NBA Player News

Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released. In Ezeli’s collegiate career at Vanderbilt, the 6’11’’ center averaged 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting .562 from the field in 121 games. He is a raw prospect who will be coming off the bench behind Andrew Bogut and Andris Biedrins.

James, who was inadvertently raked across the face by Paul George early in the fourth quarter, struggled against the Celtics. The good news for fantasy managers is that he committed just one turnover, but the 41-year-old shot the ball poorly. James, who entered Tuesday’s game shooting 25 percent from three, made just one of six three-point attempts. With the 76ers counting on Tyrese Maxey to be their lead scoring option, James’ ability to hit perimeter shots takes on added importance, and he’s struggling right now.

Given the current state of Philadelphia’s center rotation, it’s been tough for Embiid to get the break he clearly needs. The former MVP has been playing through a left foot issue that he appeared to aggravate during the third quarter. And if not for an 11-of-13 night at the foul line, Embiid’s final stat line would have looked a lot worse. After Thursday’s game against the Raptors, the 76ers have a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday, hosting the Pacers before visiting the Nets. That could be a spot where the 76ers look to rest Embiid, if possible.

Much was made of the showdown between Brown and Jayson Tatum, the first time the former teammates would face off in a regular-season game. JB struggled, landing in foul trouble in the first half and never really finding an offensive groove. Brown finished with a complete stat line, but four turnovers did fantasy managers no favors. He’ll look to bounce back on Thursday when the 76ers face the Raptors.

Maxey had another efficient outing for the 76ers on Tuesday, shooting 66.7 percent from the field while committing just two turnovers. Unfortunately for him and the 76ers, he didn’t get much help from the other starters, with none scoring more than Joel Embiid’s 16 points. And on a night when Boston’s Paul George and Jayson Tatum combined to score 57, it’s tough to come out with the win. As expected, Maxey has provided first-round fantasy value, and he’ll look to continue on Thursday against the Raptors.

Cissoko steps into the Trail Blazers’ lineup for Scoot Henderson, who has struggled with inconsistency since Ja Morant’s hamstring injury led to his starting. Cissoko may not be a great offensive threat, but he is a solid defender, which should come in handy in this matchup.

The Thunder made one change to their starting lineup, with McCain replacing Aday Mara. Portland has only one true big in its lineup, Donovan Clingan, so starting two 7-footers wouldn’t have been the best course of action.

After totaling 11 points in Boston’s first two games this month, Pritchard has scored in double figures in four straight games. Against the 76ers, the Celtics guard shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, the third straight game in which he’s made four three-pointers. Add in the rebounds and assists, and this was a good start to the week for Pritchard. He’ll look to extend his double-digit points streak to five when the Celtics visit the Raptors on Wednesday.

Facing former teammate Jaylen Brown in a regular-season game for the first time since the latter was traded to the 76ers, Tatum outplayed Brown comfortably on Tuesday. The Celtics star came out sharp, scoring 11 first-quarter points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. Tatum was relatively quiet the rest of the night, but he had plenty of help as four other Celtics finished in double figures, with Paul George’s 36 leading the way. The Celtics visit the Raptors on Wednesday, and Tatum was active for both games of Boston’s first two back-to-backs this season.

On a night when most of the basketball world focused on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, George stole the show in his first regular-season game in Philadelphia since the offseason trade. After scoring 17 points in the first half, PG-13 dropped 14 in just over seven fourth-quarter minutes to help the Celtics put the game away. In his new home, George has remained healthy, and his production has been very good. It’s early, but he could be one of the steals of fantasy basketball this season.