NBA Player News

Making his third straight start, Livers established a new season-high with 17 points. He’s been starting for the injured Bojan Bogdanovic (Achilles), and Livers could have value even after the veteran starter returns. Hamidou Diallo (nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 27 minutes) suffered a lower right leg injury during the fourth quarter and was unable to put any weight on it as he was helped off the court. While Eugene Omoruyi picked up a few rotation minutes after Diallo left, Livers stands to pick up even more playing time if the injury is severe in nature. After the game, Diallo was seen with his right foot in a walking boot.

Two days removed from being acquired from the Hawks, Krejčí made his Trail Blazers debut on Tuesday. Portland has needed three-point shooting for quite some time, and it was clear that Krejčí knew the assignment. He fired up six three-pointers, making one, in his 14 minutes of action. While he isn’t worth the risk in fantasy leagues due to what’s likely to be a limited role, Krejčí may have a better chance of locking down consistent playing time in Portland than he did in Atlanta.

Camara has put forth two solid performances after having arguably his worst game of the season in Friday’s loss to the Knicks. On Tuesday, the Trail Blazers forward recorded his second double-double of the season, along with two steals and three three-pointers, a solid output for category league managers. And even with that poor showing against the Knicks, Camara has been a top-100 player over the past two weeks, according to Basketball Monster.

For category league managers, Grant’s final stat line wasn’t the best because of the lack of rebounds and defensive stats. However, by this point in his career, more experienced managers know what they’re getting out of the veteran forward. In eight-cat formats, Grant has been ranked outside the top-250 over the past two weeks, according to Basketball Monster. The Trail Blazers have two more games in Week 16, games against the Grizzlies on Friday and Saturday.

Sharpe’s streak of games with at least 20 points ended at three, finishing one point away. More concerning for fantasy managers, especially those competing in category leagues, was the lack of production in categories outside of points and three-pointers. Sharpe has made some strides recently, which is why he’s been close to a top-50 player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. Hopefully, he can get back to that in Portland’s final two games of Week 16.

The Suns began Tuesday’s game playing drop coverage, and Clingan was ready to make them pay. With the game just over two minutes old, the second-year center had already knocked down three three-pointers. Clingan would have his double-double by halftime, but the Suns made the proper defensive adjustments and kept him under wraps for most of the night after that early outburst. Portland has a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Grizzlies to end the week. Given how shorthanded Memphis has been recently, even before the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, those could be good nights for Clingan.

Rostered in four percent of Yahoo! leagues, nights like Tuesday serve as a reminder of Goodwin’s value, especially while the Suns are without Devin Booker and Jalen Green. His double-double was accompanied by five steals, one shy of his career-high. Over the past two weeks, Goodwin has been close to a top-100 player in terms of per-game value. If Booker and Green remain out for Thursday’s game against the Warriors, deep-league managers should strongly consider streaming Goodwin if he’s sitting on the waiver wire.

Allen has now scored at least 23 points in three of his last four outings, and he last failed to hit double figures in a January 5 loss to the Rockets. With Devin Booker and Jalen Green out, Allen was one of the Suns to pick up the slack in Portland, with three — Collin Gillespie and Mark Williams being the others — scoring 24 points or more. Phoenix returns home for its final two games of Week 16, starting with the Warriors on Thursday.

Williams continues to flourish in Phoenix, with Tuesday’s double-double being his 11th of the season and first since January 14. Fantasy managers who rolled the dice on the 7-footer have been rewarded handsomely, as neither Williams’ productivity nor availability has been up for debate. He’s now appeared in 46 games, a career-high for the center who struggled with injuries throughout his first three NBA seasons.

The Trail Blazers’ approach of using “drop” coverage when defending the pick-and-roll proved costly, as Gillespie took advantage on multiple occasions in the most productive night of his NBA career. In addition to matching his season-high with eight three-pointers, the Suns’ guard notched his first 30-point game. Add in the assists and steals, and this was an excellent night for fantasy managers who have continued to roster Gillespie. His ceiling for the final two games of Week 16 depends on the availability of Devin Booker (ankle) and Jalen Green (hamstring, hip), who both remained out on Tuesday.

Moody played just 20 minutes in the blowout loss against the 76ers. The 23-year-old had scored at least 19 points in two of his last for games entering play Tuesday, but had just 12 points Tuesday. Moody has provided 13th-round per game value this year. The Warriors will look to bounce back Thursday against the Suns.