NBA Player News

Ayton continues to produce gaudy stat lines as Portland plays out the string. He’s recorded a double-double in five straight games, scoring 30 or more on two occasions. As long as the Blazers don’t shut him down, Ayton will continue to have these nights to end the season. And it limits Duop Reath’s value to managers whose leagues are still active. While he was productive on Tuesday, tallying 12 points, five rebounds, one assist, and two 3-pointers, Reath only played 12 minutes. Portland has three games remaining, beginning with the Warriors on Thursday.

Podz exited after playing just one minute on Thursday due to lower back soreness. However, it may just be a one-game issue. Podziemski could certainly be back to play Detroit on Saturday, but if he isn’t, Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II would be in line for more minutes. Gui Santos started the second half in place of Podz, and while that is a possibility against the Pistons, Kerr could opt to start someone else. It certainly wouldn’t be the first lineup change that Kerr has made this season. Even if Santos starts, his fantasy upside is limited.

This isn’t great news for New York in their fight to hold on to the No. 3 seed in the East, but it certainly could’ve been worse. It was a nasty injury for Brunson, but a sprain shouldn’t impact his status for the postseason. Still, Brunson will likely miss multiple games and could end up missing weeks, depending on the severity. Tom Thibodeau said after that game that Brunson was “being examined,” so there could be a clearer timeline for his absence soon. It is almost a certainty that he won’t play against the Clippers on Friday, which would leave the point guard duties to Miles McBride and Cameron Payne.

Doncic started his tenure with the Lakers with a few quiet performances, but he has hit his stride recently. He is back to being an elite fantasy option and has helped the Lakers win eight straight games. Doncic has provided first-round value over the past two weeks with averages of 27.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 2.4 steals and 3.4 three-pointers per game. He has shot 41.4 percent from the floor, so there is certainly still room for improvement, which is scary. Doncic will play in Boston for the first time as a Laker on Saturday to close out the week.

Towns missed New York’s last game on Tuesday due to personal reasons, but he was back in the starting lineup on Thursday. Unfortunately, it ended up being a rough night for him. Though he was productive on the glass, Towns struggled to knock down any shots. He also committed a foul while going for an offensive rebound late in overtime that sent LeBron James to the free throw line with the Lakers up two points. It just wasn’t Towns’ night, but he’ll look to get back on track against the Clippers on Friday. With Jalen Brunson (ankle) likely sidelined, KAT will likely see an uptick in shot attempts.

Brunson had a monster performance on Thursday, but it unfortunately ended early. With less than two minutes remaining in overtime, Brunson injured his ankle while being fouled on a layup. He ended up knocking down both free throws before heading to the locker room, but he didn’t return after that. This was Brunson’s sixth 30-point double-double of the season, and he certainly could’ve made it a 40-point double-double if he didn’t injure his ankle. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said that Brunson is “being examined,” but managers shouldn’t expect him to be available to play the Clippers on Friday. Miles McBride would likely slide into the starting lineup, with Cameron Payne filling out the backup point guard minutes.

Hart struggled in Tuesday’s loss to Golden State, but he was able to bounce back on Thursday. He recorded his second double-double since the All-Star break and tied his season-high for steals. His value has been down since the break, but more performances like this will help his numbers improve. The only knock on his night was the subpar free-throw shooting, but managers aren’t relying on him to provide much value there. New York will play the second night of a back-to-back against the other Los Angeles team on Friday.

Both LeBron and Luka Doncic came close to recording 30-point triple-doubles in this game, but they did both hit the 30-point mark for the second-straight game. The fit between these two superstars this quickly has been impressive and has resulted in eight consecutive wins for the Lakers. James seems to have once again taken a trip to the fountain of youth, and he has provided top five value in nine-cat leagues over the past two weeks. They’ll wrap up the week in Boston on Saturday.

After missing Los Angeles’ last two games with a calf strain, Reaves returned to the lineup on Thursday. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to pick up where he left off prior to the injury. Before the game where he injured his calf, he had at least 20 points and five assists in four straight games. This was only the fourth time this season that Reaves scored less than 10 points, and it was the first time that he completed a game and didn’t dish out an assist. It was a frustrating first game back, and perhaps one that portends more rest. If able to play, Reaves will look to bounce back in Boston on Saturday.

With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined, Walker slid into the starting lineup for the second time this season and provided Indiana a taller starting lineup. It was also a great opportunity for him as a former top ten pick to make dynasty managers feel comfortable with his development. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to take advantage of the situation. Walker has had some productive games this season, but his other start, which came in November, was also disappointing. He’s only 21 years old, but he needs to show some sort of progression at some point for dynasty managers to continue to value him highly.

Since his first few games with Golden State, Butler hadn’t been as aggressive as a scorer in recent games. However, he had some success on Thursday and had his second 25-point game since being traded to the Warriors, with the first coming in his debut for them almost a month ago. It’s unlikely that this continues to be the norm for him, though it wouldn’t be surprising if he started to pick things up with the playoffs approaching. Golden State will close out the week against Detroit on Saturday.