NBA Player News

With Stanley Umude out for the rest of the season, Brown Jr. moves into the starting unit to replace him. This is his first start since being traded to Detroit, and he hasn’t seen many minutes with his new team. However, he had some productive games with the Timberwolves earlier this season and could have a solid night in this game.

Black shot an inefficient 6-of-16 from the floor and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. He also committed four turnovers, but fantasy managers playing in eight-cat leagues or those not worried about FG% were surely pleased with this performance. With Franz Wagner (leg) potentially set to miss time this week, Black could see an uptick in minutes. Jalen Suggs (leg) went to the locker room in the fourth quarter, and though he was able to return, he may be banged up, which could result in even more playing time for Black. The latter is rostered in only 27% of Yahoo! leagues and should be picked up for the week ahead.

Suggs injured his leg in the fourth quarter, but he returned to the bench before the end of the game. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status this week, especially after Franz Wagner was forced to leave this one in the first quarter. Anthony Black should be in line for increased run if Wagner is forced to miss time, but Black’s role would be even more prominent if Suggs was also sidelined.

Horford will miss a second straight game after logging 18 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the 76ers. Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis will once again handle the responsibilities at the center position, with the former likely taking on the heavier workload.

Sunday’s game will be the second that Green has missed after aggravating a right midfoot sprain during Thursday’s loss to the 76ers. Jonathan Kuminga moved into the starting lineup for Saturday’s win over the Cavaliers and may retain that role for the foreseeable future. After Sunday, the Warriors won’t play again until Friday.

Butler III sat out the first leg of Golden State’s back-to-back set on Saturday, but he’ll return on Sunday to help Golden State go for a second win in as many days. He should return to the starting five, which means fewer minutes will be available for Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield.

Injured during Friday’s loss to the Hornets, Battle was initially doubtful for Sunday’s game. While his absence does not affect fantasy basketball, it should result in more playing time for players already in the rotation such as Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles.

Williams is a late addition to the injury report, and that’s typically not a good sign for a player’s availability. With Donovan Clingan (leg) questionable, Portland could give additional minutes to Duop Reath and Yang Hansen if both Williams and Clingan end up sidelined.

Markkanen’s late addition to the injury report doesn’t bode well for his availability against OKC. If he’s ultimately ruled out, the Jazz could give more minutes to Kyle Filipowski and Kyle Anderson.

Wagner went up for an alley-oop from Anthony Black and was fouled hard by Ariel Hukporti before landing awkwardly on his left leg. He will be re-evaluated when the Magic return to Orlando, so the severity of his injury is yet unknown. If he’s forced to miss time, Black, Tristan da Silva and Jett Howard are all candidates for increased run. Orlando’s next game will be an NBA Cup matchup with the Heat on Tuesday.

With Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) ruled out, Robinson will take over the starting center spot. He’s worth a look as a streaming option for Sunday’s seven-game slate.