NBA Player News

After three quiet seasons in Charlotte, Thor will get the chance to start fresh elsewhere. He played 12.4 minutes per game last season, so this won’t have a dramatic impact on their rotation, especially with Tidjane Salaun in the mix now.

There weren’t many bright spots from the Warriors blowout loss to the Kings, but Moody was able to have a solid night in 26 minutes. Steve Kerr said that Moody would take on a larger role with Jonathan Kuminga set to miss at least the next few weeks, and he played well in their first game without Kuminga. Moody isn’t worth adding in standard leagues at this point, but it is encouraging to see him play well. They only have three games next week, so keep an eye on how Kerr uses him in the rotation.

Curry got off to a hot start to this game and entered the break with 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Unfortunately, they were already down 24 points by then, and things only got worse in the second half. Curry was still able to turn in a strong line, but he wasn’t able to provide a true encore after dominating on Thursday and then sitting out the first leg of the back-to-back on Saturday. It makes sense that the rest of the team played like it was their second straight night playing, but that’s just the way the NBA schedule works. Miami will be in town on Tuesday, and they’ll look to get back on track in that one.

Sabonis split the playmaking duties with Malik Monk in this game with De’Aaron Fox sidelined, and the Warriors didn’t have many answers for the Kings despite them playing without their star point guard. Sabonis only needed 30 minutes of playing time to extend his double-double streak to 13 games, and he still only has two games without a double-double this season. Fox may remain sidelined for Monday’s game against the Heat, since it is the second night of a back-to-back. Regardless, Sabonis will continue to produce elite value, just like he has all season.

With De’Aaron Fox sidelined for this game, Monk split the playmaking duties with Domantas Sabonis. While the expectation was that Monk’s stats would be inflated, his double-double before halftime was certainly surprising. He only played 29 minutes due to the blowout win, but it was enough time for him to have arguably his best game of the season. Monk has been on a tear since moving into the starting unit, and he has been even better since Doug Christie took over as the team’s interim head coach. He’ll look to keep it going against Miami on Monday to kick off a three-game week.

Beal and Nurkic have certainly been popular names when it comes to the upcoming trade deadline, but the Suns aren’t going to wait until then to make lineup changes. Beal hasn’t come off the bench since 2016, while Nurkic hasn’t since 2017. Phoenix has lost four games in a row and currently sits in 12th place in the West. We’ll see if these moves help give the team a much-needed jolt, though the trade rumors should only heat up after this change. Dunn has started in four of their last five games and has had some of the most-productive games of his career, while Plumlee has played well as a starter in their last three games. Nurkic will be a reserve in his return from a three-game suspension, while Beal is coming off scoring just eight points in their last game. A move to the bench will certainly limit their numbers, but managers should still expect Beal to play plenty of minutes. Perhaps this will move will help Beal get back to being the scorer that he has been for the past decade.

After undergoing surgery on his left shoulder this offseason, Carter finally made his debut for the Kings on Friday. He logged 11 minutes and contributed five rebounds and two assists in their win over Memphis. On Sunday, he was able to play 23 minutes and score the first points of his young career. He took on a larger role because of the lopsided score, but it was good to see him have a performance like this one. Carter will continue to play a reserve role moving forward, but he isn’t a player that is worth rostering in standard redraft leagues at this point.

Thompson got the starting nod in place of Jabari Smith Jr. in this game, and since Smith Jr. is expected to miss 4-8 weeks after fracturing his hand, that is a role that Thompson should maintain moving forward. Thompson was suspended for their last two games after his altercation with Tyler Herro, and while it wasn’t his first start of the season, he was able to set new season-highs for both points and rebounds in his return to the starting lineup. They play three games next week, and managers should expect Thompson to continue to dominate fantasy hoops moving forward now that his spot in the starting lineup is safe.

After having a poor shooting night in their win over the Hawks, AD got back on track in this game, even if it wasn’t enough for them to walk away with a win. This was the second time this season that Davis has recorded a 30-point double-double with at least five blocks. The rest of the league has a total of zero games reaching that threshold. Davis has done it 19 times in his career, which is sixth in NBA history behind five of the greatest centers in NBA history. The Lakers have three games next week, starting in Dallas on Tuesday.

That slow stretch that LeBron had a month ago is clearly behind him. He has been a top-five player in 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks with averages of 28.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 3.3 triples per game while shooting 57.8% from the floor and 85% from the free throw line. This was his seventh straight game with at least 20 points, and he has made at least 50% of his shots during that stretch. He’ll look to keep it going in Dallas on Tuesday.

Howard barely played during his rookie season, but he has had a few decent performances in year two. However, none of them compare to this one, as he set new career-highs for points, assists and 3-pointers in the loss. Howard hasn’t seen his minutes increase dramatically despite Orlando dealing with so many injuries, but that could change after a night like this. Still, we’ll need to see him string a few good games together before he becomes worthy of a roster spot in standard leagues. Keep an eye on the rotation in New York on Monday.