NBA Player News

This was Rondo’s first game in three weeks, but he was the first guard off the bench tonight, and completely erased Brandon Goodwin from the rotation. Rondo will likely have his minutes managed over Cleveland’s final three games, so he’s not a great target in most leagues.

Murphy became just the eighth player in NBA history to make at least 12 three-pointers in a game in Wednesday’s OT loss to the Bucks. The 25-year-old small forward broke out of a mini-slump with 27 points Monday against the Hornets and completely went off with 44 points Wednesday against the Bucks. Unfortunately, neither performance was enough to get the Pelicans the win. Murphy has provided eighth-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Pelicans have one more game this week, coming Friday against the Timberwolves.

Green showed why he’s worth adding while Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) is out of the lineup in Wednesday’s OT win versus the Pelicans. The 26-year-old guard saw more opportunities to score, mostly coming from behind the three-point line. Green had six threes on his way to a 20-point game, his first since December 26 against Memphis.

Rollins’ career-season continued Wednesday with a 27-point performance in the OT victory over the Pelicans. The 23-year-old point guard was efficient, shooting 10-of-19 from the field. Rollins is young, but looks like the Bucks’ top player with Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) out of the lineup. He’s returned second-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Bucks have one more game this week coming Friday against the Pacers.

Quickley has now made at least six three-pointers in three of his last eight games. An excellent rebounder for a guard, the 26-year-old point guard has had at least five rebounds in six of his last seven games. Quickley also had eight assists and has had at least six assists in two of his last three games. He’s provided second-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Raptors will face the Bulls onThursday on the second night of a back-to-back.

While both teams started slowly in Wednesday’s game, the Celtics got going after halftime, while the Rockets didn’t. The result was a 114-93 beating, and Durant struggled throughout. He missed all four of his three-point attempts, and KD has now scored 28 points over the last two games on 10-of-28 shooting. The good news for fantasy managers is that Durant won’t have long to dwell on this performance, as the Rockets host the red-hot Hornets on Thursday.

Queta was dominant in Wednesday’s blowout of the Rockets, finishing one rebound and one blocked shot shy of his career-highs in those categories. Add in the steals and percentages, and this was an excellent night for Queta managers. The question now is how Nikola Vučević’s arrival affects Queta, but that may be a greater concern for Luka Garza (19/6/2/2 with two three-pointers in 34 minutes). At a minimum, the Celtics’ frontcourt rotation received a needed boost via the Vučević trade.

Pritchard came off the bench for both games of the Celtics’ Texas two-step, and had a significant impact. In addition to giving the second unit needed ball-handling, the “P Rabbit” totaled 53 points in wins over the Mavericks and Rockets. With Anfernee Simons no longer in the picture, Pritchard will likely remain in the sixth-man role. And that may actually boost his fantasy value.

After shooting 4-of-13 from the field in Tuesday’s win over the Mavericks, White was better as the Celtics used a huge third quarter to win in Houston without Jaylen Brown. The Celtics’ guard finished with his first 20-point game in nearly a month, as the 28 points were the most for him since a January 10 loss to the Spurs. However, even with the decreased field-goal percentage, White’s fantasy value has been fine because of everything else that he brings to the table. The Celtics head home for their final two games of Week 16, Friday against the Heat and Sunday against the Knicks.