NBA Player News

Kennard and Watanabe remain away from the team and do not have timelines for their return. DeJon Jarreau has recently picked up rotation minutes, and Lamar Stevens’s return has also helped with the numbers. Stevens and Jake LaRavia are worth considering in deep leagues.

Johnson suffered a hip injury in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Wizards and will not play in the rematch. It makes sense since the Hawks should be able to beat the Wizards without Johnson. His absence should mean extra minutes and usage for Jonathan Kuminga, who looked great in his Hawks debut on Tuesday.

Powell was a late addition to the injury report after playing 30 minutes in Tuesday’s game against the Bucks. With Davion Mitchell also questionable with an illness, that could mean Tyler Herro moves into the starting lineup, and Pelle Larsson and Kasparas Jakucionis see more minutes if Powell winds up missing this game.

Vukčević missed Tuesday’s game against the Hornets but will be back in action against the Hawks. Over the last two weeks, he’s averaging 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.0 steals in just under 20 minutes per game.

George is battling a knee contusion that has kept his minutes down since the start of the month. With the Wizards not feeling much pressure to win games, they are not going to stress one of their young players more than they feel is necessary. The last time George missed a game, Justin Champagnie started but Sharife Cooper also played 27 minutes.

It’s also possible that Markkanen will miss the remainder of the season following injuries suffered in practice this week. However, the NBA is allegedly set to send an independent doctor to review Markkanen’s MRI results to ensure the severity of the injury. He should be held in all fantasy leagues until that official word comes down. Brice Sensabaugh figures to pick up some of the offensive lack with Markkanen out.

After totaling 56 points in the first two games of Boston’s four-game road trip, Pritchard’s production fell off considerably in the last two. Counting Tuesday’s win over the Suns, he produced 11 points on 3-of-19 shooting from the field. To say that Pritchard is likely looking forward to the Celtics getting back to Boston would be an understatement. Fantasy managers should not be too concerned, however, as Pritchard’s overall production this season has been solid.

Brown last failed to score at least 20 points in a game on January 5, when he tallied 14 in a win over the Bulls. He kept the streak going on Wednesday, but the Celtics’ wing, and many of his teammates, looked a bit gassed in Denver. The Celtics ended their four-game road trip with a 3-1 record and will face the Nets at home on Friday. As long as he’s healthy, Brown should be in line for a big night.

White has scored 20 points or more in back-to-back games, the first time he’s done so since mid-December. However, looks can be deceiving. White scored 18 of his 20 points in the second quarter, shooting 6-of-7 from the field. White’s overall stat line was a good one, as has been the case on nights when he’s shot the ball even worse than he did in Denver. But things could have been even better for him in the final game of Boston’s road trip.

Mainly a player who’s only worth a look for category league managers needing three-pointers, Hardaway has reached double figures in six of his last eight appearances. Wednesday’s production included solid rebound and assist totals, with THJ being one of the players asked to do a bit more when Jamal Murray (illness) did not return for the second half. Unfortunately, that has not been the norm for Hardaway this season. The only way anything changes regarding his short-term fantasy outlook is if Murray misses additional time.

Jokić wasn’t as efficient as he could be on Wednesday, but he still recorded a 30-point double-double. The Nuggets center, who has continued to play through multiple injuries, remains the top-ranked player in category leagues, regardless of format. The Nuggets play two more games in Week 18, starting with Friday’s game against the Thunder.