NBA Player News

Salaun will miss a second straight game with a sprained ankle, while Okogie has not appeared in a game since January 31. The absences will not significantly impact fantasy basketball, but more minutes will be available to Seth Curry and Damion Baugh. The latter is worth watching ahead of the “silly season,” as he may be asked to play significant minutes to run out the string.

Quickley is one of the Raptors who has been absent nearly every other game for the last month due to “rest.” As Toronto does its best to tank, IQ won’t see the court as much as he should, but he’ll be effective when available, as he was on Friday.

Poeltl led all scorers, and he reached that mark on an efficient 12-of-14 shooting. The 24 points are his most since he scored 25 on January 3, though the big man has dropped at least 20 points in three of his last six. Over the Raptors’ last 12 games, Poeltl has alternated between playing and resting, and Toronto is expected to keep going with that song and dance to close out the 2024-25 campaign. The Raptors face the 76ers on Sunday, and we wouldn’t expect Poeltl to play in that one.

A number of key injuries have opened up rotational minutes for Salaun, who has logged at least 24 in each of his last three games. The rebounds easily represent a new career high, and the rookie out of France recorded his second double-double of the season and first since December 3.

Williams was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field, delivering a team-high point total to go with his 18th double-double of the season. Over the last month, the big man has averaged 15.9 points, 11.3 boards and 1.6 blocks while shooting 67.7% from the field. He’s been a first-round fantasy option in that span, and the only concern for fantasy managers is availability.

Hours after signing a two-year contract, Timme made his Nets debut against the Clippers. Noah Clowney and Day’Ron Sharpe being out meant rotation minutes for the former Gonzaga standout, and he recorded a double-double. There’s no need to add Timme in the aftermath of this performance, but it’s an indicator of what he can offer when playing rotation minutes. The Nets visit the Wizards on Saturday, so one (or both) of those reserve bigs may be available.

Friday night was rough for Johnson and those who have him rostered. He provided limited production and only played for 20 minutes. While Johnson’s playing time occasionally taking a hit is unsurprising since the Nets aim to improve their draft lottery odds, 20 minutes is extreme for a player of his caliber. And with Brooklyn visiting the Wizards on Saturday, there’s no guarantee he will be available. Consider Johnson questionable for that matchup.

No Nets players did much offensively in the 132-100 defeat, with Johnson leading the way in scoring. Percentages have long been an issue for Johnson, which has lowered his fantasy ceiling. However, most nights, the circumstances have made him worth the risk in deep leagues. Unfortunately, that was not the case on Friday, even with the steals production. The Nets visit the Wizards on Saturday in what should be an entertaining game for deep-league fantasy managers.

Powell didn’t score much on Friday and has not recorded a 20-point stat line since returning from his hamstring injury. However, he did dish out six assists against the Nets, the most in a game since November 6. Over the past two weeks, Powell is ranked outside the top 200 in nine-cat formats. Fantasy managers hope he can flip the switch sooner rather than later, possibly as soon as Sunday in Cleveland.

Harden has dished out six assists in two straight games, the fewest he’s had over a two-game stretch since late February. However, the nature of Friday’s game had much to do with the low tally against the Nets, as the Clippers took a 36-point lead into the fourth quarter. Harden did not play during the final frame, getting a head start on his postgame recovery ahead of Sunday’s game in Cleveland. Given the opposition, fantasy managers should expect Harden to log starters’ minutes after only playing 25 in Brooklyn.

Zubac did not miss a shot from the field on Friday, the first time this season that he has accomplished that feat. As good as the Clippers center has been, he’s recently taken things to another level, providing third-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Even better for the Clippers is that Zubac only needed to play 25 minutes in Friday’s 32-point victory. On Sunday, he’ll face a significant test when the Clippers visit the Cavaliers.