NBA Player News

Not even an afterthought in fantasy basketball during the preseason, Milton has been a pleasant surprise recently. Having reached double figures in five of his last seven games, the Nets guard has averaged 11.7 points per game during this stretch. That hasn’t been enough to make Milton a must-add player, but he’s worthy of consideration in extremely deep leagues while the Nets continue without Cam Thomas (hamstring).

Murphy injured his ankle during Sunday’s overtime loss to the Nuggets, playing 27 minutes. The schedule worked in his and the Pelicans’ favor, as New Orleans has not played since. If Murphy can play, he’ll be in the starting lineup, continuing to serve as Brandon Ingram’s replacement. Brandon Boston Jr. is still worth considering as a deep-league streamer, as the Pelicans also play on Friday.

Green has been used in a reserve role for most of this season, providing limited fantasy value. His availability will not impact fantasy basketball, especially if Trey Murphy returns from his sprained ankle.

Eason has missed three straight and five of Houston’s last seven games, the first two of which were due to a stint in the league’s concussion protocol. The current injury management situation is concerning because Eason missed most of last season with a stress reaction in the same leg. Cam Whitmore played 27 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win over the Hornets, and he should remain in the rotation if Eason cannot return against New Orleans.

Thursday’s game will be the second Brooks misses due to his ankle injury. Amen Thompson replaced him in the starting lineup for Monday’s win over the Hornets, and that should remain the case against the Pelicans. Thompson is already rostered in most standard leagues; the promotion makes him worth a look in shallow formats.

Anderson and Payton were considered questionable, with the former being added to the Warriors’ injury report early Wednesday afternoon. They’re good to go and will provide depth off the bench, but Anderson and Payton are unlikely to impact fantasy basketball.

Porzingis injured his ankle during the first quarter of Wednesday’s game. While he did return during the second, KP was not on the court (or on the bench) for the start of the third quarter. Luke Kornet filled the resulting void in the Celtics lineup.

Simmons may not provide much value as a scorer, but the ability to facilitate has been key in the aftermath of the Nets trading Dennis Schroder to the Warriors. Thursday’s game is the first of a back-to-back for Brooklyn, so fantasy managers should expect Simmons to sit either then or Friday against the Spurs. Shake Milton will figure more prominently in the rotation if Simmons cannot play.

Finney-Smith has missed Brooklyn’s last two games, with Noah Clowney replacing him in the starting lineup. While the second-year forward did not play well on Saturday, Clowney hit four 3-pointers and scored 19 points in Monday’s loss to the Heat. He isn’t a must-stream player if Finney-Smith remains out, but Clowney will have value later this season as the Nets pivot toward playing their younger guys more.

Giddey has missed Chicago’s last three games, with Patrick Williams replacing him in the starting lineup. Williams has not provided much fantasy value, whether starting or coming off the bench. If Ayo Dosunmu (Achilles, questionable) cannot play on Thursday, he may be the player Giddey replaces if cleared.

Ball did not play in Monday’s loss to the Bucks, joining Josh Giddey (ankle) on the sideline. While Giddey could be back on Thursday, Ball appears likely to miss a second straight game. His absence alone does not significantly impact fantasy basketball.