NBA Player News

Cooks will not join the Wizards until after the NBL Finals, as he’s currently playing for the Sydney Kings. The 2018 Big South Player of the Year at Winthrop, Cooks helped lead the Kings to the NBL title last season and was named league MVP this season. In 26 games this season, he’s averaging 15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.3 steals, 2.1 blocks, and 0.5 3-pointers in 27.7 minutes, shooting 60% from the field and from the foul line.

Luka is back after a five-game absence, but he will fill in for Kyrie Irving, who is sidelined for this game with a shoulder injury. Hardy and Gafford will replace Naji Marshall and Dereck Lively in the starting unit, who have also been ruled out for Sunday’s game.

Boston played this game without two of their top three scoring options, which forced Tatum to take on more responsibility on the offensive end. He shot poorly in the first half, but he was able to enjoy more success after the break. This was Tatum’s second straight game with at least 30 points, though their seven-game winning streak came to an end. The Celtics will play the second leg of a back-to-back against the Heat on Monday, which will provide Tatum with an opportunity to stay hot on offense and help Boston get back in the win column.

DeRozan is back in the lineup after missing multiple games with a back injury, which pushes Jae Crowder to the bench. However, that isn’t the only change Kings coach Mike Brown made. Monk will start, with Keon Ellis being moved to the bench. This is Sacramento’s best lineup, and Sunday’s game will be the first they start together.

With Derrick White and Jaylen Brown sidelined, Pritchard took on extra minutes in this game. He was part of the team’s closing unit and scored eight points in the final 15 seconds of this game to nearly help Boston leave Cleveland with a win. This is the first night of a back-to-back, which means that there will likely be more absences against Miami on Monday. Regardless, Pritchard’s role has been consistent this season, and he has been on fire lately. This was his third straight game with at least 20 points, which is his longest streak of the season.

Like Karl-Anthony Towns (19 rebounds), Anunoby didn’t allow a poor shooting night to keep him from having an impact. He was responsible for three steals and four blocks, matching his season-high in the former category and establishing a new high in the latter. Anunoby ends Week 6 as a 4th-round player in 9-cat formats, well ahead of his Yahoo ADP (80).

Elite players tend to find other ways to impact games when the shots aren’t falling. Towns did that on Sunday, dominating the glass on a night when he started 1-of-9 from the field. The 19 rebounds were a season-high for KAT, who was only needed for 25 minutes due to Sunday’s game being a blowout. He should be well-rested for Tuesday’s game against Orlando, with the winner taking the top spot in East Group A of the NBA Cup.