NBA Player News

Brown suffered the injury during Wednesday’s win over the Heat and did not play despite initially being deemed questionable for Friday’s game against the Hawks. With Lonnie Walker (knee) and Austin Reaves (hamstring) out for at least two weeks, the last thing the Lakers can afford is to lose another wing for an extended period. If Brown can’t play Saturday night, Max Christie would take on a few more minutes, and the Lakers signed Sterling Brown to a 10-day contract ahead of Friday’s victory.

Brooks got into an altercation with Kevin Durant, and both players were issued technical fouls with 4:48 remaining in the second quarter. However, Brooks would receive a second technical foul for arguing with an official, resulting in an early trip to the showers. He played 11 minutes, finishing with eight points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, one block and two three-pointers. Jabari Smith Jr. replaced Brooks in the lineup to begin the third quarter.

Durant sprained his ankle on a drive to the basket during the third quarter of Sunday’s game. He was taken to the locker room immediately, and since Durant did not attempt the free throws, he is officially done for the night. In 23 minutes, KD tallied 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one three-pointer. If Durant misses time, Royce O’Neale will likely enter the starting lineup.

Conley’s 17 points were the most he’s scored in a game since January 22, when he scored 18 in a win over the Mavericks. While the veteran point guard has been more valuable to his team than to fantasy managers, he has been a top-100 player in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Conley is rostered in 38 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and that number should not increase much with the Timberwolves playing three games during Week 22.

After halftime, Edwards flipped the proverbial switch, scoring 20 points in the third quarter to help Minnesota grab control of the game. That was four shy of his career-high for points in a quarter, and the explosion salvaged what was on track to be an underwhelming night for the Timberwolves star. Over the past two weeks, Edwards has provided fourth-round value in eight-cat formats, one round better than his nine-cat production. Minnesota plays three games during Week 22, starting with the Nuggets on Tuesday.

Brooks Jr. provided a nice boost off New Orleans’ bench to lead his team in scoring while delivering plenty of quality peripherals in the process. Brooks Jr. is one of a handful of Pelicans players who should see big minutes down the stretch of a lost season.

Hardaway has reached double figures in three straight and four of his last five outings. And with the veteran guard scoring 52 points in his last two outings, this qualifies as one of THJ’s most productive stretches of the season. While Hardaway has offered 12th-round value in nine-act formats over the past two weeks, Malik Beasley remains the superior choice for fantasy managers mining the Pistons roster for three-pointers.

Duren recorded his 37th double-double of the season on Sunday and his 13th since the All-Star break. The Pistons’ center offers limited defensive value, which lowers his fantasy ceiling. Over the past two weeks, Duren has been an eight-round player in nine-cat formats, one round worse than his season-long value. He’ll provide points, rebounds and a high field-goal percentage, but Duren will need to bring more to the table if he’s to be a top-75 player (or better).

A late addition to the starting lineup due to Tobias Harris (Achilles) being scratched, Beasley did what fantasy managers have come to expect from him. The veteran guard provided points and three-pointers with solid percentages and not much else. Over the past two weeks, Beasley has offered 11th-round value in nine-cat formats. Beasley is a deep-league option at best, whether he comes off the bench or is inserted into the starting lineup.