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.

Doncic started his tenure with the Lakers with a few quiet performances, but he has hit his stride recently. He is back to being an elite fantasy option, which has helped the Lakers win eight straight games. Doncic has provided first-round value over the past two weeks with averages of 27.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 2.4 steals and 3.4 three-pointers per game. He has shot 41.4 percent from the floor, so there is certainly still room for improvement, which is scary. Doncic will play in Boston for the first time as a Laker on Saturday to close out the week.

Towns missed New York’s last game on Tuesday due to personal reasons, but he was back in the starting lineup on Thursday. Unfortunately, it ended up being a rough night for him. Though he was productive on the glass, Towns struggled to knock down any shots. He also committed a foul while going for an offensive rebound late in overtime that sent LeBron James to the free throw line with the Lakers up two points. It just wasn’t Towns’ night, but he’ll look to get back on track against the Clippers on Friday. With Jalen Brunson (ankle) likely sidelined, KAT will likely see an uptick in shot attempts.

Brunson had a monster performance on Thursday, but it unfortunately ended early. With less than two minutes remaining in overtime, Brunson injured his ankle while being fouled on a layup. He ended up knocking down both free throws before heading to the locker room, but he didn’t return after that. This was Brunson’s sixth 30-point double-double of the season, and he certainly could’ve made it a 40-point double-double if he didn’t injure his ankle. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said that Brunson is “being examined,” but managers shouldn’t expect him to be available to play the Clippers on Friday. Miles McBride would likely slide into the starting lineup, with Cameron Payne filling out the backup point guard minutes.

Hart struggled in Tuesday’s loss to Golden State, but he was able to bounce back on Thursday. He recorded his second double-double since the All-Star break and tied his season-high for steals. His value has been down since the break, but more performances like this will help his numbers improve. The only knock on his night was the subpar free throw shooting, but managers aren’t relying on him to provide much value there. New York will play the second night of a back-to-back against the other Los Angeles team on Friday.

Both LeBron and Luka Doncic came close to recording 30-point triple-doubles in this game, but they did both hit the 30-point mark for the second-straight game. The fit between these two superstars this quickly has been impressive and has resulted in eight consecutive wins for the Lakers. James seems to have once again taken a trip to the fountain of youth, and he has provided top five value in nine-cat leagues over the past two weeks. They’ll wrap up the week in Boston on Saturday.

After missing Los Angeles’ last two games with a calf strain, Reaves returned to the lineup on Thursday. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to pick up where he left off prior to the injury. Before the game that he injured his calf, he had at least 20 points and five assists in four straight games. This was only the fourth time this season that Reaves scored less than 10 points, and it was the first time that he completed a game and didn’t dish out an assist. It was a frustrating first game back, but he’ll look to bounce back in Boston on Saturday.

With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined, Walker slid into the starting lineup for the second time this season and provided Indiana a taller starting lineup. It was also a great opportunity for him as a former top ten pick to make dynasty managers feel comfortable with his development. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to take advantage of the situation. Walker has had some productive games this season, but his other start, which came in November, was also disappointing. He’s only 21 years old, but he needs to show some sort of progression at some point for dynasty managers to continue to value him highly.

Since his first few games with Golden State, Butler hadn’t been as aggressive as a scorer in recent games. However, he had some success on Thursday and had his second 25-point game since being traded to the Warriors, with the first coming in his debut for them almost a month ago. It’s unlikely that this continues to be the norm for him, though it wouldn’t be surprising if he started to pick things up with the playoffs approaching. Golden State will close out the week against Detroit on Saturday.

This was an ideal game for Brooklyn. A competitive loss is what every tanking team craves. It was also an encouraging performance for Johnson, who had his highest-scoring game in over two months. Though Brooklyn isn’t that far out of the Play-In Tournament, it would be surprising if they truly made a push to make it. Johnson was in and out of the lineup over the final few weeks of last season, and managers should expect that to happen again this year. Luckily, it didn’t start until late March last season, so there should be more time before that is a risk.

Nembhard took over primary playmaking duties for Indiana with Tyrese Haliburton (hip) sidelined, which allowed him to record a double-double for the first time this season. It wasn’t a new season-high for assists, since he had nine points and 11 assists in a game against the Heat last week. It was a productive night for him, and if Haliburton misses time past this game, Nembhard should continue to rack up the assists. However, this was only Haliburton’s second absence of the season, and there is no indication that this is an injury that will keep him out for multiple games at this point.