NBA Player News

After scoring 11 points in Sunday’s win over Portland, Russell’s tallied 52 over his last two games, shooting 20-of-32 from the field. Closing in on top-50 value for the season, he’s been a 4th-round player over the last week. Even better than Russell has been LeBron James, who played 35 minutes in the second game of a back-to-back and finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, one block, and three 3-pointers. The Lakers play two more games in Week 4, visiting Portland on Friday and hosting Houston on Sunday.

James had a rather nondescript first three periods of Tuesday’s game, as he appeared intent on allowing Luka Doncic to take over against his former team. But in “winning time,” LeBron flipped a switch. Shooting 7-of-9 from the field in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 points with five rebounds, two assists and one three-pointer. James has scored 25 points or more in four straight games and has provided top-10 value in eight-cat formats since Doncic made his Lakers debut on February 10.

Reaves has now scored 20 points or more in four of his last six games, with three of those performances occurring with Luka Doncic on the court. Since the trade, Reaves has provided third-round value in nine-cat formats, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.5 three-pointers per game. Based on how he’s played, fantasy managers have nothing to worry about regarding Reaves’ value in a lineup that includes Doncic and LeBron James.

Doncic faced the Mavericks for the first time since he was traded in early February. He got off to a good start offensively on Tuesday, racking up nine points, seven rebounds and four assists in the first quarter. The point total may not have been as gaudy as most anticipated, but Doncic did record his first triple-double as a Laker. Luka has provided third-round value in eight-cat formats since the trade but was under a minutes restriction in his first two appearances.

Thompson was relatively quiet during the first three quarters and then heated up during the fourth. He scored 11 of his 22 points in the final frame, but the Mavericks were unable to get over the hump. The 22 points are the most Thompson has scored in a game since February 6, when he dropped 25 on the Celtics. Given how shorthanded the Mavericks are, with Anthony Davis among the absentees, they’ll need more consistent production from Klay. If he can provide that, fantasy managers will also benefit.

Before Tuesday’s game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Powell would be limited to 10-12 minutes in his first game back from a hip injury. He played 16 minutes and replaced Kessler Edwards (four points and three rebounds in 13 minutes) in the lineup to begin the third quarter. Powell did not provide much value outside of rebounds, and that isn’t enough to make him worth streaming while the Mavericks are shorthanded in the frontcourt. However, consistent rotation minutes won’t be an issue for Powell as long as he remains healthy.

Irving was magnificent on Tuesday, and he has now scored 30 points or more in four of his last five outings. Since February 5, the Mavericks guard has been a top-10 player in eight- and nine-cat formats. With Anthony Davis (groin) out, even more of the offensive workload has fallen on Irving’s shoulders. And to the delight of fantasy managers, he’s answered the call. Dallas plays twice more during Week 17, starting with the reeling Hornets on Thursday.

On the other side of Luka Doncic facing his former team for the first time was Christie, a second-round pick of the Lakers in 2022. Overall, he’s played well since being traded to Dallas. However, Christie has scored 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting in his last two appearances. In his first seven games as a Maverick, the third-year guard averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.4 three-pointers, shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 84 percent from the foul line. Christie will look to snap out of his mini-slump when the Mavericks host Charlotte on Thursday.

Simpson moved into the starting lineup Tuesday with LaMelo Ball (ankle) out again. The 22-year-old point guard has played at least 30 minutes in three straight games now. Simpson hasn’t been particularly effective in any of those games and Charlotte has lost all three outings. It doesn’t appear that he’s much of a fantasy asset at the moment, but he’s certainly getting a bunch of minutes lately.

The game against the Hornets got out of hand fast and most of the Warriors key players played 20 minutes or less. This impacted Hield less than most. He was able to have a good game as he poured in 16 points and four 3-points in only 20 minutes. Hield’s fantasy value is limited coming off the bench, but he’s a reliable scorer and 3-point specialist.

While it wasn’t a huge game for Curry, it was a pretty good effort from the 36-year-old point guard in just 24 minutes in a game that got out of hand early. He seems revitalized since the Warriors’ acquisition of Jimmy Butler prior to the trade deadline. Golden State is rolling with four wins in a row and six wins in their last seven games.