NBA Player News

Monday was a great night for former Knicks first-round picks. While Toppin did not reach the 46 points tallied by Quentin Grimes, the 2020 lottery pick came up huge for the Pacers. With four starters unavailable and the fifth ejected during the third quarter, Obi was called on to be an offensive focal point. He answered the call, scoring 34 points with a double-double. And his seventh three-pointer was a shot with 3.8 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Pacers the two-point victory. Toppin should be picked up if Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner remain out for Wednesday’s game against the Mavericks.

Wallace and Wiggins are new additions to the injury report. Isaiah Joe, Alex Caruso, and Kenrich Williams will be among the players most likely to get spot starts if Wallace and Wiggins are ruled out.

Davis is out after returning for one game against the Nets while Martin is set to miss his sixth straight game. Naji Marshall has a clear path to start and ramp up his minutes against the Knicks on Tuesday with both these forwards out of commission.

Washington has been one of the Mavericks’ most productive scorers since returning from injury while Brandon Williams has been demoted to a bench role. Naji Marshall could be poised to return to the starting lineup if Washington and Davis are ruled out. Jaden Hardy could benefit from Williams missing some time.

Pritchard got his first start of the season on Sunday, but he returned to playing his typical role as Boston’s sixth man. That is where he has been most comfortable this year, and he was once again able to have a strong performance off the bench. This was his sixth-straight game with at least three three-pointers, which lines up with Boston’s current winning streak. Jayson Tatum (ankle) exited early with an ankle injury, and while that doesn’t mean that Pritchard will start, he should see a few extra minutes and shots.

Edwards has had a lot of success as an undrafted rookie out of Kentucky, and Monday’s game was just the latest chapter. He wasn’t able to score 20 points for a third-straight game, but he was able to set a new career-high for three-pointers. He has now scored at least 18 points and hit five triples in five consecutive games. Edwards should continue to get the opportunity to build on performances like this one for the remainder of the season.

After coming off the bench on Sunday, Butler returned to the starting unit on the second night of a back-to-back. His last few games had been subpar, but he had one of his best scoring nights of the season on Monday. Unfortunately, it was paired with an uncharacteristically low assist night for him, though he made up for it with a new season-high for steals. Butler should continue to play a large role for the tanking 76ers for the rest of the season.

With Malik Monk (illness) sidelined for a second-straight game, Ellis was able to remain in the starting unit. He was once again able to provide a strong, well-rounded stat line while playing significant minutes. Ellis is more than capable of being a fantasy stud, but when everyone in Sacramento is healthy, he gets stuck in a reserve role. That may work for Sacramento, but it limits his upside for fantasy managers. This was the first night of a back-to-back, so if Monk remain out against the Thunder on Tuesday, Ellis may hold streaming value for another game.

Brown missed Boston’s last three games but was able to suit up against Sacramento. He only logged 26 minutes, but that was enough time for the Celtics to get a big win. Even when he was on the floor, it was a quiet performance for Brown. That isn’t something that managers should get used to, even if his last few appearances have been subpar. Jayson Tatum exited early with an ankle injury and could remain out in Phoenix on Wednesday, which would lead to extra shots for Brown.

Sabonis was initially expected to miss at least three more games with this ankle injury, but he was able to suit up after missing just three games. Of course, he got right back to work and recorded his 52nd double-double of the season. He achieved that mark before halftime, though it wasn’t enough for Sacramento to get the win. Sabonis has had one of the best seasons of his career, though his numbers have taken a hit in the second half of the season due to injury. Hopefully he can close out the season by continuing to dominate the glass like he did on Monday.

Richards was back in the Suns’ lineup after sitting out Friday’s win over the Cavaliers with a calf injury. While he wasn’t spectacular against the Bucks, Nick did record his ninth double-double since joining the Suns via trade. His return pushes Oso Ighodaro to the bench, with the rookie tallying four points, two rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes. Mason Plumlee, who also was available after missing Friday’s game, picked up a DNP-CD. While Richards hasn’t been a great fantasy option, he’s done enough to merit being rostered in deep leagues.