NBA Player News

Allen, who dealt with an Achilles issue during the preseason and now has a hamstring injury to navigate, did not play in Wednesday’s loss to the Kings. That was Phoenix’s second game in as many nights, so it was unsurprising that Allen did not play. Josh Okogie and Damion Lee will have more opportunities to contribute if he remains sidelined on Friday.

Harden didn’t play all that well in what ended up being an ugly loss for the Clippers. However, he did come close to making some history. He needed four 3-pointers to pass Ray Allen on the all-time 3-point leaderboard. Harden hit three, so now they’re tied at 2,973. He won’t pass Stephen Curry, who was at 3,779 prior to Friday’s game against the Grizzlies. Harden has been a strong but inefficient option in 9-cat leagues so far this season, which is what managers should expect from him until Kawhi Leonard returns, whenever that may be. Harden did hit at least half of his shot attempts in this game for just the second time this season, but the turnovers still plagued him.

Waters injured his knee when he landed awkwardly after attempting to block a layup attempt. While he did limp back to the locker room under his own power, the Warriors guard was not on the bench to begin the third quarter. He finishes with eight points, one assist, one block, and two 3-pointers in 11 minutes. Brandin Podziemski started the third quarter in Waters’ place.

The historic run continues. Daniels now has at least six steals in four straight games, which is the second-longest streak in NBA history. Only Alvin Robertson has a longer streak. He had at least six steals in six straight games in 1986. If Daniels were to keep up this pace, he would tie the record in Sacramento on Monday and break it in Golden State on Wednesday. Their next game is against Portland, and they allow the fourth most steals in the league. The Kings are middle of the pack in that area, while the Warriors allow the third-fewest. Steals fluctuate often, so this will be a difficult streak to maintain. However, Daniels is dominating that category this season. It’s a skewed number, but he has been a top-20 player in 9-cat leagues because of improvements across the board and historic steal numbers.

Coming off his first triple-double of the season on Tuesday, Johnson nearly made it two straight. He is officially past the slow start and now ranks inside the top-50 in 9-cat leagues over the course of the season and in the top-20 over the last two weeks. He was one of eight Hawks to score in double figures in this game, and he was able to tie his career-high for blocks. He didn’t shoot well from deep in this game (1-of-5), but he has been better from beyond the arc recently. Everything is coming together for a player that should be considered for the league’s Most Improved Player award.

Paul had his fifth double-double of the season. The 39-year-old is still proving to be quite valuable in fantasy as he continues to record a good amount of assists and steals. Paul might not do much else, but that’s still good enough to outperform his preseason ADP. The Spurs take on the Mavericks Saturday in the second game of a back-to-back.

Wemby put up big numbers, but was hardly efficient against the Lakers on Friday. He had 28 points on 25 shots including 4-of-13 from behind the 3-point line. Wemby also had five turnovers to go with his five assists. He had a big game mostly thanks to his usage while there’s certainly room for more as his efficiency improves. The Spurs get the Mavericks on Saturday in the second game of a back-to-back.

After missing Atlanta’s last 10 games, Hunter returned to the lineup on Wednesday. He came off the bench, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that continued for the rest of the season. However, that shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing. His early 9-cat value was inflated by only playing two games, and managers shouldn’t expect statistical defensive contributions often. What he can provide consistently is buckets. Hunter has never been great in 9-cat leagues, but if he can help Bogdan Bogdanovic handle the bench scoring when he returns, Hunter should be solid in points formats.

Sarr’s offensive production has been inconsistent this season, but it wasn’t an issue in this game. 11 of his 20 points came during garbage time, though with point differential mattering during the NBA Cup, the starters were still in for both teams. He also got it done on the defensive end by setting a new career-high for steals in this game, and he still has yet to play an NBA game without blocking a shot. This was the best game of Sarr’s career, so hopefully it is a performance that he can build off of moving forward.

Reaves was feeling it from downtown as he knocked down 5-of-9 attempts from behind the 3-point line. He also had six assists and didn’t turn the ball over in 32 minutes. It was his fourth game in a row with at least six assists. Reaves continues to provide fifth round value in fantasy. The Lakers will meet the Pelicans on Saturday on the second game of a back-to-back.

James is now the oldest player to two, three and four straight games with a triple-double. He was excellent in the Lakers’ win over the Spurs and continues to provide first round fantasy value. LeBron had seven turnovers, which has been an issue lately, but his overall production mostly makes up for it. The Lakers will take on the Pelicans on Saturday in the second game of a back-to-back.