NBA Player News

Hartenstein is heading back West after multiple seasons in New York. He was excellent when Mitchell Robinson was out last season, and now he’ll fill out the center minutes behind Chet Holmgren. Hartenstein will provide OKC with a bigger center to help match up with players like Nikola Jokic out West. He won’t be as productive in fantasy, but he will be an important part of the team’s rotation. In New York, Robinson and Jericho Sims are the only centers currently on the roster. That could mean that another move is coming for them, but right now, it’s looking like Robinson will see a minutes boost.

It was a subpar two-game stretch for Maxey entering this game, but he got back on track in a big way. Not only did he have his first 40-point game since November, but he also hit a game-winning layup with less than two seconds left. Maxey has had a fantastic season and continues to be one of the most effective players in fantasy basketball. He’ll look to stay hot against the Pelicans on Saturday to wrap up the week.

Embiid stayed hot in this game and has now scored at least 30 points in five of his last six games. Over the past wo weeks, Embiid has provided top-five value in nine-category leagues, which is incredible value for a player drafted in the fifth round. Of course, the caveat of “he has to stay healthy” will remain until April, but he’s playing at an incredibly high level. As long as he’s on the floor, he’ll continue to be one of the best players in fantasy basketball.

Schröder entered the starting lineup with Russell Westbrook (foot) sidelined, and it led to one of his best performances of the season. He set a new season high for scoring and matched his season high for three-pointers, though it wasn’t enough to end their losing streak. This was the first night of a back-to-back, so if Westbrook remains out against the Celtics on Friday, Schröder should start again and have upside as a streaming option.

LaVine returned from a two-game absence with back soreness, but he came off the bench in his first game back. He came off the bench three times during his tenure with the Bulls, but he has been a full-time starter since the 2015-16 season, which was his second in the league. He still played 29 minutes, while Nique Clifford, who started again, played 27 minutes. Assuming LaVine is available for the second leg of this back-to-back in Boston, he should return to the starting lineup.

Quiet for the first half of Thursday’s game, Rollins shot 6-of-10 from the field after halftime and helped Milwaukee make the game competitive down the stretch. Unfortunately for the Bucks, he had to leave with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter due to a right calf cramp and did not return. With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter Jr. out due to injury, Rollins has a higher fantasy ceiling and is worth targeting in 10-team leagues.

Kuzma didn’t let being booed every time he touched the ball get him off his game, as he had one of his better performances of the season. In the two games the Bucks have played since losing Giannis Antetokounmpo to a calf strain, Kuzma has totaled 36 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists while shooting 14-of-30 from the field. While he hasn’t been the most reliable fantasy option, current circumstances make Kuzma worth the risk in some 12-team leagues.

Unfortunately for the Bucks, it appears that Giannis Antetokounmpo going down with a calf strain was what fully unlocked Turner. After going off for 31 points in Tuesday’s loss to the 76ers, he finished Thursday’s defeat with his best all-around line of the season. Turner’s double-double was his third of the season; the rebound tally was a season-high, and he matched his previous high in blocks. Over the past two weeks, Turner has been a top-5 player in eight-cat formats.

A double-figure scorer in nine consecutive games, Portis’ 19 points were the most in a game for him since he hit that number in a January 19 win over the Hawks. With Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) out for the foreseeable future, Portis will have every opportunity to do more offensively. However, his fantasy value over the past two weeks has not cracked the top-100 in eight-cat formats. While this may give some shallow-league managers pause, those competing in standard leagues should still look to add Portis if he’s sitting on the waiver wire.

After scoring 34 points against the Knicks on Tuesday, DeRozan was able to stay hot for the first half of this game. He scored 21 points before the break, but he didn’t do much scoring over the final two quarters. He has been efficient lately, having shot at least 50 percent from the floor in four straight games. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to turn this into a big night, and the Kings lost a seventh straight game. He’ll look to stay hot in Boston on Friday.

Coulibaly did not provide much offensively in Thursday’s victory, but category managers will likely be pleased with the rebounds and defensive stats. Despite averaging six points per game, he has been a top-25 player over the past two weeks in eight-cat formats because of the rebounds, steals and blocks. Coulibaly’s fantasy upside may be a bit limited due to his lack of scoring, but there’s certainly value in rostering him.