NBA Player News

Rip is dealing with torn plantar fascia, and Belinelli will get the nod ahead of Jimmy Butler. Tom Thibodeau previously said that Butler was under consideration, as was moving Kirk Hinrich to SG, but he’s chosen to keep Nate Robinson and Jimmy Butler coming off the bench. Belinelli is averaging five points on 36.8 percent shooting this season.

Reath will miss his second consecutive game on Friday as he deals with a foot injury. Reath, in his third NBA season, has become a fringe rotation player for the Trail Blazers and doesn’t often log big minutes off the bench. His absence shouldn’t impact fantasy basketball in any way.

Williams will miss the second leg of this back-to-back, which doesn’t come as a surprise. With Duop Reath (foot) also out, Yang Hansen should fill the backup center minutes behind Donovan Clingan.

Avdija exited early on Thursday and was listed as doubtful for this game, so his official absence doesn’t come as a surprise. Sidy Cissoko will return to the starting lineup in his place, though he doesn’t hold much upside as a streamer.

Green was added to the injury report Friday afternoon and has now officially been ruled out. Cole Anthony and Andre Jackson Jr. are the top candidates to fill the open starting spot, though neither holds much streaming upside.

After being listed previously as questionable due to an illness, Trent Jr. has been downgraded and will miss Friday’s game against the Nuggets. The veteran sharpshooter has seen his minutes dwindle as the season has progressed and has now settled into a lesser reserve role, averaging under 20 minutes per game. He’s always capable of getting hot from beyond the arc for some big performances, but the overall impact has been minimal of late. Trent Jr.'s absence shouldn’t change much from a fantasy basketball standpoint.

Turner is set to return from a one-game absence to help the Bucks get back on track. The veteran center has underwhelmed in his first season in Milwaukee, averaging just 12.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for a Bucks team that’s struggling to stack wins. Both the Bucks and fantasy managers could use a big game from Turner on Friday.

Jones is back in the lineup following an eight-game absence, and he’ll immediately start. Jeremiah Fears, who has started every game since the third game of the season, will head to the bench. Fears should still play a significant role, but he doesn’t hold the same value as a reserve.

Indiana will shift Siakam to the center spot and move Walker into the starting unit, which will push Jay Huff to the bench. Walker had a slow start to the year but has had some solid performances lately. Huff should still play a significant bench role.

Joe will make his first start of the season on Friday, replacing Ajay Mitchell, who started against the Bucks on Wednesday. The Thunder have won seven of their last eight games and appear to be back on track following back-to-back blowout wins. They remain atop the Western Conference standings and own the NBA’s best record.

Love will be sidelined with a knee injury, which means he won’t be available as a depth piece with Jusuf Nurkic (illness) expected to be out. Kyle Anderson should take on a few extra minutes off the bench.