NBA Player News

Claxton will not play after logging 30 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Pistons. Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney will handle the available minutes at the center position, and fantasy managers should also expect to see plenty of Trendon Watford and Jalen Wilson at the four.

With Rui Hachimura sidelined once again, Knecht remained in the starting unit. He wasn’t able to provide an encore to his 37-point night, but he was still effective in this game. This was his fifth straight game scoring in double figures with multiple 3-pointers, and he should be a reliable option until Hachimura returns. JJ Redick has said that Knecht will play a large role even when Hachimura is back, but it’s unclear if it will be enough for him to be worth streaming. Until then, keep enjoying the ride.

The King just keeps on getting it done. He scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and reached 30 points for the fourth time this season in this game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the Lakers to extend their win streak to seven games. LeBron did everything he could to help them get the win, which included big shots and contested rebounds. For a player that will turn 40 in a little over a month, James is still producing at an elite level. He may not be playing to his Yahoo ADP of 24.5 at this point, but he has still been fantastic and should continue to be.

Night in and night out, AD continues to put up dominant numbers. Unfortunately, he came up just short in this one. After making his first nine free throws, he missed three of his last four, which came with less than 30 seconds left in the game. The numbers were still great, but he could’ve put the game away and didn’t. Still, fantasy managers shouldn’t be as concerned about it, and he’ll have a chance to bounce back against Denver on Saturday before they have a four-game week. This will be their first matchup with the Nuggets since they eliminated them from the playoffs last year.

Wagner has been a reliable source of offense off the bench this season, but he was able to set a new season-high for scoring in this game. Unfortunately, he doesn’t contribute much else in other categories, which makes him a difficult player to roster in 9-cat leagues. He’s outside the top-200 despite averaging a career-high 12.6 points per game. He has seen some extra minutes with Wendell Carter Jr. sidelined, but that doesn’t make him a player that must be rostered outside of deeper leagues.

Suggs has really struggled with his shot recently, but he figured things out for this game. His shooting percentage still wasn’t great, but his five 3-pointers were the most that he has hit in a game since October. Despite taking a step back in shooting efficiency this season, Suggs has still been elite in 9-cat leagues because of his bump in defensive production. It remains to be seen if last season was just a fluke or if he can get back to shooting 47% from the floor this year, but the numbers in other categories should continue to be there regardless.

Wagner has had to do everything for Orlando with Paolo Banchero sidelined, but he had one of the best games of his career in this one. He set a new career-high for assists and a new season-high for points. He scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and hit a stepback 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to give Orlando the win. Following a five-game losing streak, the Magic have won seven of their last eight games. Wagner is the main reason for that, since this Magic team lacks offense outside of him and Banchero. He has been producing like a superstar in fantasy, and this was arguably the best game of his career.

Bassey wasn’t part of San Antonio’s rotation prior to Victor Wembanyama’s injury, but he has played 23.3 minutes per game during their three games with Wemby sidelined. During this stretch, he has averaged 7.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 3.7 blocks per game. It may be difficult to rely on him for more than blocks, but if Wemby remains out for Saturday’s game against Golden State, Bassey may be worth consideration in deeper leagues.

Barnes hasn’t been very good for San Antonio this season, but he has stepped up over their last two games. After setting season-highs of 20 points, eight rebounds and three 3-pointers on Tuesday, Barnes followed that up with season-highs of 25 points, 10 rebounds and four triples in this game, including his first double-double as a Spur. Barnes shouldn’t be relied on for season-long value, but it appears that Barnes is still capable of stepping up when they need him to. With Victor Wembanyama out of the lineup, he has been able to do just that.

Collins drew a third straight start with Victor Wembanyama sidelined once again. He wasn’t quite as productive, though he only played 21 minutes in this one. It’s unclear if Wemby will be back in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Warriors, but if he remains out, Collins should be worth streaming. It’s also worth noting that the Spurs have a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, so there is a chance that Wemby sits out one of those games, which would allow Collins to get another start. When he’s coming off the bench, he should be left on the waiver wire.

Collins got off to a slow start to the season, but he has been playing some of the best basketball of his career this year. He has provided third round value in 9-cat leagues while posting career-highs in assists and steals while also making 43 of his 44 attempts from the free throw line. Those bonuses, along with his typical strong value in rebounds and field goal percentage, have made him an excellent 9-cat player this season. If Utah’s plan was to let him shine to increase his trade value, it’s working.