NBA Player News

Leonard shot some on Friday and will continue to do that on Saturday. However, he will not go through any contact, which calls into question his status for Sunday’s game against Dallas. The Clippers continue to list Leonard as questionable, but the lack of contact and the recent report that he received an injection in the knee earlier this week is concerning. P.J. Tucker replaced him in the starting lineup during the regular season and will continue to do so if Kawhi cannot play.

Fox wasn’t able to maintain his historic scoring pace, but he did have another good game in this one. He has now scored 137 points over the last four days, which has helped fantasy managers out tremendously. They now have three days off before their next game, and there is a chance that Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk are all back in the lineup for that one. If that’s the case, Fox will continue to be excellent in fantasy, but the monster scoring nights like he has had recently will likely be over.

With DeMar DeRozan sidelined once again, Lyles got another start in this game. DeRozan is inching closer to a return, and with their next game coming on Friday, it could be for that game. However, if he misses another game, Lyles should be worth streaming. He is averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 4.0 threes during his two starts this season and is available in 95 % of leagues. Since they don’t play until Friday, just keep an eye on him at this point.

What a night it was for Ellis, who was able to set new career-highs for both points and 3-pointers. Entering this game, he had hit a total of 11 threes this season. The only other game where he hit more than one 3-pointer was in their other matchup with Atlanta. This was an unexpected but incredibly performance out of Ellis, who hasn’t been able to take advantage of Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan being out of the lineup. Both players are expected to be back soon, but Ellis should have earned more playing time with his performance in this game.

After returning from a lengthy absence, Hunter has come off the bench in his last two appearances. It may seem like a demotion in favor of Zaccharie Risacher, but it has been a beneficial move for both Hunter and the Hawks. In his last two games, he has averaged 23.0 points and 3.5 triples while shooting 57.1% from the floor. He has shot an absurdly high percentage for a perimeter player, and that will likely even out as he plays more games. However, while he still isn’t contributing defensive stats, this role as a reserve has been ideal for him.

It hasn’t come consistently, but the rookie has shown that he’s more than capable of impacting the game in a multitude of ways. On the heels of two straight games without a 3-pointer or defensive stat, it was encouraging to see him get back on track in this game. He has been quieter since his 33-point outburst a couple weeks ago, but the flashes are important to see out of the first pick in the draft. Risacher will look to build off this performance against the Warriors on Wednesday.

Young simply didn’t shoot the ball much in this game, but he had no problem facilitating to his teammates. His 19 assists are the most in a game so far this season and the second-highest single-game total in his career. The lack of points were uncharacteristic and frustrating, but the abundance of dimes helped make up for it. He only took seven shots, which won’t happen often. Managers shouldn’t expect this to be the norm moving forward, and he should get back to being aggressive offensively when they play the Warriors on Wednesday.