NBA Player News

Markkanen has missed Utah’s last three games, while Collier has yet to make his NBA debut. Going through a full practice doesn’t guarantee anything, but it appears that they’re on track to return to the lineup for Thursday’s game in Milwaukee. Utah is coming off their first win of the season on Monday night, and the added reinforcements will give them a better chance of making it two in a row. Collier’s return won’t dramatically impact the backcourt rotation, but Kyle Filipowski will likely return to a reserve role when Markkanen is back in the lineup.

Ivey led the Pistons in scoring, but was also a team-worst -14 in 34 minutes in a close loss. He had 21 points on 16 shots and had three turnovers. Ivey made 3-of-5 attempts from behind the 3-point line, which was certainly a positive. The Pistons have two more games this week as they face the Hawks on Friday and the Rockets on Sunday.

Cunningham’s triple-double was the fourth of his career and first time in his career with consecutive games with a triple-double. The 23-year-old has taken on a huge role with Pistons as his usage remains off the charts. Cunningham wasn’t particularly efficient scoring against the Hornets as he had 20 points on 23 shots and went 0-for-4 from behind the 3-point line. The Pistons have two more games this week as they face the Hawks on Friday and the Rockets on Sunday.

Miller had an offensive rebound and put-back as time expired to give the Hornets a one-point victory. Overall, it wasn’t the best game from him. He had 19 points on 16 shots, went 3-of-11 from behind the 3-point line, had three turnovers and was +1 in 29 minutes. The Hornets have two more games this week as they take on the Pacers on Friday and clash with the 76ers on Sunday.

Mathurin continues to shine as the replacement for injured wing Aaron Nesmith in the starting lineup. He’s scored 16 points or more in four straight games, with that production factoring into Benn being a top-100 player over the past week. The 11 rebounds were a nice bonus for managers who have Mathurin rostered, and he’s still available in 67% of Yahoo leagues.

After failing to record a double-double in any of his first five games, Turner’s done so in two straight. He wasn’t as explosive scoring-wise as in Monday’s win over Dallas (30 points), but the Pacers center was effective in his role. He’s ranked just inside the top 100 in per-game value, which doesn’t align with Turner’s ADP (45), but fantasy managers should not be too concerned.

Siakam was one of six places to score between 15 and 20 points in Wednesday’s victory, with four (Siakam, Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jarace Walker) scoring 17. Spicy P is providing 4th-round per-game value through eight games, and that’s with minimal defensive production. The season is still young, and there may be another level for Siakam to reach regarding fantasy value.

Bridges’ 27 points were a game-high. He was efficient with only 14 shot attempts and made all nine of his free throws. Bridges was +6 in 36 minutes. Hopefully this game starts a trend of better play from Bridges as he reached 20 points in just one of the first seven games this season prior to Wednesday night. The Hornets have two more games this week as they take on the Pacers on Friday and clash with the 76ers on Sunday.

Kornet played 14 minutes before exiting Wednesday’s game, with starters Al Horford and Neemias Queta handling most of the interior responsibilities. The Celtics play again on Friday against the Nets, and additional time on the sideline for Kornet would result in more minutes for Queta, especially if Jaylen Brown (hip) isn’t available.