NBA Player News

Haslem isn’t in the rotation when healthy, so his absence will not impact the Heat on the court. But it will impact the team from a leadership standpoint.

Irving is available after being listed as questionable with a back injury. The 32-year-old point guard missed Wednesday’s game, which was the second game of a back-to-back. Irving’s return will push Spencer Dinwiddie to the bench and cut into the minutes of Jaden Hardy and Quentin Grimes.

Okoro has appeared in Cleveland’s last five games after returning from the AC joint sprain, playing no more than 23 minutes in any of those appearances. Even if Okoro is cleared to play against Minnesota, he’s unlikely to do enough to impact fantasy basketball.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters that Gordon will play and come off the bench Friday. The 29-year-old power forward sat out the second game of a back-to-back Wednesday. Gordon’s availability cuts into Peyton Watson’s minutes off the bench.

Mobley has not missed a game since December 13 against the Wizards. Cleveland started that game with Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro at the forward positions, although Max Strus had not returned from his ankle injury then. If Mobley doesn’t play on Saturday, Strus would be the best streaming option, even if he comes off the bench.

LaVine popped up on the injury report Friday with an illness less than two hours before the game against the Hornets. That likely puts the 29-year-old shooting guard on the wrong side of questionable. With his availability in jeopardy, Julian Phillips could be in line for more minutes if LaVine is ruled out.

Dosunmu played 25 minutes off the bench in his return to the Bulls’ rotation on Wednesday. He should take on a similar workload, with the question being if there will be a point when Ayo reclaims his place in the starting lineup. If so, Patrick Williams is the player headed back to the bench.

Giddey has played in 10 straight games despite consistently showing up on the injury report lately. The 22-year-old shooting guard is nearly averaging a triple-double in those 10 games as well. Giddey is set to suit up again Friday against the Hornets, extending his streak to 11 games.

Butler will be in the starting lineup in his first game back from a seven-game suspension. Even with his stated desire to be traded, he’s in a position where he can provide high value. Whether Butler looks at this as an opportunity to boost his value to other teams or a chance to show his continued displeasure will be one of the major storylines on Friday. His return also means Robinson will start due to the need for spacing, with Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr. heading to the bench. Managers who have Jaquez or Nikola Jovic rostered should hold onto them until the Butler situation is resolved.

No surprise here as White was listed as probable with a neck injury. With Zach LaVine (illness) now questionable, White could be in line for more usage. After playing 34 minutes against the Hawks Tuesday, the 24-year-old point guard should be fine Friday.

Williams is the more important option of the two, as he’s the starting center. Look for him to take on his usual workload, with Diabate as the backup. There isn’t much to gain from having Diabate rostered in most leagues.