NBA Player News

The injuries continue to pile up for Orlando. Wagner exited early from Saturday night’s game because of the knee injury, and he will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Goga Bitadze and Wendell Carter Jr. will fill out extra minutes at center, giving both of them a strong boost in fantasy value.

Murray hasn’t missed a game since returning from a month-long absence on November 27, and he’ll be available once again on Friday. New Orleans’ point guard has averaged 18.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists across his last 10 appearances.

Missi will miss his second game of the season, which should open up more minutes for Daniel Theis and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Theis started on November 22 against Golden State when Missi missed his first game, but the former was largely ineffective across 18 minutes. Robinson-Earl, however, delivered a useful 19/12 line in 23 minutes off the bench.

Giddey has appeared in 10 straight games following a four-game absence, and it looks like he’ll keep his availability streak active. Giddey averaged 11.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists across his last 10.

Yabusele’s absence will be offset at least in part by the likely return of Andre Drummond. If George and Lowry are sidelined Saturday, expect Eric Gordon, Ricky Council IV and Kelly Oubre Jr. to see a bump in playing time.

Drummond has been sidelined for six straight games, but he’s on track to return for Saturday’s matchup at Indiana. With Joel Embiid out for the foreseeable future and Guerschon Yabusele absent from practice, Drummond could see big minutes at center.

All three players were given probable tags on Thursday, so confirmation of their availability shouldn’t come as a surprise. Expect the trio to handle their typical workloads.

This was just the fifth time this season that DeRozan was able to score at least 30 points, and it was enough to help them get a tough win over the Rockets. 16 of his 31 points came in the fourth quarter, and he truly closed out this game late. DeRozan’s numbers have been down this season, but he has started to pick things up recently. This was his fifth straight game with at least 20 points, and he’ll look to keep that streak going during their matchup with the Wizards on Sunday.

Sabonis made an impact in this game early on and was able to record a double-double before halftime. He ended up fouling out late in the game, but he still played 38 minutes, so it didn’t really limited his production. Sabonis has been fantastic all season and is currently averaging career-highs in points and rebounds, which has allowed him to rank inside the top-10 in 9-cat leagues. They’ll close out the week with a home game against the Wizards on Sunday.

With Fred VanVleet sidelined, Thompson was able to get the start at point guard. He led the team in assists and recorded a double-double with some defensive stats. He didn’t have as many assists as expected as the starting point guard, but he was still able to turn in a fantasy-friendly line. He has been a top-25 player in 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks, and now that he is locked in as a starter for at least a few more weeks, he’ll continue to be a fantasy superstar.

Banton was able to provide solid value earlier this season, but he hasn’t had much of a role over the past month. However, he took advantage of his opportunity in this game. He tied his season-high of 23 points and led the Blazers in scoring across his 25 minutes. This was a great performance for him, but it isn’t enough to warrant consideration for a roster spot. Banton ranks outside the top-300 in 9-cat leagues over the course of the season.