NBA Player News

Derrickson had a nice preseason, averaging 14.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes across five games. He joins Damion Lee as the Warriors two two-way players. Derrickson will probably spend most of his time in the G-League and isn’t fantasy relevant.

Absent from the Pelicans’ initial injury report for Sunday, Murphy has been added due to a sore right (shooting) hand. He’s been the team’s most productive player, so not having Murphy would significantly affect the Pelicans on both ends of the floor. If he sits, the recently benched Jeremiah Fears could move back into the starting lineup, but fantasy managers in most leagues can afford to leave the rookie alone.

Melton is good to go after being listed as questionable. Sunday’s game is the first of two matchups between the Warriors and Timberwolves in as many nights, and Melton has yet to play both ends of a back-to-back this season. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t suit up on Monday.

Horford was initially questionable for Sunday’s rescheduled game. He’ll provide added frontcourt depth off the bench, but is unlikely to deliver the value needed to impact fantasy basketball. Horford has not played both games of a back-to-back this season, so those who have him rostered should assume that the veteran center/forward won’t play in Monday’s rematch.

Poeltl, who has been dealing with a lower back issue since the preseason, left the Raptors during the team’s current road trip to meet with a specialist. On Sunday, the team announced that he has since received treatment, but a timeline for a return to game action has not been established. With Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb) also missing time recently, Sandro Mamukelashvili’s fantasy ceiling has been raised, even if he isn’t guaranteed to start. He’s worth picking up ahead of Sunday’s game against the Thunder.

Added to the Kings’ injury report late Saturday night, LaVine is now officially out for Sunday’s game in Detroit. When Sacramento played two games in late December without LaVine and Keegan Murray (ankle), Keon Ellis was inserted into the starting lineup. However, the fourth-year guard has picked up DNP-CDs in each of the Kings’ last five games. For that reason, Nique Clifford may be the more likely choice to start, but he should only be rostered in dynasty leagues.

Collier has come off the bench in each of his last four appearances, reaching double figures in scoring in three of them. On Saturday, the second-year guard had an effective night as a scorer and playmaker, even with the Jazz getting blown out. With Keyonte George still logging starters’ minutes, Collier’s fantasy upside is limited. But that could change later in the season.

Two days removed from one of his worst performances of the season, Sensabaugh got back on track Saturday night. He’s scored at least 23 points in four of his last five games, providing excellent production despite coming off the bench. Sensabaugh’s production can be a roller coaster, but he’s someone worth rolling the dice on during the “silly season.”

Utah shot 7-of-25 from three as a team on Saturday, and George was at the center of those struggles. He missed all eight of his attempts, sinking his field-goal percentage as a result. Over the past two weeks, George has been a top-20 player in eight-cat formats, even with Saturday’s poor shooting. Utah begins a four-game Week 15 on Tuesday against the Clippers.

After joining Pete Maravich in the Jazz record books in Thursday’s loss to the Spurs, Nurkić made more history on Saturday. The veteran center became the first player in franchise history to record a triple-double in three consecutive games. Nurkić has played in each of Utah’s last four games, but the availability is a concern due to the Jazz prioritizing the development of their young players. As long as he’s playing starters’ minutes, Nurk’s presence limits Kyle Filipowski (9/4/3/1 with one three-pointer in 16 minutes) from a fantasy standpoint.

With Kel’el Ware (hamstring) out, Jović has essentially been Bam Adebayo’s backup in recent games. That’s required some adjusting on his part. After struggling in the first three games of the Heat’s west coast trip, Jović had one of his best games of the season on Saturday. He finished with his fourth 20-point game and first since December 29. With Ware already back in Miami, Jović will once again take on an expanded role on Sunday in Phoenix.