NBA Player News

While the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, Popovich should be around to coach the Spurs for the next five seasons, which would make him 79 years old the next time his contract is up. That means that he’ll be around for the first five years of Victor Wembanyama’s career, which should be enough time for him to turn this young core back into a contender.

Porter came out of the gate on fire, dropping 22 points in the first half on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, to power the Nets to a commanding 62-44 advantage. The 27-year-old scoring machine has delievered first-round value for fantasy purposes as one of the most impactful all-around performers over the past week, averaging 34.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.7 blocks over three games during that span. The Nets are off until Friday when they face the Mavericks before closing out the week with a home tilt against the Bucks.

Murphy did most of his damage in the second half of a one-sided affair, notching 14 of his team-high 25 points in the late stages of the contest, but it counts the same for fantasy managers. The 25-year-old has performed at a second-round level for fantasy purposes this season, averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.2 blocks through 22 games. The Pelicans are back in action on Monday when they face the Spurs to open a three-game week that also includes matchups against the Trail Blazers and Bulls.

Claxton was a dominant presence in the paint in this one as he shot 55 percent from the floor while pulling down 11 rebounds and also dishing out double-digit assists. He also chipped in three blocks just for good measure. The 26-year-old big man has been exceptional of late, delivering third-round fantasy value over the past week, averaging 13.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.8 steals and two blocks over his last four games.

Sharpe provided a spark off the bench as Brooklyn raced out to a big lead early and was able to cruise to a relatively easy win. He knocked down all four of his shots from the floor to finish the first half with nine points off the bench. He finished with a solid all-around line as he also added a couple rebounds and assists in addition to a steal and a block. There are plenty of mouths to feed in Brooklyn, which limits his fantasy ceiling, but he’s averaged just over 16 minutes per-game this season. He would have some appeal in deeper fantasy leagues if he were able to get into the starting lineup.

Washington is back after a four-game absence, but his presence in the starting lineup does not come at Marshall’s expense. Instead, it will be Max Christie who heads to the bench after starting 21 consecutive games. While he will remain in the rotation, Christie’s already-low fantasy ceiling takes a hit with the change.

Joe injured his left knee during the preseason, forcing him to miss the Thunder’s first five games of the regular season. Look for players like Ousmane Dieng and Chris Youngblood to absorb the minutes that would have gone to Joe, but neither is worth streaming in fantasy leagues.

Sunday’s game will be the third that Dort has missed with a strained right adductor. Ajay Mitchell will continue to start, but with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also out, the Thunder will also need additional production from Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins.

Caruso will miss a fourth straight game with a right quad contusion. His absence leaves additional minutes for Aaron Wiggins, who is worth picking up in deep leagues due to the Thunder also missing other rotation players.

Raynaud, who scored a season-high 25 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Rockets, will make his first career start in Miami. The second-round pick has outplayed Drew Eubanks, who was the initial replacement for the injured Domantas Sabonis. While this is a challenging matchup for Raynaud, he’s worth a look in deep leagues.

With Sunday’s game being the last that Oklahoma City will play before Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup with the Suns, Gilgeous-Alexander gets some extra time off. Ajay Mitchell, who has already been productive enough to merit being rostered in deeper leagues, will have 12-team league value for Sunday.