NBA Player News

With the Mavericks down several rotation players, O-Max posted career-highs in points, rebounds, and minutes in Friday’s defeat. However, before any fantasy managers overreact to this performance, he played 17 minutes and scored 13 of his 20 points after halftime. Even if the Mavericks remain severely shorthanded for Saturday’s matchup with San Antonio, Prosper is not worth adding in redraft leagues. The same can be said for Dexter Dennis, who put up 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the second half after not playing at all in the first.

After previously being downgraded from probable to questionable, Gordon is now ruled out of Thursday’s contest. Without him, the Nuggets lose arguably their best defender and one of their more versatile offensive weapons as they look to rebound from a Game 3 loss. Bruce Brown could be a player who sees more minutes in Gordon’s absence.

Durant, who missed Game 1 with a tendon bruise in his right knee, is now dealing with a sprained left ankle. With the Rockets in a 0-2 hole, they can ill afford to be without their best offensive player in Game 3. Reed Sheppard would return to the starting lineup if Durant can’t play.

Embiid being listed as doubtful, rather than the 76ers immediately ruling him out, is a step in the right direction. However, he’s closer to not being available on Friday than being able to play. The 76ers will continue to rely on Adem Bona and Andre Drummond until the former league MVP is healthy enough to play.

LaRavia’s injury should be monitored, but it doesn’t sound very serious. If he’s forced to miss Game 3 at Houston, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt could see increased run.

Jenkins is a former Bucks assistant who owns a winning record across six seasons as the Grizzlies’ head coach. After a tumultuous season under Doc Rivers in 2025-26, Milwaukee will shift in a new direction.

Jay Dub will be out for at least a week as the Thunder head to Phoenix. His absence means that Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins could all see additional run.

Shannon Jr. and Clark serve primarily as depth options, so if they are unavailable, Ayo Dosunmu could see additional run.

Bryant is expected to return following a six-game absence, but his availability won’t have much impact on Cleveland’s rotation. He’ll serve as a depth option in the frontcourt.

Gordon’s status doesn’t bode well for his availability in Game 3. If AG is unable to go, Bruce Brown could see some additional run off the bench in a crucial Game 3.

Green struggled again with his shooting after an inefficient opening game. He missed 15 shots on Wednesday, and nearly tallied as many turnovers as he made field goals. Green is now shooting 14-of-39 from the field through two games in this series, which is a far different outcome compared to the 28-of-49 shooting and 71 points he tallied over the two Play-In Tournament games. Phoenix will likely need Green to get back on track offensively if it wants to get back in the series on Saturday.