NBA Player News

With Trae Young (heel) sidelined, Johnson was one of the Hawks starters whose assist production was boosted on Saturday. The eight assists were two shy of his season-high and the fifth game in which Jalen racked up eight or more. After a breakout 2023-24 campaign, Johnson has continued to build on that, emerging as a key building block for the Hawks.

Moody has appeared in each of the Warriors’ last five games, usually logging around 15 minutes per appearance. While his potential absence would take away some of the Warriors’ depth on the wing, Moody hasn’t been productive enough to merit being rostered in most fantasy leagues.

Sharpe, who was not on the Nets’ initial injury report for Wednesday’s game, has joined the long list of absentees due to illness. Due to Brooklyn’s lack of healthy options, starters Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney should play heavy minutes against the Pistons.

Gafford was injured during Monday’s loss to Memphis and sat out Tuesday’s win over the Lakers. Dereck Lively II made the start but only played 19 minutes due to foul trouble, with Maxi Kleber logging 29 off the bench. Lively remains a player who should be added if Gafford cannot play; hopefully, he can avoid foul trouble on Thursday.

Eason has missed Houston’s last ten games due to a leg injury, and it appears likely that he won’t be available on Thursday. Cam Whitmore, who comes off the bench, has increased value, but he is not a player who has to be streamed in most leagues.

The Warriors backcourt could be in a tough spot Thursday with both Schroder and Stephen Curry (knee) listed as questionable. Golden State is set to play a back-to-back against the Pistons and Pacers. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Curry sit Thursday with an eye towards playing Friday while Schroder takes on more usage against the Pistons Thursday.

VanVleet took a shot to the knee during the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s win over Washington, well after the outcome was no longer in doubt. While the immediate walk to the locker room sparked some concern, VanVleet said after the game that there wasn’t an issue. Sure enough, he isn’t on the injury report for Thursday night, so it’s business as usual for the Rockets point guard.

Thursday’s game will be Suggs’s third straight on the sidelines. He does not have a concrete timeline for return. Cole Anthony will remain in the starting lineup, and while there are efficiency concerns, he should be streamed due to Orlando’s lack of healthy scoring options.

Green hasn’t been a great fantasy option this season as his scoring numbers continue to decline. The 34-year-old power forward recorded a double-double on Tuesday despite scoring only seven points. He can still be useful for fantasy teams that don’t need to count on him to provide scoring. With Jonathan Kuminga out, Kyle Anderson could move into the starting lineup if Green misses Thursday’s game.

Banchero is closing in on a return to game action, as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Magic forward was targeting either Thursday or Friday to play. He’s officially questionable for Thursday, and Banchero’s availability will impact multiple players, most notably Tristan da Silva and Caleb Houstan. Of those two, da Silva has a better chance of remaining in the starting lineup when Paolo returns.

Curry played the last two games without being included in the injury report. The 36-year-old point guard is back on the injury report with a knee injury heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Pistons. If he’s out, Buddy Hield will likely move into the starting lineup and see increased minutes and usage.