NBA Player News

Jackson shot the ball well on Saturday, scoring 23 points or more in three of his last four games. However, the overall stat line was lacking, especially in the rebound department. He’s grabbed five rebounds or less in six straight games, which has factored into JJJ only being a top 75 player in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Sharing the court with Zach Edey doesn’t help, but fantasy managers are likely hoping for more rebound production from Jackson during Week 22.

Westbrook played nine minutes in the first half of Thursday’s Game 3 defeat and did not return after halftime. Julian Strawther moved into the rotation but was ineffective, missing his lone shot attempt in 11 minutes of action. Strawther and Jalen Pickett may pick up a few additional minutes if Westbrook cannot play. However, given the stakes, it’s more likely that Denver asks starters Christian Braun and Jamal Murray to shoulder even more of the perimeter workload.

Rozier will miss a second straight game with a sprained left ankle. Given how poorly he played for most of the regular season, the veteran guard fell out of the rotation ahead of the Play-In tournament. Rozier’s continued absence will not have an impact.

Doncic battled a stomach bug, but still played 40 minutes given the high stakes of the playoffs. He remained in the locker room at the beginning of the third quarter with Gabe Vincent starting the second half, though Doncic quickly returned to the game. He was hardly efficient scoring Friday with 17 points on 16 shots and just two made three-pointers. Doncic will likely get over his stomach issue in the next 24 hours and look to bounce back in Game 4 Sunday.

It’s been a career full of outstanding performances for LeBron James and the 40-year-old small forward delivered yet another in Game 3. With Luka Doncic available, but dealing with a stomach bug, James carried the Lakers with 38 points and five made three-pointers. Los Angeles found themselves in a tie game with four minutes left before the Timberwolves pulled away. James scored almost as many points in Game 3 (38) as he did in the first two games of the series combined (40). It’s a quick turnaround for the Lakers who will look to avoid falling behind 3-1 in the series in Game 4 Sunday.

Randle has now put up back-to-back games with at least 22 points after scoring just 16 points in Game 1. After turning the ball over seven times in Game 1, he’s solved that issue as well with just three turnovers in the last two games combined. Given the Timberwolves’ tight eight-player rotation, Minnesota will continue to rely on Randle for scoring throughout the playoffs. The Timberwolves will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with a win in Game 4 Sunday.

McDaniels led the Timberwolves in scoring for the second time in the series. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but each time he’s led the team in scoring, they’ve won the game. McDaniels made just one three-pointer, but was 12-of-17 on two-point attempts and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. While McDaniels scored at least 20 points just 12 times in the regular season, he’s thrived so far in the highly competitive playoff environment. We’ll see if the Lakers defense adjusts or McDaniels turns back to his regular season form in Game 4 Sunday.

While Edwards wasn’t very efficient overall with 29 points on 26 shots in Game 3 Friday, he closed the game with multiple clutch plays. With the score tied at 103 and four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, he hit a setback three-pointer to give the Timberwolves a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Edwards drove for a layup with two minutes left to extend the lead to seven points and then put the dagger in with a setback jumper to make it 113-104 with a minute left. The 23-year-old shooting guard who grew up idolizing LeBron James will have a chance to put his team up 3-1 in the series against LeBron in Game 4 Sunday.

Haliburton had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists and was just three assists away from a triple-double. Still, the 25-year-old point guard was -23 in 32 minutes as the Pacers lost Game 3 by 16 points. Haliburton had most of his points come on his four made three-pointers. The Pacers will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Game 4 against the Bucks Sunday.

Siakam has scored at least 24 points in all three games of the series now. The 31-year-old power forward continues to be the primary offensive threat for Indiana. Siakam isn’t known for his three-point shooting, but has made multiple three-pointers in all three games of the series. Though the Pacers lost Game 3, he’ll look to keep up his scoring against the Bucks in Game 4 Sunday.

Lillard returned from a calf injury and scored 14 points on 13 shots in Game 2. The 34-year-old point guard’s struggles continued in Game 3 as he had seven points on 12 shots. Lillard, who hadn’t played since March 18 prior to Game 2, played 32 minutes. Whether it’s rust or lingering effects of the injury, his play is clearly diminished. With just one off-day before Game 4 Sunday, Lillard isn’t in a great spot for a bounce-back.