NBA Player News

Oklahoma City opened the summer with multiple players that will play big minutes for them this season. However, the majority of them didn’t play in this game, which allowed Johnson to pick up some of the touches offensively. Johnson may be on a two-way contract, but he has shown this summer that he has the potential to be an everyday rotation player. Cason Wallace struggled in this game, shooting just 2-for-12 from the floor and turning it over five times. It wasn’t a great performance from Wallace, but he’ll have the rest of the summer to improve, and he was spectacular in his first game.

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.

Miller popped up on the injury report Thursday as questionable with a wrist injury and will subsequently miss Friday’s game against the Bulls. Cody Martin and Josh Okogie could see extra minutes in the 22-year-old small forward’s absence.

Horton-Tucker fell awkwardly during Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks, exiting with a sprained knee. The good news is that there’s no structural damage, so this injury should not result in an extended absence. As for fantasy basketball, Horton-Tucker’s absence does not have an impact.

Not only has Risacher been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Celtics, but he’ll also miss Monday’s game against the Knicks. Hawks team doctors will reevaluate the rookie after that game. Atlanta has four games in Week 13, including a mid-week back-to-back. Risacher’s absence boosts De’Andre Hunter’s fantasy value despite his coming off the bench.