NBA Player News

Westbrook scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, but his hard-charging style may have influenced the Knicks’ substitution patterns. Tom Thibodeau did not remove his key players until about three minutes remaining in the blowout. Rostered in 47% of Yahoo leagues, Westbrook has been a 10th-round player over the last two weeks. While nights like Monday have not been the norm, Denver’s need for bench production has kept Westbrook on the fantasy radar.

Mr. Consistent just keeps on putting up numbers. He has had at least 20 points without reaching 30 in seven straight games. No bad shooting nights. Solid assist and rebound numbers, but only one double-double. Durant has once again been a top-20 player in 9-cat leagues, which is actually a slight drop off from his typical production. They have a three-game week coming up, and managers should expect more of the same from KD. They return to the court on Tuesday in Atlanta, who they beat at home last week.

Ball recorded his eighth double-double of the season on Sunday, with eight being the points/assists variety. What’s also been notable recently has been the steals production. Ball has tallied three or more in four of the seven games he’s appeared in since returning from the calf strain that sidelined him for three weeks. While turnovers cut into Ball’s value in 9-cat formats, he has provided top 10 per-game value in 8-cat. Charlotte plays two games during Week 12 (Wednesday and Friday), which is a terrible schedule for fantasy basketball.

Bridges has scored 20 points or more in six of his last eight games, and there have also been improvements in the rebound and assist categories. Over the past three weeks, he has averaged 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.3 3-pointers per game, providing 3rd-round value in 9-cat formats. While Bridges hasn’t been as productive as he was last season, the Hornets forward is trending in the right direction. Charlotte only plays two games during Week 12, beginning with the Jazz on Wednesday.

Miller’s recent absence due to a sprained ankle upset his offensive rhythm. The second-year wing had scored 20 points or more in 12 straight games before missing six of seven games. However, while Miller didn’t have a great night shooting the ball, he did dish out six assists while committing only one turnover. For the season, Miller’s ranked just outside the top-50 in 9-cat formats, and improved playmaking would raise his fantasy ceiling moving forward.

Mason Plumlee got the start at center once again, but Ighodaro replaced him to open the second half after Mark Williams dominated the first two quarters. It’s unclear if this is a permanent change, but it wouldn’t be the first move that Mike Budenholzer has made at center recently. Ighodaro played 30 minutes to Plumlee’s 15, though Plumlee still turned in a 2/5/2/1/2 line. The Suns return to the court in Atlanta on Tuesday, so keep an eye out to see if Ighodaro starts. However, even if he does, he is still a low-end streaming option.

Williams was a one-man wrecking crew during the first half of Sunday’s game, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Phoenix changed its lineup, starting Oso Ighodaro instead of Mason Plumlee, which helped them keep Williams under wraps in the second half. Even with the limited post-halftime production, this was a highly encouraging performance from the Hornets center. Williams has provided top-50 value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks, which bodes well for his production for the rest of the season. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the Hornets have a terrible schedule for Week 12, only playing on Wednesday and Friday.

Booker hasn’t been able to maintain his assist dominance over the last two games, but he was able to get them back up in this one after having just four in their last game. However, he was able to score at least 30 points for a second straight game. It has been a down year for Booker as a scorer, but his recent performances have served as a reminder of what he is capable of. He’ll look to keep it going on their upcoming road trip, which starts in Atlanta on Tuesday.

After missing their last three games with an illness, Sensabaugh was back in the lineup for this one. He didn’t maintain his incredible scoring pace from his last two games, but he was still effective off the bench. Sensabaugh has proven that he can pour in points in a hurry, and with the Jazz already managing injuries, expect him to continue to play a large role for the rest of the season. However, they only play two games next week, which makes him a difficult player to consider streaming.

Sexton was the only typical starter that was available for Utah in this game. He maintained his scoring tear and has now scored at least 20 points in five straight games and in eight of his last nine appearances. He has yet to miss a game this season, and he didn’t miss any last season until their final four games of the year. Even if the Jazz tank again at the end of the year, expect Sexton to remain in the lineup as long as they allow him.

After taking a hard fall in the fourth quarter after getting fouled on a dunk, Collier briefly exited this game, but he was able to return to close it out. He ended up having his best game as a pro and setting a new career-high for points, which included a layup with two seconds left in overtime to give the Jazz the win. Collier has played well as the starting point guard recently, but he was finally able to figure things out as a scorer in this one. They only have two games next week, which makes him a difficult player to justify streaming.