NBA Player News

The team said that the change is to clarify any confusion over Johnson’s representation with the team. The Hall of Famer has been a little more vocal about other teams on his Twitter account and other mediums, so that’s the reasoning here.

Dončić led the way offensively for the Lakers, but give the Celtics credit for making him earn every bit of what he got. The Lakers’ guard shot 5-of-15 from inside the arc and, removing the February 5 game in which he injured his hamstring, the seven three-point attempts were the fewest in a game for Dončić since a January 9 loss to the Bucks in which he put up six. The Celtics consistently forced him inside the three-point line, resulting in a subpar effort by Dončić’s standards. The Lakers open their four-game Week 18 on Tuesday against the Magic.

White recorded another complete stat line in Sunday’s win over the Lakers, continuing to provide excellent fantasy value despite shooting less than 40 percent from the field. Obviously, making strides in that category would raise White’s ceiling in category leagues, but he does enough in the other categories to minimize the damage done by that one deficiency. The Celtics open their four-game Week 18 on Tuesday in Phoenix.

Since Pritchard has started 48 games this season, he won’t be eligible to repeat as NBA Sixth Man of the Year. That said, his return to the bench has paid major dividends for the Celtics and the fantasy managers who have Pritchard on their rosters. He lit up the Lakers for 30 points on Sunday and has scored at least 24 points in six of the seven games he’s played since the lineup change. Since Boston’s February 3 win over the Mavericks, Pritchard has been a top-25 player in eight- and nine-cat formats, according to Basketball Monster.

Brown and Payton Pritchard put on a show for the Celtics, combining to score 62 of the team’s 111 points. While JB didn’t have the most efficient night shooting the basketball, the overall production made up for the poor field-goal percentage. Boston concludes its west coast trip with games against the Suns and Nuggets, a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back that marks the start of their four-game Week 18.

Coulibaly had 17 points on nine field goal attempts in 17 minutes in the loss to the Hornets on Sunday. The 21-year-old shooting guard could’ve had a big game, but with the game in hand after three quarters none of the starters played in the fourth quarter. Coulibaly has provided top-100 per game value over the last two weeks. The Wizards have three games upcoming in Week 18, starting with a matchup against the Hawks on Tuesday.

Kalkbrenner went to the locker room with an ankle injury, though he was cleared to return later in the game. The 24-year-old center ended up only playing 15 minutes and was able to put up six points, nine rebounds and three blocks in that time. Kalkbrenner’s value will decrease now that Moussa Diabaté’s suspension is over.

Knueppel wasn’t the star of the game, only because his teammate LaMelo Ball had 37 points and 10 three-pointers. The 20-year-old shooting guard had 28 points and five three-pointers, following up a 33-point performance on Friday. He also had seven rebounds and four assists. Knueppel has provided second-round per game value over the last two weeks, according to Basketball Monster.

Avdjia played about a minute of Sunday’s game before his lower back flared up, with the All-Star wing asking to be subbed out immediately. He was replaced in the lineup by Scoot Henderson, who will take on more playmaking responsibilities in Avdija’s absence.