NBA Player News

McConnell was held out for Friday’s loss to the Pistons, with his absence freeing up rotation minutes for George Hill and Gabe York. Of the two, York would be in line to play more if McConnell is held out for the final game of the season.

Tyson continues to provide strong value as a starter for Cleveland. Darius Garland (toe) and Sam Merrill (hand) remained out, which allowed Tyson to remain in his role. Over his last four games, Tyson has averaged 21.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.3 triples while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor. Next up for the Cavs is a trip to Orlando on Saturday, and Tyson will look to remain productive while playing big minutes.

Mobley had a rough stretch as a rebounder earlier this month, but the last two games have shown that won’t continue. He recorded his second straight double-double and matched his season high for both points and assists. Mobley has had a strong season overall, though his points, rebounds and shooting percentages are down from last season. He’ll look to stay hot in Orlando on Saturday.

Mitchell had a few rough performances in a row entering this game. After two poor shooting nights, he had eight turnovers against the Hornets on Wednesday. This outing was closer to his high-level production that we’re accustomed to getting. He led the team in scoring and had his fifth 30-point outing of the month. This was the first night of a back-to-back, and he’ll look to stay hot in Orlando on Saturday.

Joe started on Friday but was one of many Thunder players to struggle. He went without a made three-pointer for the first time since January 9 against Memphis, and wasn’t able to make much of an impact in any other area. Joe will almost certainly have better games moving forward as one of the NBA’s premier three-point specialists, but when he’s not making shots, his final lines can look a lot like Friday’s.

The Kings starters weren’t getting the job done in this game, and head coach Doug Christie quickly turned to the reserves. That allowed Schröder to have his first 20-point game in over a month. Schröder has been a solid reserve for the Kings this year, but that hasn’t been enough for him to be worth rostering in most fantasy formats. Still, he’s more than capable of producing, as he reminded us in this game.

Sabonis’ first three games back after an extended absence were rather quiet. His minutes were limited and so was his production. However, he still come off the bench in this game, but he was far more productive in 31 minutes as a reserve in this game. It wasn’t enough to end the losing streak, but it was a much better performance for fantasy managers. Don’t be surprised if he returns to the starting lineup on Sunday against the Pistons.

Holmgren was highly productive in his 33 minutes of game action. In the loss, he made more than half of his shot attempts, contributed from beyond the arc, and was stellar on the glass. And to complement his offensive success, Holmgren added a few blocks on the defensive end. The strong two-way performance isn’t anything new for the former Gonzaga Bulldog. He should remain a nightly double-double threat the rest of the season.

Traore took some time to earn his spot in the Nets’ rotation, but he’s finally at that point. The results hadn’t been pretty, but he was fantastic in this game. He set a new career high for points and minutes, though it wasn’t enough for Brooklyn to get the win in double overtime. Traore will continue to inconsistently produce while seeing big minutes, which could lead to some fun production during silly season.

Gilgeous-Alexander did all that he could on Friday to collect a win in the Finals rematch against the Pacers, but even a near 50-point performance wasn’t enough to secure the win. The reigning MVP worked mostly inside the arc to get his buckets and was his usual productive self from the free-throw line. His four assists weren’t particularly high, but it’s notable that he tied a team-high in this game. He came up with a couple of stocks to boost his production from a fantasy standpoint. And despite the loss, he put together yet another fantastic outing.

MPJ matched his season low for scoring in Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Knicks. However, he was able to get back on track in this one and score at least 30 points for the second time this month. He has had an incredible season, and while he has been quieter in recent weeks, he has significantly improved his value around the league. He’ll look to stay hot against the Clippers on Sunday.