Stein: Trail Blazers not pursuing DeMar DeRozan

Johnson checked out of this game with 1:08 remaining after appearing to tweak something in his left leg. Head coach David Adelman didn’t have an update after the game, so there isn’t any conclusion to draw at this point, other than Johnson could be hurt and miss time. If that happens, Trevon Brazile or Alpha Diallo will likely step into a starting role in place of Johnson.

Jokić simply hasn’t been as effective this season. It’s early, and he’ll turn it around, but he just hasn’t been the same player. However, that isn’t true in fantasy basketball. He has made up for a dip in points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage with a bump in steals, blocks and free throw percentage. Frankly, none of that is sustainable. All of it will likely regulate, with Jokić still ending up as one of the best players in fantasy basketball. Just be patient. He’ll look to stuff the stat sheet against the Raptors on Wednesday.

Markkanen’s 22 points were a game-high, though the Jazz still lost by 22 to the Spurs. He bounced back nicely after scoring just 13 points on 14 attempts in Saturday’s loss to the Trail Blazers. Markkanen and the Jazz have three more games this week with their next matchup against the Pelicans on the road Wednesday.

Murray has been on a tear since the season opener. He was held to just six points in that game but has averaged 31.6 points, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 5.4 triples while shooting 52.1 percent from the floor and 52.9 percent from deep in their five games since. This was his third game with at least 35 points in that stretch, and while it wasn’t enough for them to win, he continues to be a fantasy star and will look to stay hot against the Raptors on Wednesday.

Holiday didn’t step into the starting unit when Ja Morant (hamstring) went down, but he did step up off the bench in this game. He fell shy of the triple-double, but he did set season highs for both rebounds and assists in the win. Portland is now 5-1 this season, and Holiday has been a big part of their early success. He should continue to see a boost in production off the bench until Morant returns.

After having his worst performance of the season in Utah on Saturday, Clingan responded with a monster outing. He set season highs for both points and rebounds in what ended up being his first double-double of the season. It has been a disappointing start to the year for Clingan, mostly because his minutes have been down. He surpassed 30 minutes for the first time this season and immediately dominated. Hopefully that’s a trend that continues, though that may require specific matchups. Their next game against the Suns on Wednesday probably isn’t the ideal scenario for Clingan to play a ton.

Avdija stayed hot in this one, and he has now scored at least 20 points in five straight games after being held to 18 points in the season opener. Most of his numbers this season are similar to last year, though his assists are slightly down. The main drop off has been his free throw percentage. After shooting 80.2 percent last year, he’s at 66.7 percent so far this season. If that improves, his overall fantasy value should jump back up.

Green picked up two technical fouls early in the third quarter. After Suns center Khaman Maluach bumped him, Green got up, wrapped up Maluach, and threw him to the ground. The second technical was assessed when Green got into it with Dillon Brooks, who also received a technical foul. Green (4/4/2/1) was replaced in the lineup by Charles Bassey.

Wembanyama had a quieter offensive night after scoring at least 29 points in each of his last three games entering play Monday. Still, Wemby filled up the box score other than missing all five of his three-point attempts. The 22-year-old center is still in for a monster week with three more games, starting with a matchup against the Mavericks at home Wednesday.

Harper was excellent in the win over the Jazz, leading the Spurs in points and minutes. The 20-year-old point guard was three rebounds and two assists shy of a triple-double. Harper made the play of the game midway through the third quarter when he grabbed a steal on one end and threw an alley-oop to Stephon Castle on the other.