NBA Player News

There have been times this season when the Pelicans used Zion Williamson at the five, relegating Valanciunas to the bench. With the Pelicans’ best player out with a hamstring injury, JV’s minutes appear to be more secure. However, Friday’s matchup had much to do with that, as he logged 27 minutes against fellow Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis. Valanciunas recorded a solid double-double with a few assists and blocks, and this is the level of production the Pelicans will need from him with Williamson out. However, Larry Nance Jr. could figure more prominently in the first-round series against Oklahoma City due to the Thunder’s lack of a bruiser in the middle. Nance played 21 minutes on Friday, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Plumlee will replace Josh Okogie and give Phoenix a pair of twin towers in the frontcourt. It’s unclear how this group will work together, but Nurkic will need to be a real threat to stretch the floor to avoid the spacing from being poor, as Plumlee is far from a threat anywhere outside of the painted area.

Fernando has provided Toronto’s undermanned frontcourt with some support off the pine. Chris Boucher and Jonathan Mogbo will get a chance to contribute more behind Jakob Poeltl while Fernando is out.

Waters has given the Dubs some nice scoring off the bench. His counting stats aren’t great because of the elite shooters ahead of him on the depth chart. His absence won’t make any other backup Warriors guards significantly more valuable.

It appears like Carter will be ruled out for a seventh straight game on Monday. The Magic big man has been banged up in 2024-25 and Goga Bitadze will continue to start for the foreseeable future.

Nurkic has only missed one game and is back is in good enough shape to play in a second straight contest after playing against the Thunder his last time out. His scoring and efficiency is down and Phoenix encouraging him to shoot from long range has played a major part in that. Allen will return to the rotation after sitting out against OKC.

Doncic struggled in his last game and won’t play against the best team in the Western Conference to wrap up the weekend. Kyrie Irving will become the engine that powers Dallas on offense against OKC’s elite defense. Quentin Grimes seems likely to step into the starting lineup as a fill-in.

Bridges returned for one game after missing three with his knee injury while Mann returned from a one-game layoff. Charlotte appears to be being cautious, so Seth Curry and Cody Martin could be asked to contribute more off the bench if Bridges and Mann are ruled out.

Ball has had a few minor injury scares but has suited up in all 12 games. Fantasy managers shouldn’t worry too much about the Hornets star amid his career year. He’ll likely try his best to remain active for a 13th straight game this season.

Jokic rarely misses games and is set to miss a second consecutive contest for reasons unknown. The three-time MVP remains the most dominant player in fantasy basketball, though. Dario Saric will likely remain in a starting role for Sunday.

DiVincenzo’s status was up in the air but now he’s set to serve his usual reserve roll. His fantasy upside is down significantly from last season and he’ll likely only have consistently desirable upside as a starter with Minnesota.