NBA Player News

Poeltl checked in just two minutes into the game. Barring a change, he should play his typical role for the remainder of this game. The managers that were upset about Poeltl being a late scratch can now rejoice.

Williams has missed the last eight games with a quad injury, with February 12 being the last time he’s played. His continued absence will mean more rotation minutes for Julian Phillips, which does not impact fantasy basketball.

White is coming off a career-high 44 points in Thursday’s win over the Magic. The 25-year-old point guard is dealing with right toe sesamoitidis, but is likely to play Saturday against the Heat given his probable listing.

Ball appears likely to miss a fourth straight game with a sprained right wrist. Tre Jones should remain in the starting lineup, which raises his fantasy ceiling. Jones is worth streaming in deep leagues until the Bulls clear Ball to return.

Mathurin has missed Indiana’s last four games, with Thursday’s loss to the Hawks being the most recent. He’ll come off the bench if cleared to play in Saturday’s rematch, as Aaron Nesmith took on those responsibilities before Mathurin injured his wrist.

Vucevic has missed six games in a row and appears headed for a seventh. The 34-year-old center has had a surprisingly good season in fantasy, but can’t seem to shake the right calf strain. Zach Collins will continue to have fantasy value for as long as Vucevic is out.

While Nesmith is on the Pacers’ initial injury report, the probable tag suggests he’ll be available. He’s been a starter since just before the All-Star break, and that will remain the case, even if Bennedict Mathurin is available on Saturday.

Poole has missed the last three games with an elbow injury, but he participated in practice Friday. The 25-year-old shooting guard at least has a chance of returning to the floor given his questionable listing. Bub Carrinton would continue to start if Poole is out again Saturday.

Harris has missed the Pistons’ last two games for personal reasons, but there’s optimism that he will play Saturday night. If the veteran forward returns, Malik Beasley will head to the bench. However, managers who have Beasley rostered should hold onto him, as he has been close to a top-100 player over the past month.

Haliburton missed his second game of the season Thursday against the Hawks with a hip injury. The 25-year-old point guard at least has a chance to play Saturday given his questionable listing. If Haliburton is out again, Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell will continue to share the point guard minutes. Nembhard had a double-double in Haliburton’s absence Thursday.

One day removed from participating in a 5-on-5 session, Clowney has been cleared to return from the sprained left ankle that sidelined him for over a month. Even if he’s immediately placed in the starting lineup (Cameron Johnson is out Saturday), the second-year forward is unlikely to take on a full workload in his first game back. However, Clowney has the potential to provide value once any restrictions are removed.