NBA Player News

Billups has missed the past three games in league protocols. In his absence, Portland lost by an average of 21 points per game. The team is looking forward to his return.

While Leonard’s offensive output will grab the headlines, how he started Sunday’s rout set the tone for the Clippers. He recorded steals on three consecutive possessions and scored 12 points in the first quarter. Leonard finished with his fourth 40-point game of the season and a robust overall stat line. With the Clippers trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac, the path to the postseason became much more arduous. But, as long as Leonard’s on the floor, they’ve got a chance. The Clippers play five games in Week 17, with a road back-to-back against the Rockets before the All-Star break.

Nembhard had a rough afternoon in Toronto, continuing a slump in which he’s shot 12-of-40 from the field over his last three games. Having shot 36.1 percent from the field, his fantasy value is ranked outside the top 150 over the past two weeks. While his season-long fantasy value remains respectable, Nembhard’s value has not received the boost that many fantasy managers hoped with Tyrese Haliburton unavailable. He’s higher on opposing teams’ scouting reports, and that’s affected Nembhard’s efficiency.

Sunday’s game got away from Siakam and the Pacers in the third quarter, as the Raptors outscored them by a 44-26 margin. That factored into Spicy P playing only 24 minutes, which may be a concerning development for managers counting on him to deliver consistently excellent production through the fantasy playoffs. However, this was the first game since January 10 in which Siakam played less than 32 minutes, so there’s no need to panic. The Pacers play five games in Week 17, starting with the Knicks on Tuesday.

Jackson-Davis made the most of his debut appearance for the Raptors, recording a double-double. While 16 minutes aren’t a big deal for most players, TJD met or exceeded that number just 14 times with the Warriors this season before being traded. The issue moving forward is that the Raptors were shorthanded on Sunday: Jakob Poeltl (back) was out, and Collin Murray-Boyles left the game in the first half with a thumb injury. While Jackson-Davis played well, fantasy managers should not overreact.

Back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday’s win over the Bulls, Barrett had a good afternoon against the Pacers. All that was missing from his stat line was a blocked shot. Unfortunately, Barrett’s fantasy value has tailed off after a hot start to the season. But, in fairness to him, there may have been too much expected of Barrett in terms of fantasy value. While days like Sunday are certainly possible, Carter is a better option in points leagues than category leagues.