NBA Player News

Davis was listed as probable on the initial injury report, so the status upgrade was expected. He’ll start in his usual spot as the Lakers look to beat Sacramento for the second time in three days.

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.

Harris has missed Orlando’s last 12 games, most recently sitting out Monday’s win over the Celtics after being considered questionable on the initial injury report. In addition to Anthony Black and Cole Anthony playing more minutes off the bench, Trevelin Queen moved into the starting lineup for Monday’s win. Queen played 34 minutes and is worth a look in extremely deep leagues.

KAT was limited by foul trouble in this game, but he was still able to turn in a solid line. He was only able to log 29 minutes, which resulted in him failing to record a double-double for just the third time this season. Though he played well, this game was a bit of a letdown in relation to how the rest of his first season in New York has gone. He’ll look to get back to dominating the box score in Orlando on Friday.

Richardson has appeared in eight games this season, none since November 18. His continued absence will not significantly impact fantasy basketball.

Bridges came up big in this game and set a new season-high for scoring. He also became the third Knick to score at least 40 points on Christmas Day, joining Bernard King and Richie Guerin. Bridges has had a solid first season in New York, but this was a Christmas miracle in comparison to his other performances, as he was even able to provide some stocks along with his offensive outburst. He’ll look to keep it going on Friday in Orlando, which is the first leg of a back-to-back.

Rozier did not play in Monday’s win over the Nets, which would have resulted in more minutes for Dru Smith. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear and will not be able to help lessen the blow if Rozier cannot play on Thursday. Nikola Jovic, Alec Burks, and Pelle Larsson will all play additional minutes if Rozier sits, as the Heat are unlikely to have Jimmy Butler.

Butler missed Miami’s last two games due to a stomach illness and is unlikely to be ready to return on Thursday. Who replaces him in the starting lineup has changed by the game, with Haywood Highsmith receiving the nod in Monday’s win over the Nets. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Duncan Robinson, the latter already being a starter, will also be worth streaming consideration.

Anderson is a late addition to the injury report, but his potential absence won’t dramatically impact their rotation or fantasy basketball with the rest of the rotation healthy. He didn’t see the floor in their last game despite being healthy.

As expected, Doncic has been cleared to play for the second straight game. He dominated Portland in his return from a two-game absence on Monday, and he should be in for another big performance in this Western Conference Finals rematch, even though he is going against some tough defenders on the perimeter.