NBA Player News

Mobley may not have been named the MVP of the NBA2K Summer League, but he was unquestionably one of the top performers in Las Vegas and was named MVP of the title game. He was both dominant and efficient in Monday’s title game, shooting 60% from the field and recording a full line with just one turnover. Mobley has a two-way contract for next season locked up, but he looked like a player deserving of a standard deal during his time in Las Vegas. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen being the starters at the four and five make it difficult to expect much from Isaiah from a fantasy standpoint, but there’s a lot for Cavaliers decision-makers to like about his skill set.

Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.

Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.

Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.

Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.

Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.

No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.

Curry suffered a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring during Tuesday’s Warriors’ series-opening win over the Timberwolves. While ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the guard is expected to miss at least one week, Curry refused to give a target date when asked about his injury on Thursday. “No,” Curry said, according to The Athletic. “This is new, and from all that I’m learning about how quickly you can get back, there has to be a healing process. It’s just the way the body works. You can’t accelerate more than the body is telling you. It’ll be one of those after a week, really re-evaluate it every day to understand when it’s safe just to even think about playing.” This is the first hamstring injury of Curry’s career, so he’s in uncharted territory. Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield will have added importance within the Warriors’ offense, and the latter has shot 14-of-19 from three in his last two games.

Hunter, who dislocated the thumb on his shooting (right) hand during Game 1, was one of three Cavaliers’ rotation players to miss Game 2, with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley being the others. Hunter’s absence led to more rotation minutes for Isaac Okoro, who logged 30 minutes in Game 2 and finished with five points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals. How much Okoro plays in Game 3 will also depend on the status of Evan Mobley (ankle), who did not play in Game 2.

Mobley sprained his ankle during Cleveland’s Game 1 loss to the Pacers, which kept him out of Game 2 on Tuesday. Dean Wade moved into the starting lineup but offered minimal value, finishing with three points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one three-pointer in 30 minutes. He’ll likely retain his spot in the starting lineup if Mobley cannot play. However, with Cleveland in a 0-2 hole, look for the Defensive Player of the Year to do all he can to be available.

Due to a sprained left big toe, Garland has not appeared in a game since Game 2 of Cleveland’s first-round series against the Heat. While Sam Merrill started Game 1, he was moved to the bench for Game 2, with Ty Jerome taking over as the starter alongside Donovan Mitchell. The Cavaliers were also without Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter for Game 2, which impacted the lineup overall.