NBA Player News

Nembhard is on track to return after sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the Nets. This would push Quenton Jackson to the bench, with Johnny Furphy also seeing his minutes decrease. Neither Jackson nor Furphy needs to be rostered in most redraft leagues.

Gordon will miss a second straight game after undergoing oral surgery. This will not impact fantasy basketball, however, as the veteran guard was not guaranteed rotation minutes when healthy.

After missing two games last week with a left heel contusion, Doncic injured his calf during the second quarter of Sunday’s game. While he could walk back to the locker room without assistance, the Mavericks star did so gingerly. Spencer Dinwiddie filled in for Doncic during the two games he missed, but Quentin Grimes started the third quarter. Dinwiddie is the better streaming option if Luka misses time. Doncic finished Wednesday’s game with 14 points (5-of-9 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers.

Nesmith last played on November 1, and his continued absence raises concerns about the severity of his injury. Bennedict Mathurin has admirably replaced him in the starting lineup.

Turner lands on the injury report, which is bad news for a team lacking depth at the center position. The recently acquired Thomas Bryant and Obi Toppin would be asked to contribute more if Turner cannot play against the Thunder, with Toppin being the far safer streaming option.

Tatum is back in the lineup after being a late scratch for Monday’s loss to the Magic. He and White being available is countered by Jrue Holiday (shoulder) sitting, so Al Horford will remain in the starting lineup.

Holiday will sit out Wednesday’s game, leaving the Celtics without one of their usual starters. With Derrick White and Jayson Tatum available, Al Horford will remain in the starting lineup after filling in for Tatum on Monday.

Sochan has enjoyed a breakout third season, which resulted in another strong performance from him in this game. This was his second-highest scoring game of the season and his highest since returning from an extended absence with a thumb injury. Sochan is somehow still undervalued in Yahoo leagues and is available in 36% of leagues. Over the past two weeks, Sochan has been able to provide top-50 in 9-cat leagues. He’ll look to keep it going in Brooklyn on Friday before they close the week in Minnesota on Sunday.

CP3 has been excellent on Christmas throughout his career, and that continued in this game. This was his 10th game on Christmas Day, and he has never scored less than 10 points, even though his role has been quite different over the last two seasons. He has been a fifth-round producer in fantasy basketball this year despite coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career with Golden State. Paul continues to be a reliable fantasy option, and they still have two more games this week, starting in Brooklyn on Friday.

Playing in his first Christmas Day game, Wemby lived up to the hype and showed out in the Garden. His 42 points were the third-most in a Christmas debut, which puts him just behind Wilt Chamberlain (45) and Tracy McGrady (43). It wasn’t enough for the Spurs to get the win, but Wemby made a statement in this game. Managers should expect San Antonio to be a Christmas Day staple moving forward, which will mean plenty more chances for Wemby to show out. He has been one of the best players in fantasy basketball this season, and he’ll continue to battle with Nikola Jokic for the top spot as the season progresses.

Brunson struggled with his shot in this game, but he was still able to make an impact in the box score. This was his second straight poor shooting performance, and that has been an issue for him over the past few weeks. He also missed all five of his attempts from deep, which was his second straight game without hitting a 3-pointer. That isn’t the norm for Brunson, and he’ll look to get back on track in Orlando on Friday, though that won’t be an easy matchup for him.