NBA Player News

Garland didn’t have the best night shooting the basketball, but getting up ten free-throw attempts (making nine) boosted the point total. Also, the eight assists were the most in a game for him since Cleveland’s December 1 win over the Celtics (eight). A 7th-round player over the past two weeks, Garland continues to provide 4th-round value for the season.

Westbrook followed up his triple-double in his last game with a double-double. He might’ve had a shot at more than just two rebounds if teammate Nikola Jokic didn’t grab 17 rebounds of his own. Still, it was a solid game from Westbrook, who continues to be a must-play option while Aaron Gordon is out for the Nuggets.

Jokic only played 30 minutes as the Nuggets won by 19, meaning that he had an assist every other minute while also scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. He’s the first player in NBA history to have at least 15 points, at least 15 assists and at least 15 rebounds while playing 30 minutes or less. It was another outstanding effort from the 29-year-old center, who continued an absolutely dominant run over his last eight games. While there are other MVP-level players in the league, Jokic is lapping the field this year.

Irving missed Monday’s game against the Kings with a shoulder injury. He returned Wednesday, but once against failed to assert himself in a game where Dallas was missing Luka Doncic. The 32-year-old point guard scored only 16 points on 13 shots as the Mavs lost to the Rockets by 11. Irving was a -16 in 37 minutes. With the team losing PJ Washington in the middle of the game, it might’ve been a good idea for Irving to take a few more shots, though Irving typically hasn’t stepped up with Doncic out this year.

Thompson missed Monday’s game with an illness, but looked like his usual self Wednesday. He’s not going to fill up the stat sheet, but Thompson can still provide fantasy managers with some points and 3-pointers. The 34-year-old shooting guard is what he is at this point of his career and he’s perhaps even more unlikely to have big games on the Mavs where they typically spread the shots around.

Green wasn’t efficient, but got there on volume as he’s done more than a few times this season. The 22-year-old shooting guard had 22 points on 21 shots and was 0-of-3 from behind the 3-point line. He also had zero assists and two turnovers, but was still +18 in 38 minutes in the 11-point Rockets victory. Green is a better asset in fantasy formats that either don’t include or lessen the importance of turnovers and field goal percentage.

Brooks again played 40 minutes without issue, showing that he’s all the way back after missing three games with a right ankle effusion. The 28-year-old shooting guard wasn’t particularly efficient with 19 points on 15 shots, but he made three of the eight total 3-pointers the Rockets had Wednesday. Brooks is more of a deep league option, but he’ll likely have more opportunities for one more game as Amen Thompson continues to serve his suspension after an altercation with Tyler Herro.

Sengun’s six steals were a career-high. His varied skill set was on full display as he led the Rockets to victory over the Mavericks Wednesday. The 22-year-old center was a game-high +21 in 37 minutes in the 11-point victory. He remains a top-40 fantasy player on the season.

Murray had an off night. He didn’t shoot well with 12 points on 13 shots and he only had seven assists, despite the good matchup against the Heat. Murray also turned it over four times, which has been his weak spot this year. His fantasy value is much higher in formats without turnovers as a category.

Murphy has now had at least 34 points and five threes in two of his last three games. He doesn’t always lead the Pelicans in shot attempts, but he did Wednesday. Murphy is providing high-end per game fantasy value this season, though this was just his 21st game of the year. He’s certainly flashing his ceiling recently.

Butler played just 25 minutes in his first game back after missing the last five games. There will likely be better days ahead for the 35-year-old small forward and certainly more minutes. Every game Butler plays now is under scrutiny since team president Pat Riley stated that the team won’t trade Butler, but it seems like he was just easing his way back into the swing of things after a five-game absence.