NBA Player News

To the surprise of many fantasy managers, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau decided to start Wright on Friday, not rookie Tyler Kolek. The decision proved correct, as the veteran guard shot the ball well and recorded a solid stat line in his 30 minutes. As for Kolek, he logged 17 minutes off the bench and finished with five points, five rebounds, one three-pointer and no turnovers. Whether or not Wright will be worth the risk for Sunday’s game against Portland depends on the availability of Cameron Payne (ankle) and Miles McBride (three), who were unavailable on Friday.

As expected, Braun will be good to go once again. He’ll occupy his typical spot in the starting unit and should see a bump in usage with both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. sidelined.

The Nuggets are without Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal), opening up two spots in the starting lineup. While Watson’s inclusion in the lineup is unsurprising, Pickett’s selection to start instead of Russell Westbrook is. Pickett’s fantasy ceiling is raised, but fantasy managers should expect Jokic to have the ball in his hands a lot.

Jokic and Gordon have been upgraded to available, meaning the Nuggets will only be without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Gordon’s usage should increase, while the Joker’s already-high usage may shoot through the roof.

Murray and Porter are unavailable for Tuesday’s game. The former has a hamstring injury, and the latter is attending to a personal family matter. Their absences open up two spots in the starting lineup, with Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson the prime candidates to fill the resulting voids.

Lower back spasms will keep Hawkins on the sidelines for a second straight game. His absence likely means another start for Antonio Reeves and rotation minutes for Keion Brooks Jr. Due to the Pelicans’ many absences, Reeves and Brooks are worth streaming in deep leagues.

The continued absences of Coffey and Miller will not impact fantasy basketball, as everyone else of note is available. Coffey’s absence may result in additional minutes for Derrick Jones Jr., but he offers limited fantasy upside with Kawhi Leonard in the lineup.

The Spurs are without Jeremy Sochan, who will not play in Tuesday’s game due to back spasms. He’ll be replaced in the starting lineup by Biyombo, who’s worth streaming in extremely deep leagues. Also worth a look is Sandro Mamukelashvili, as he should play more minutes with Sochan and Charles Bassey inactive.

Quickley and Poeltl are back after sitting out Sunday’s win over the 76ers, which pushes Jamal Shead and Orlando Robinson to the bench. The other change is Battle, who will start for the absent RJ Barrett (rest). Battle is only worth a look in extremely deep leagues.

Ducas will miss another game with this quad injury, but even when healthy, he isn’t a consistent part of the Thunder’s rotation.

Sochan is dealing with back spasms, hence the Spurs’ decision to make him inactive for Tuesday’s game. His absence leaves the center responsibilities to Bismack Biyombo and Sandro Mamukelashvili. While the former offers a bit more from a rebounding standpoint, Mamukelashvili possesses a higher offensive ceiling.