NBA Player News

Valanciunas appears poised to miss a second consecutive game, which would keep Willy Hernangomez in the starting lineup. While this will boost his fantasy value, Hernangomez was outplayed by Jaxson Hayes in Wednesday’s win over the Trail Blazers. They’re both worthy of streaming consideration in deep leagues.

After attempting at least 10 shots in each of the first four games of the series, Turner only took five in Game 5. While he isn’t going to be a marquee offensive option for the Pacers, they need more from Turner, especially with Tyrese Haliburton (calf) injured. Just as concerning is the three-point shooting. After making two of five attempts in Game 1, Turner is just 3-of-17 from beyond the arc. And he isn’t the only one struggling, with Indiana shooting 37 percent or worse from deep in each of the last four games. The Pacers will need to turn that around if they’re to have a chance of winning Game 6 on Thursday.

With Tyrese Haliburton limited due to a right calf injury and Andrew Nembhard struggling, the Pacers needed more from McConnell. Unsurprisingly, the veteran point guard stepped up, even screaming “you can’t guard me” at the Thunder players at one point. McConnell answering the call is to be expected, even with his perceived offensive limitations. With Haliburton likely to be at less than full strength for Game 6 on Thursday, the Pacers will need a performance from McConnell similar to the one they received on Monday.

With Tyrese Haliburton nowhere near full strength due to ankle and calf injuries, Siakam did what he could to carry the Pacers in Game 5. One of the few rotation players with a championship on his résumé, Spicy P shot 66.7 percent from the field and was impactful on both ends of the floor Monday night. Over the last two games, Siakam has recorded eight steals and three blocked shots to go along with what he’s done offensively. Regardless of what happens with Haliburton, the Pacers will need an elite Siakam on Thursday if they’re to force a Game 7. And he’s capable of answering the call.

Having injured his right ankle during Game 2, Haliburton suffered another right leg injury during Game 5. He appeared to injure his right calf on a drive to the basket during the first half and was a shell of himself for the rest of the night. And with Andrew Nembhard (7/3/3/1 with four turnovers) struggling to do much offensively, that was too much for the Pacers to overcome. Indiana did manage to pull to within two points during the fourth quarter, but they would turn the ball over on four consecutive possessions as Oklahoma City pulled away. With Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night, Indiana’s trainers are going to earn their keep as they look to get Haliburton as healthy as possible.

While Alex Caruso has garnered the most attention among the Thunder reserves in the NBA Finals, Wiggins has stepped up with two quality performances. Monday night, he hit double figures for the first time since Game 2, when he scored 18 points in a win. Wiggins and Cason Wallace (11/2/0/4/1 with three three-pointers) combined for 25 points in Game 5, helping to counter the excellent showing by Pacers backup guard T.J. McConnell. Wiggins’ inconsistency makes him a challenging player to trust fully, but he’s shown the ability to have an impact on multiple occasions this postseason.

While the field goal percentage may not have been great, Gilgeous-Alexander was highly impactful in Monday’s victory. The four blocked shots were one shy of his playoff career-high, and he also hit double digits in assists for the first time since Game 4 of the conference finals. Gilgeous-Alexander recorded his 15th 30-point game of these playoffs, the most in a single postseason since Kobe Bryant had 15 in 2009. While the Pacers have done all they can to limit Gilgeous-Alexander, and they’ve had some success, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player still feels inevitable. He and the Thunder will look to win their first NBA title on Thursday night.

JDub put on a show Monday night in what was the most productive outing of his brief postseason career. Shooting 56 percent from the field, Williams notched a career-high point total, carrying over his productive play from Games 3 and 4. While Oklahoma City did drop Game 3, the shift to making sure Williams is on the opposite side of the court as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has significantly impacted Indiana’s defense. Having to account for SGA’s drives has left the Pacers in challenging positions regarding how they defend JDub, who’s been able to get downhill far more consistently than he did in the first two games. He and the Thunder will look to close out the series on Thursday.

As part of the trade, Orlando declined its team options on Harris (worth $7.5 million) and Joseph ($3.47 million) for salary cap purposes. The Magic upgraded their perimeter rotation with the Bane trade, which was completed on Sunday. However, the team will have some work to do this summer regarding their depth behind starters Bane and Jalen Suggs. Both players will be unrestricted free agents on June 30. Neither player logged consistent rotation minutes for the Magic last season, and their exits (if they do not re-sign with Orlando) would not impact fantasy basketball.

Donovan was one of the coaches that the Knicks requested to interview to fill their vacancy, but Chicago denied them the opportunity. Now it’s clear why. Donovan is entering his sixth season with the team and appears to be in line for more. Prior to coaching the Bulls, he had five playoff appearances in five seasons as the coach of the Thunder. However, he only has one playoff appearance in five years with Chicago, and he has finished with a losing record in the other four seasons. Though he has a 54.8 career winning percentage, he hasn’t had as much success in recent years.

Injured during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Walker has not appeared in a game since. According to Carlisle, the second-year forward is no longer using crutches but is still walking with a slight limp. Due to Indiana’s depth, Walker’s absence has not significantly impacted the team’s approach to this series. Obi Toppin was already the primary backup to Pascal Siakam, so his role remains unchanged.