NBA Player News

Ayton remains sidelined for another game, with Donovan Clingan (knee) joining him on the sideline. Robert Williams will start at center, with Duop Reath moving into the rotation as his backup. There’s no need to consider streaming Reath.

After scoring at least 30 points in each of his first two games back from a four-game absence with an ankle injury, Butler wasn’t able to keep his streak alive in this one. However, he still had a solid night and led his team in scoring. It wasn’t enough to outduel Damian Lillard (37 points) and the Bucks, but it was still a productive performance for the fantasy managers that have Butler rostered. They’ll head to Charlotte to play the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday after this disappointing loss.

Robinson started their last two games with Terry Rozier sidelined, but he was able to remain in the starting unit despite Rozier’s return for this game. That likely won’t continue, but Robinson was able to have a productive night. His playmaking leap last season has continued this year, especially recently. He was able to set a new season-high for dimes in this one and was still able to provide some buckets and triples. Robinson’s role has been inconsistent, and he hasn’t always been productive when he gets the minutes. That makes him a difficult player to roster, but he was solid in this game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) was ruled out shortly before tipoff, which allowed Green to slide into the starting lineup. He was quiet for most of the night, but he hit back-to-back 3-pointers with about three minutes left in the game, which allowed the Bucks to maintain their late lead. Green isn’t going to contribute much more than triples when he gets the chance to start, but he is certainly capable of getting hot and making a big impact in that regard.

Portis normally is normally able to put up an excellent statline when Giannis Antetokounmpo is out of the lineup, but that wasn’t the case in this game. During Antetokounmpo’s only other absence this season, Portis put up 21/18 with three blocks in 39 minutes as a starter. This time, he came off the bench, played just 18 minutes and wasn’t able to provide much value. Portis has played 23.8 minutes per game this season, so this was actually worse than his typical performance. It was certainly frustrating for fantasy managers and DFS players alike that were counting on a big night from Portis.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) sidelined for this game, Lillard was given the opportunity to be the focal point of the offense. He delivered early and often, scoring 17 points in the first quarter and entering halftime with 25 points, seven assists and six 3-pointers. Erik Spoelstra made some adjustments at halftime to force the ball out of Lillard’s hands, especially late in the game. However, Dame was able to find his teammates, and they were the ones to hit the big shots down the stretch. Lillard’s shooting is always impressive, but he has at least 10 assists in four of their last five games, which is just an added boost for an already elite player. He’s up to 7.7 assists per game this season, which would be the second-highest average of his career.

Carrington hasn’t gotten the chance to return to the starting lineup with Jordan Poole sidelined over their last two games. However, after struggling on Sunday, Carrington was able to contribute decent value as a reserve in this one. The volume still wasn’t there, but in just 25 minutes of play, his production was solid. It is frustrating that Carrington lost his starting job to Malcolm Brogdon, but managers shouldn’t give up on him quite yet. He’s still getting a large bench role, and there will be more chances for him to start this season.

The main issue that has plagued Sarr as a rookie has been his lack of shooting efficiency. A poor field goal percentage (37.9%) has tanked his season-long value, but he has put together consecutive efficient nights. This was tied for the best field goal percentage of his career, and he set a new career-high with four triples. It’s a bit unrealistic to assume that Sarr’s shooting woes are simply behind him, but it is encouraging to see him put together back-to-back performances like the ones he has had.

After scoring just 10 points in 30 minutes in their previous game, Kuzma made sure that wasn’t going to happen again. He took just 10 shots and zero free throws in that game, and he followed that with 18 field goal attempts and 11 free throws in this one despite only playing about three more minutes. Kuzma’s numbers have been down across the board this season, and he has struggled to contribute in any category, which has contributed to him rankings outside the top-250 in 9-cat leagues. He’s decent in points leagues, but his numbers still aren’t what they were in previous years.

With Durant and Beal making their return, the Suns will be back to rolling out their preferred starting unit. Ryan Dunn and Royce O’Neale will return to playing reserve roles.

Smith hasn’t really made an impact in fantasy basketball this season, largely because of the dominance and health of Nikola Vucevic. Smith isn’t a player to keep rostered, but he is certainly capable of contributing value if he ever gets the opportunity to start. This was his sixth game scoring in double figures, and Smith was able to haul in a new season-high for rebounds. He was one of seven players to score in double figures for Chicago, which attributed to their lopsided win in Washington.