for Thomas.

KPJ missed the team’s last game, but he should be available against New Orleans. Amir Coffey absorbed his minutes off the bench, but he won’t see that added boost in this game, which will be the first of a back-to-back.