Houston

Rockets

Smith led the Rockets in scoring with 31 points in the victory over the Jazz on Monday. The Rockets turned the ball over 26 times combined, but still cruised to a 20-point victory. The 22-year-old power forward has provided top-40 per game value over the last two weeks, according to Basketball Monster. The Rockets have three more games in Week 18, the next of which comes on Wednesday against the Kings.

Udoka admitted that a grade two MCL sprain typically sidelines players for 4-6 weeks, but noted that the Rockets will re-evaluate Tate every two weeks. This isn’t good news for the 30-year-old small forward. His absence doesn’t impact fantasy basket ball, though Dorian Finney-Smith could see more minutes off the bench.

Tate sprained his right knee during Saturday’s loss to the Knicks. His absence does not affect fantasy basketball, but the Rockets may give fellow reserve Dorian Finney-Smith a few more minutes.

Thompson, whose defense kept Jalen Brunson under wraps for the first three quarters of Saturday’s defeat, recorded his 11th double-double of the season. All that was missing from his stat line was a three-pointer, but that has never been a strength of the third-year guard. Even with Thompson not bringing three-point value to the table, he has been a top-50 player in eight-cat formats. Given his role within the Rockets’ rotation, that should not change anytime soon.

Smith shot 4-of-8 from three against the Knicks, with the four triples being the most in a game for him since hitting seven in a January 18 win over the Pelicans. The Rockets forward filled his stat line, and he’s been a top-50 player in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past three weeks, according to Basketball Monster. The Rockets open a four-game Week 18 on Monday against the Jazz.

Durant has scored at least 30 points in both of Houston’s post-break games, but he was far less efficient against the Knicks than he was in Thursday’s win over the Hornets. Things went south for KD and the Rockets in the fourth quarter, as he shot 2-of-7 from the field and Houston blew an 18-point lead. The good news for fantasy managers is that Houston opens its four-game Week 18 with games against the Jazz and Kings, which should be big nights for Durant.

Tate injured his right knee during the second quarter when his leg was landed on by New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns as the two were scrambling for a loose ball. Tate has been diagnosed with a sprained knee, but more will be learned about the severity of the injury in the coming days. His absence does not affect fantasy basketball.

Durant was flawless in the victory over the Hornets on Thursday. The 37-year-old small forward was efficient with 35 points on 20 attempts from the field and had a full stat line. Durant has provided second-round per game value this season, according to Basketball Monster. The Rockets will finish out the week on Saturday against the Knicks on the road.

This was a decent performance for KD, but turnovers continue to be an issue for him. Over his last four games, Durant has averaged 5.8 turnovers per game, which has limited his value in category leagues. He’ll get some time to recover during the All-Star break after playing in the All-Star Game, so hopefully the turnovers won’t continue to plague his value down the stretch of the season.

This was the third straight game that Smith was able to record a double-double, which is his second-longest streak of the season. He had four straight in mid-December and will look to match that mark in Houston’s first game after the All-Star break. Smith has been excellent over the last two weeks and has contribute plenty of defensive stats, even though he didn’t in this game. He had at least one block in seven straight games before failing to swat a shot in this one.