NBA Player News

With Keegan Murray (8/5/1 with two 3-pointers in 23 minutes) struggling to get going in his first game back from an SI joint injury, Monk picked up the slack in a big way. The 26 points are the most he’s scored in a game this season, and the four assists were also noteworthy. In the three games prior, Monk dished out a total of three. Also playing well was Kevin Huerter, who shot 6-of-10 from the field and finished with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and four 3-pointers. Monk may come off the bench, but a player providing top-100 value should be rostered in more than 55% of Yahoo leagues, as he currently is.

After sweeping Philadelphia in the conference semifinals, the earliest that the Knicks will play again is on Sunday, May 17. Anunoby has been out since suffering a minor strain of his right hamstring during the latter stages of Game 2 of the conference semifinals and has not played since. He has been limited to individual work in recent practices, but there’s reportedly optimism that the forward will be ready for Game 1. If Detroit can force a Game 7, the conference finals would not begin until May 19, which would mean 13 days to recover for Anunoby. Miles McBride has been the replacement in the starting lineup, and he made seven three-pointers in the series-clinching Game 4 rout of the 76ers.

After a seven-game absence due to a strained left adductor, Huerter returned to action in Wednesday’s Game 5. However, he logged just three minutes in the overtime defeat, even with Duncan Robinson (back) unavailable. It’s unlikely that Huerter’s role will change much in Game 6, especially if Robinson returns.

LeVert has played through a right heel contusion, most recently logging 24 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s Game 5 defeat. He’ll take on a similar workload in Game 6, with the importance of his role depending on Duncan Robinson’s availability. Robinson sat out Game 5 with a sore lower back.

Robinson’s sore lower back kept him out of Wednesday’s overtime defeat, with the Pistons now facing elimination on Friday. Daniss Jenkins was productive as the replacement in the starting lineup, but his promotion left the Pistons with one less scoring option off the bench. He’ll head back to the bench if Robinson plays.

Giddey missed the final five games of the regular season with a hamstring injury, but it’s his right ankle that’s the reason for the most recent injury update. The Bulls guard underwent the procedure on Wednesday, and the team’s timeline suggests he’ll be good to go when training camp opens in late September. The Bulls are searching for a new head coach after Billy Donovan decided to step down, but this should not negatively affect Giddey’s fantasy outlook for 2026-27.

Duren played 25 minutes, but was -16. The 22-year-old center sat on the bench for most of the fourth quarter and overtime in favor of Paul Reed. Reed had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes. The Pistons have stuck with Duren for the entire playoffs up to this point. With Detroit on the brink of elimination, it’s entirely possible Reed draws the start in Game 6 in Cleveland on Friday.

Jenkins moved into the starting lineup with Duncan Robinson (back) out for Game 5. The 24-year-old point guard played 41 minutes and was -9. Jenkins was -28 in 18 minutes in Game 3 of this series as well. It’s unlikely Jenkins would’ve played as much if Robinson was available, but he’ll also need to play better if the Pistons are going to comeback in this series.

Harris had scored at least 20 points in eight consecutive playoff games and the Pistons were 5-3 in those games. His streak came to an end with 16 points in Monday’s loss in Game 4 and points were even tougher to come by for Harris in Game 5. The 33-year-old power forward had just 13 points on 19 attempts from the field. Harris’ off-game came at the wrong time for the Pistons as Duncan Robinson (back) was out, which only heightened the need for more scoring.

The Pistons led by nine with three minutes left in regulation, but blew that lead and lost by four in overtime. Cunningham dropped 39 points in Game 5, but it wasn’t enough as the Pistons fell behind 3-2 in the series. After a Donovan Mitchell three-pointer gave the Cavaliers a five-point lead in overtime, Cunningham committed one of his six turnovers. Max Strus picked his pocket in the backcourt and found Mitchell streaking in for a layup to put the Cavs up by seven, effectively putting the game on ice.

Harden had six turnovers, but was otherwise excellent in leading the Cavaliers to a 3-2 series lead over the Pistons. The 36-year-old point guard had 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Harden was +11 in 43 minutes. The win has put the Cavaliers on the brink of reaching the Eastern Conference finals. They’ll have their first chance to close out the Pistons in Game 6 on Friday.