NBA Player News

Smith Jr. didn’t do much scoring in this game, but he was still able to contribute fantasy value across the board. Smith has been a top-100 player in 9-cat leagues this season, and that has jumped to the top-50 over the past two weeks. A lot of that comes from his efficient play and rebounding, but for a good defender, he hasn’t provided defensive stats consistently. That wasn’t the case in this game, which was a nice boost for fantasy managers. He’ll look to build off this performance against the Thunder on Wednesday.

Huerter hasn’t played since Game 4 of the Pistons’ first-round series against the Magic, but he could be returning at the perfect time. With Duncan Robinson (back) out, the Pistons might need Huerter’s shooting off the bench in a crucial Game 5 at home.

Duncan Robinson (back) was ruled out for Game 5. Despite Caris LeVert scoring 24 points in Game 4 on Monday, the Pistons have elected to go with Daniss Jenkins in the starting lineup in place of Robinson. LeVert should still have a significant role off the bench.

With Duncan Robinson (back) ruled out for Game 5, LeVert should take on a bigger against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. LeVert is dealing with a heel injury, but was ultimately ruled in. The 31-year-old shooting guard had 24 points in the Pistons’ Game 4 loss on Monday.

A massive blow for the Pistons. Robinson was initially listed as questionable with lower back soreness, but after participating in shootaround Wednesday, his absence for Game 5 comes as somewhat of a surprise. Without Robinson, Caris LeVert will take on added importance and potentially even move into the starting lineup after scoring 24 points in Game 4 on Monday.

While he finished with a respectable point total, most of Randle’s work was done after the outcome was no longer in doubt. Shooting 4-of-4 from the field, the Timberwolves forward scored nine points in the fourth quarter. The first three quarters are a concern, especially with Randle offering limited production since scoring 21 points in Game 1. With the Timberwolves’ season on the line in Friday’s Game 6, they’ll need more consistent energy and production from Randle.

McDaniels shot the ball better in Game 5 than he did in Games 3 and 4, when he combined to make 11 of 32 attempts. However, his performance on Tuesday wasn’t good enough, especially considering Victor Wembanyama’s return from his second-quarter ejection in Game 4. McDaniels won’t be Minnesota’s first or second scoring option, but the Timberwolves will need an aggressive version of the wing in Game 6 on Friday. Minnesota is looking to force a decisive Game 7 with a victory.

While he shot the ball better on Tuesday than he did in Game 4, Dosunmu’s efforts weren’t enough to help Minnesota take the series lead. He’s started the last two games and that will remain the case for Game 6, with the Timberwolves’ season on the line. Overall, Dosunmu’s play throughout the postseason should raise his profile going into free agency this summer. And with Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) set to miss significant time, re-signing Dosunmu may be a priority for the Timberwolves.

Edwards and the Timberwolves were seemingly knocked back on their heels from the start, as Victor Wembanyama took over during the first quarter. Minnesota did rally on multiple occasions, but the lack of consistent help for Edwards proved costly. Ant-Man clearly isn’t healthy, but he continues to log heavy minutes, playing 40 in Game 5. Given what will be on the line in Game 6 on Friday, with a loss meaning the end of the Timberwolves’ season, Edwards is going to log heavy minutes once again.

Having averaged 8.8 points per game in the first four games of the series, Johnson stepped up in a big way in Game 5. Aggressive from the start, the Spurs forward finished with a playoff career-high 21 points. Johnson wasn’t the only Spurs reserve to step up on Tuesday, as rookie Dylan Harper added a double-double with 12 points (5-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot. A win in Game 6 on Friday would send the Spurs to the conference finals for the first time since 2017.

The lone negative for Castle in Game 5 was that he committed four turnovers, but the second-year guard still managed six assists in the 126-97 victory. He’s scored at least 17 points in seven of San Antonio’s ten games this postseason, providing consistent production to supplement Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. Castle and the Spurs will look to earn their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2017 with a win on Friday.