NBA Player News

Trent’s availability is more significant, as he was a fixture in the starting lineup when he was healthy. Gradey Dick is likely headed to the bench, but the rookie will figure prominently within the Raptors’ bench rotation. Brown will also play solid minutes off the bench as Toronto looks to end its season on a high note.

Herro will return to Miami’s lineup after more than a month on the sideline, and he’ll surely see a minutes restriction in his first game back. Pelle Larsson could see his role reduced, and he’s not someone to hold in most fantasy leagues.

Johnson will get the all-clear against the Hawks, but he’s been out of Miami’s rotation this season, so his availability isn’t meaningful for fantasy hoops managers.

No surprise here, as Murphy received a doubtful tag on Thursday evening. Murphy’s absence will leave a major scoring void for New Orleans, and Jeremiah Fears should see an opportunity to help fill it.

Christie has taken on a significant role in Dallas’ rotation, and his looming absence should free up additional playing time for Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton.

Powell will return following a two-game absence, and there’s no indication that he’ll be limited in any way. Powell’s return should send Kel’el Ware back to the bench, but Ware should retain standalone value.

Markkanen is a late addition to the injury report, which doesn’t bode well for his availability against Memphis. With the star forward potentially on the shelf, fantasy managers can stream Kyle Filipowski in a favorable matchup. Svi Mykhailiuk could see a bump in playing time, too.

Bruce Brown tied a season-high in points on Thursday thanks to a sensational first half of basketball, when he scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting with three triples. He cooled down considerably after halftime but still finished as one of Denver’s top scorers on the evening. His facilitation was also impressive and important for Denver in his 25 minutes of game action. Brown isn’t a needle-mover in fantasy leagues or someone fantasy managers should be looking to add immediately, but he’s capable of having some productive nights.

Murray had his highs and lows throughout Thursday’s contest, with his clutch scoring down the stretch to give the Nuggets a chance, ultimately getting overshadowed by a game-tying missed free throw with under 1.0 second remaining in the game. Despite some inefficient shooting, he was one of two Denver players to score at least 20 points, and his work on the glass and as a facilitator led to a pretty strong fantasy performance.

Jokić posted a good stat line on Thursday, but it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride to reach his final numbers. The former Finals MVP missed all six of his three-point attempts en route to finishing with one of his least efficient shooting performances of the season. He also committed six turnovers in his 36 minutes of game action. Still, he flirted with a 20-point, 20-rebound game and almost led Denver to a win. He’ll take the floor again on Friday against the Trail Blazers.

Jones Jr. had maybe his best performance of the season on Thursday. The versatile wing used a combination of free throws and inside-out scoring to reach the 20-point mark for the first time all season, which included some timely makes at the charity stripe down the stretch. He’s remained healthy since the start of February after returning from his second MCL sprain of the season. As he gets further removed from the injury, his opportunities should only increase.