NBA Player News

“We are talking about the Celtics as if that could be an opponent,” said Brand, as the Sixers and Celtics would meet in the first round if the playoffs were to start today. “Brett [Brown] and his staff have also prepared for other teams in case there is a regular season and the [seeds] change. But we’ve done a deep dive.” No one knows whether this season’s playoffs will happen or not, but given the fact that the Warriors’ Steve Kerr isn’t planning on playing another game this season, Brand’s optimism does give us some hope that the playoffs could happen in July or August. And if that happens, it sounds like the Sixers and Joel Embiid will be ready.

Markkanen is set to miss his second game in a row with a sprained right wrist. It’s the same wrist injury that bothered him earlier this season, so it certainly bares monitoring going forward. Josh Green will likely start again in Markkanen’s absence.

Leonard is continuing the reconditioning process after receiving treatment to address swelling in his left knee, according to the Raptors. They’ll provide another update on Leonard a week from now. Ja’Kobe Walter will continue to start in his absence.

Ware popped up on the injury report Tuesday afternoon as questionable with a left ankle sprain. Potentially on the wrong side of questionable, some of Ware’s backup center minutes could go to Nate Ament if he’s ruled out.

da Silva popped up on the injury report Tuesday as questionable with a left calf strain. He’s potentially on the wrong side of questionable ahead of the matchup against the Kings. With Desmond Bane (illness) off the injury report, da Silva was likely to come off the bench anyway.

Queen did most of his damage offensively in the second quarter, scoring eight of his 16 points. However, of greater importance to fantasy managers may be the three blocks, a new season-high and two shy of the second-year forward/center’s career high. However, his defense remains a work in progress, even with the blocks recorded on Monday. While Queen has been a consistently productive option for fantasy managers, the defensive issues are why he’s averaging 22 minutes per game and not more.

Fears led the Pelicans with eight assists, but he also recorded six turnovers in Monday’s 138-87 defeat. This was one of his poorer performances of the season, and the Pelicans not having Trey Murphy or Zion Williamson didn’t help either. Fears will look to bounce back on Wednesday when the Pelicans host the Nets. That should be a better matchup for him than the red-hot Warriors were.

The Pelicans didn’t have Trey Murphy or Zion Williamson on Monday, and those absences were certainly felt. Murray shot a solid percentage from the field and led the Pelicans starters in scoring, but it wasn’t enough when the Warriors knocked down 21 three-pointers. Murray has been close to a top-50 player in nine-cat formats, but it’s fair to wonder if his presence in the lineup has limited Jeremiah Fears’ fantasy ceiling. That’s something to watch as the season progresses.

Melton was one of four Warriors to make at least four three-pointers in Monday’s blowout victory. With Brandon Williams suffering a hamstring injury in the first quarter, Melton is one Warrior whose minutes may increase if Williams misses time. Currently a player who should be rostered in deep leagues, some managers in 12-team leagues may be willing to roll the dice on Melton in the short term.

Lendeborg continues to shine for the Warriors, making all four of his three-point attempts on Monday. The rookie forward has scored at least 20 points in six of 11 games and is considered by many to be one of the early favorites for Rookie of the Year. The Warriors play two more games this week, at Houston and San Antonio, so we’ll learn a bit more about Lendeborg in games of that magnitude.

Podziemski shot 5-of-11 from beyond the arc on Monday, a season high for three-pointers in a game for the fourth-year guard. Even better for fantasy managers, Podz recorded a complete stat line, his third in as many games. Based on his ADP, Podziemski wasn’t expected to be a top-100 player this season. However, while it is early, he’s been a top-75 player in nine-cat formats.