NBA Player News

Miami had a brutal night on the offensive end of the floor, making just 37.0% of its attempts from the field while also going 11-of-35 from three. And things were especially bad in the paint, with the Heat converting just 17 of their 46 attempts. Butler shot a shade under 50% from the field but was essentially the only Heat player who could generate consistent offense in the Game 3 defeat. His point total has increased in each of the series’ first three games, so Butler could be in for a big Game 4 on Friday. And the Heat may need a special performance from their star in order to even the series at two games apiece.

Injured during Monday’s loss to the Warriors, Young will miss a second straight game with a quad contusion. Bub Carrington, who scored a season-high 30 points on Tuesday, should remain in the starting lineup.

Jaquez, who was not on the injury report for Tuesday’s loss to the Hornets, is back on the list due to tightness in his left hip. He was also questionable ahead of Saturday’s game against the Magic, a game that he would log 30 minutes in. Jaquez was limited to 20 minutes on Tuesday.

Wiggins’ continued absence should keep Pelle Larsson in the starting lineup for another game, increasing his short-term fantasy value. However, Larsson is not a must-stream player in 12-team leagues.

Adebayo is on track to return to action Thursday night after sitting out Tuesday’s loss to the Hornets. With Tyler Herro and Norman Powell available, Kel’el Ware will likely be headed to the bench. Ware should still be rostered in 12-team leagues, but he isn’t as valuable in shallow formats when Miami’s three stars are available.

Diabaté suffered an apparent left wrist injury during the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Heat and did not return. However, his name was not on the initial injury report for Thursday, indicating that he’ll take on his usual starting center responsibilities. Ryan Kalkbrenner remains in the backup role.

Salaün has appeared in four games since the All-Star break, the last being on March 3. His continued absence does not affect fantasy basketball.

Injured during the first quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, Cunningham has already been ruled out for Thursday’s rematch. Daniss Jenkins has been the replacement in the lineup in prior instances when Cunningham wasn’t available, and that may be the case in this spot as well. Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert may also see their opportunities to serve as playmakers within the rotation.

Initially questionable for Wednesday’s game, Saraf is now out. Nolan Traoré, whose minutes have decreased recently despite being in the starting lineup, may be asked to play more on Wednesday, which would give him a little more value in fantasy leagues. Malachi Smith should slot in as the backup point guard.

On March 11, Curry was given a 10-day re-evaluation timeline, so more will be learned about his progress in recovering from a case of runner’s knee in the coming days. Charania reported that there’s “cautious optimism” that the star guard will be back by the end of the month, and Curry went through a rigorous on-court workout in Boston on Tuesday. The question is whether he’ll be back soon enough to affect fantasy basketball. For now, managers should continue to rely on Gui Santos, Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton for fantasy value.

Reid was initially listed as questionable on the second night of this back-to-back, but he has now been downgraded to out. He briefly exited Tuesday’s game, but he was able to return to finish it out, so this shouldn’t be a lengthy absence for him. Joan Beringer should fill out the backup center minutes.