NBA Player News

This will be the third straight game on the sidelines for Lillard, and it’s unclear at the moment exactly how much longer he’ll be out. With both Lillard and Nurkic watching from the sidelines tomorrow night, we’ll see C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell doing the heavy lifting on offense while Enes Kanter could be headed for a spot-start. Derrick Jones Jr. and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson have both received spot-start sans Dame, but neither guy has had an impact as a starter.

Bal, an undrafted rookie who played his college basketball at Santa Clara, has been with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League this season. In 29 games for the Knicks, the 6-foot-7 guard averaged 7.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 18.4 minutes.

LeVert is back after sitting out Thursday’s win over the Pelicans. He played 15 minutes the night prior against the Hawks and is likely on track for a similar workload. That is not enough to justify rostering LeVert in fantasy leagues.

Sasser is good to go for Saturday’s game, but so is Caris LeVert, which may limit his opportunities off the bench. There isn’t much to gain from streaming Sasser, especially with Daniss Jenkins playing well as Cade Cunningham’s replacement in the starting lineup.

Thompson is on track to play after logging 29 minutes in Thursday’s win over the Pelicans. While Cade Cunningham (lung) being out frees up additional playmaking opportunities for others, including Thompson, he did not record an assist on Thursday. However, Ausar was responsible for three steals and two blocked shots.

Harris is on track to play after being listed as questionable on the Pistons’ initial injury report. He logged 26 minutes in Thursday’s win over the Pelicans, but the veteran forward may play a bit more on Saturday if the game is closer.

Initially listed as questionable, Duren is on track to play on Saturday evening. He would take on his usual role as the starting center, with Paul Reed once again serving as the backup.

Dosunmu’s sore right calf will keep him out for a second consecutive game. Mike Conley started Wednesday’s overtime win over the Pistons and played 29 minutes, offering limited fantasy value in that role. Bones Hyland remains the player who fantasy managers should stream despite coming off the bench.

While Traoré provided good value in the assist and steal categories, he was terribly inefficient against the Lakers. In addition to shooting 4-of-14 from the field, the rookie was responsible for six turnovers in 26 minutes. Ben Saraf dropped into the backup point guard role after starting the last time out, finishing with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 22 minutes. Sunday’s game against the Kings is not part of a back-to-back, which may keep Traoré in the starting lineup. However, if he sits, Saraf will be worth streaming in deep leagues.

Claxton shot 80 percent from the field and was solid on the glass, providing good value in those categories. However, he logged 23 minutes and has not played 30 or more minutes in a game since February 24. Given where the Nets are in the standings, that’s unlikely to change between now and the end of the regular season. While Claxton is not a player who should be dropped in all leagues, fantasy managers in 12-team formats who need more production for Sunday’s action need to seek alternatives.

It is anyone’s guess which reserve frontcourt player will play the most minutes for the Nets on any given night. Against the Lakers, it was Minott, who was effective in 26 minutes on the floor. Chaney Johnson (two points, two rebounds and two assists), who’s had his moments recently, played 14 minutes. In theory, Minott’s superior night should earn him more minutes on Sunday when the Nets host the Kings, but that hasn’t been the case. Unless you’re competing in a 30-deep league, Minott and Johnson are too risky to roster.