NBA Player News

Bench sidekicks Thompson and Tari Eason were outstanding on Friday, with the latter putting up 22 points in 22 minutes. As for the former, he recorded a complete stat line and is ranked just outside the top 100 in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks. Thompson may be ranked outside the top 150 for the season, but the defensive value makes him well worth the risk.

15 of Tatum’s 21 points came in Team Shaq’s 41-25 win over Team Chuck in the championship of the 2025 All-Star Game. Tatum’s 15 were the most in any individual matchup of the All-Star Game, and his 21 points across the two games were the most by any player as he narrowly beat out MVP Stephen Curry (20 points). Curry’s theatrics and the game being played in the Warriors’ arena may have factored into Curry winning All-Star MVP over Tatum, but the Celtics star was still fantastic.

The All-Star Game was played in San Francisco, so it’s only right that Steph was named MVP. He finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six three-pointers across their two games, with 12 of those points coming in the championship. Curry put on a show, which was highlighted by a three-point shot from nearly halfcourt to put Team Shaq up 26-15 over Team Kenny. This was Curry’s second time winning All-Star MVP, with the first coming in 2022.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 played in his first All-Star Game on Sunday, but he wasn’t able to help Team Chuck walk away victorious. Wemby scored 11 of his 17 points in the championship game against Team Shaq, which was nearly half of his team’s 25 points. Wembanyama didn’t have much help from his teammates in the championship, but he still played well in his first of many All-Star appearances.

SGA took over in the semifinal round of the All-Star Game, scoring 12 points without missing a shot while leading Team Chuck to a 41-32 win over Team Kenny. He hit a three-pointer to get them to 39 points and followed that up with a dunk to get them to the target score of 40 points. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to replicate that success against Team Shaq, which is why they lost the championship 41-25.

Edwards said that if he had a longer warm-up he may have tried to play, but he didn’t have enough time to test out his groin, so he didn’t risk it. Edwards was dealing with soreness in his right hip prior to the All-Star break, but he was able to play in Minnesota’s last three games. They don’t play their next game until Friday in Houston. Edwards should have time to rest up, but managers should keep an eye on the injury report as that game approaches.

James has been on every injury report as he continues to manage this ailment. The Lakers play Charlotte on Wednesday, so he’ll take the extra time to make sure he’s healthy for that game instead of playing in this exhibition. Expect him to be on the injury report for their game against the Hornets, but this shouldn’t cause too much concern.

The 2016 Slam Dunk Contest was a true masterpiece, as Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon traded phenomenal jams all night. Since that magical performance, the contest has gone downhill, and lack of superstar participation is a big reason. McClung’s recent three-peat has brought a new level of excitement to the dying contest and, if Giannis and Ja’s posts on X are any indication, McClung has revived it. Morant replied to his own post later with “zach and ag wassup” seemingly challenging LaVine and Gordon to enter on what would be the 10th anniversary of their famous showdown. A dunk contest with those four participants would surely bring some attention to All-Star’s Saturday night festivities.

McClung became the first competitor to take home the title three straight years in the event’s history, which dates back to 1976. The Magic two-way contract guard scored a perfect 50 on all four dunks, outscoring Castle 100-99.6 in the final round. McClung, last season’s G League MVP, has not been able to earn an opportunity at an extended run in Orlando, so he won’t impact fantasy basketball anytime soon.

After hanging onto the final qualifying spot out of the first round, Herro scored 24 in the finals to beat Warriors guard Buddy Hield. The first-time All-Star is the fifth Heat player to win the three-point contest, joining Glen Rice, Jason Kapono, Daequan Cook, and James Jones. Herro’s fantasy production this season has been excellent, as he entered the All-Star break as a fourth-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats. With Jimmy Butler no longer in the picture, the Heat need Herro’s scoring even more, which is a positive for fantasy managers who have him rostered.

Mitchell and Mobley represented the Cavaliers well, winning the Kia Skills Challenge to open the Saturday night festivities. Two reasons why Cleveland went into the break with the second-best record in the NBA, Mitchell and Mobley have been top-25 players in nine-cat formats. The lone concern for fantasy managers who have either player rostered would be for Cleveland to maintain its stranglehold on the top spot in the East. That may encourage the Cavaliers to occasionally rest key players before the postseason, which may impact the availability of Mitchell and Mobley during the fantasy playoff weeks.