NBA Player News

With Thomas’ hamstring coming this late in the season, the Nets don’t expect the 23-year-old shooting guard to return this year. He should be fully recovered by the time next season comes around, though. Keon Johnson figures to pick up additional usage and playing time in Thomas’ absence.

In comparison to some other rookies in this class, Holland has flow under the radar at times during his first season in the league. Detroit has been too competitive for him to play a significant role, but he has been productive when given the opportunity. This wasn’t a monster performance by any means, but it was an encouraging one for dynasty managers. Holland won’t turn 20 years old until July, so any glimpses of upside at this point are great to see.

The lopsided score in favor of Detroit helped Fontecchio set a new season-high for scoring in this game. He did an excellent job during cleanup time and scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half. Fontecchio also made all five of his attempts from deep. It was a fantastic night for him, but this isn’t something that managers should get used to. He has averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 triples per game this season, which has him ranked outside the top-300 in nine-cat leagues.

While the rest of the starters’ production was capped by the lopsided score, Cunningham was still able to turn in a strong line in the massive win. It certainly could have been a bigger night if New Orleans was able to keep this game somewhere close. Blowouts have limited Cunningham at times over the past month, but he was still able to be on the floor long enough to make up for Saturday’s 11-point performance that ended early following an ejection. He’ll look to keep this going in Miami on Wednesday.

It’s easy to find someone to point fingers at for the blowout loss. McCollum and Jose Alvarado, who started the second half after Trey Murphy exited with a shoulder injury, combined to make just two of their 25 shot attempts. The point guards simply needed to be way more productive than they were in this game. The good news is that McCollum shouldn’t be this bad for a while, and Alvarado could end up starting if Murphy remains sidelined on Wednesday, though Jordan Hawkins is also a candidate to fill that void.

After missing New Orleans’ last two games with a left ankle sprain, Missi returned to the lineup on Monday. That allowed him to record his first double-double since February despite the blowout loss. Missi only played 22 minutes in this game, which made his productive night even more impressive. Missi has been a difficult player to trust in fantasy basketball, but he is more than capable of having productive nights such as this. New Orleans has two matchups with Minnesota up next before they wrap up the week with a rematch in Detroit.

Following a one-game absence due to personal reasons, Williamson was back in the lineup on Monday. It was a tough first half; he shot 1-of-7 from the floor and scored just eight points. Williamson was far more effective after the break, but New Orleans trailed by 31 points at halftime. It was too little, too late for the Pelicans, but it was still an effective night for fantasy managers. New Orleans still has three more games this week, including a rematch with the Pistons on Sunday to wrap up the week.

After going scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting in Saturday’s loss to the Warriors, Hart rebounded in the Knicks’ rout of the Heat. He recorded his eighth triple-double of the season and a complete stat line, and Hart shot over 50 percent from the field. In the five games the Knicks have played without Jalen Brunson, Hart has been a sixth-round player in eight-cat formats. The Knicks play three more games during Week 20, starting with the Spurs on Wednesday.

The Knicks went from falling behind 12-0 to start Monday’s game to winning in blowout fashion, and Towns spearheaded the turnaround. During the second quarter, KAT went on a 15-0 run, turning a 13-point deficit into a two-point lead. New York pulled away during the third quarter, and Towns was only needed for 31 minutes. While his fantasy value hasn’t skyrocketed since Jalen Brunson injured his ankle, Towns has remained an elite option for managers, regardless of league format.

After a terribly slow start, Monday night went about as well for the Knicks as they could have hoped. Bridges, who ripped off a personal 9-0 run at one point, scored a game-high 28 points and only needed to play 32 minutes. Over the past two weeks, he has been a fifth-round player in eight-cat formats, an improvement on his season-long value. With Jalen Brunson (ankle) likely out until the end of the month, Bridges is one Knicks player who will need to be consistently productive.

Herro cooled off considerably after shooting 8-of-12 from the field in the first half. While the 20 points were a solid effort after the Heat guard scored eight in Saturday’s loss to the Grizzlies, Herro has shot 1-of-7 from three over his past two games. The good news for fantasy managers is that he has been a top-50 player in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. The Heat play three more games during Week 20, starting with the Pistons on Wednesday.