NBA Player News

The Knicks did not have an answer for Avdija during the first half of Sunday’s game, as he scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. New York did a better job after the halftime break, but he still managed to record his sixth 30-point game of the season. Avdija is finishing the season in fine fashion, as he has provided top-15 value in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks and top-10 in eight-cat. The Trail Blazers play four games during Week 22, starting with the Hawks on Tuesday.

Brown returned to the starting lineup after sitting out Monday’s game against the Grizzlies with a knee injury. The 28-year-old small forward wasn’t efficient with 24 points on 20 shots, but also contributed nine rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes. The Celtics aren’t likely to push things with heavy minutes for Brown at this point in the season given his knee issue, but he can still be counted on when available. He’s provided sixth-round value over the last month.

Kornet moved into the starting lineup Wednesday with both Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford sidelined. The 29-year-old center played 21 minutes and was efficient with 14 points on nine shots. Kornet can be a valuable streamer in deeper formats when starting, but he didn’t get as much volume as Peyton Pritchard, who played 31 minutes off the bench as the Celtics went with a smaller lineup.

Mitchell returned after missing Monday’s game with an illness. The 26-year-old played 34 minutes off the bench. He was hardly efficient on offense with 13 points on 10 shots, though he made three three-pointers and dished out seven assists. Mitchell has played at least 30 minutes in nine of his last 10 games, which is a lot of run for a bench player.

Bam had at least 20 points for the third time in his last five games. The 27-year-old center had his way in the paint for most of the game with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford out. Adebayo’s production was more muted in the other categories as he had just five rebounds. After a slow start to the season, he had an excellent month of March and got off to a good start with 21 points against the Celtics in the first game of April.

Herro has scored at least 25 points in four straight games. The 25-year-old point guard also dished out nine assists, giving him at least seven assists in three of his last five games. Herro has been a steal in fantasy as he’s provided third-round value on the season after a preseason Yahoo! ADP of 81.

With the Wizards prioritizing their younger players, and rightfully so, Poole has only surpassed 25 minutes four times in his last 10 appearances. For fantasy managers, that makes it paramount that he takes advantage of the opportunities he does get, which was the case against the Kings. Poole was efficient in scoring his 24 points, shooting over 50 percent from the field, and not committing a turnover. Over the past two weeks, he has offered fourth-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats. Washington hosts Orlando on Thursday before closing out its Week 22 slate on Sunday in Boston.

LaVine had a rough second half on Wednesday, shooting 1-of-7 from the field, and the Kings lost a game they could ill afford to lose in their quest to earn a play-in spot. While shooting 44.6 percent from the field over the past two weeks isn’t terrible, LaVine doesn’t have as much margin for error, fantasy-wise, due to his limited defensive production. During this stretch, he’s ranked outside the top 250 in nine-cat formats and the top 150 in eight-cat. Not only do the Kings need him to be better in their final two games of Week 22, but the same can be said for fantasy managers who have LaVine rostered.