NBA Player News

Ellis wasn’t as productive as in Sacramento’s summer opener on Saturday, but he was plenty effective as the Kings moved to 2-0. Four Kings scored in double figures, led by undrafted rookie Boogie Ellis (no relation), who scored 17. Of the players on the roster, Keon has the most significant chance of being in the opening night rotation. He had a bench role for most of last season, moving into the starting lineup after Kevin Huerter went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. Ellis didn’t offer consistent fantasy value in 2023-24, but there were times when he was worth streaming in deep leagues. What the Kings likely want to see this summer is for him to dominate against less experienced players.

Making his third straight start in place of the injured Domantas Sabonis (knee), Raynaud took on a challenging matchup in the form of Denver’s Nikola Jokić. He finished one rebound shy of a double-double and has reached double figures in scoring in four straight games. With Drew Eubanks exiting Thursday’s game with a right thumb injury, the Kings will likely need more production from Raynaud as they await Sabonis’ return. He’s rostered in 23 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and that number may increase ahead of Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves.

With Zach LaVine (thumb) unavailable, Clifford made his third start and first since November 5. Unfortunately, things did not go well for the rookie first-round pick, as he missed all six of his three-point attempts. Even though he wasn’t the choice to step in for LaVine, Malik Monk (18/4/5/1 with three three-pointers) is the safer option for fantasy managers needing a streamer, even though he committed five turnovers. There will be better days for Clifford, but he isn’t ready to impact fantasy basketball at this point in his career.

Murray recorded a solid stat line on Thursday, including four “stocks.” And increased defensive production has been critical for the Kings forward, as he exits within an offense that has other options who are more ball-dominant than him. Over the past month, Murray has provided third-round per-game value in nine-cat formats. He and the Kings will look to bounce back when they visit the Timberwolves on Sunday in their final game of Week 8.

Westbrook had a relatively efficient night on Thursday, but it did not keep the Kings from getting blown out of their own building. Over the past month, he has been close to a top-75 player in eight-cat formats. To the surprise of no one who’s experienced in fantasy basketball, Westbrook’s value is much lower in nine-cat formats because of the turnovers. He committed only two on Thursday, but the nature of the game resulted in Westbrook playing less than usual.

After enjoying a run of at least 15 points in three straight games, Watson’s offensive production tailed off a bit ahead of Thursday’s game. The fourth-year forward surpassed the 20-point mark for the third time this season, somewhat compensating for the lack of defensive production. Over the past month, Watson has been ranked just outside the top-100 in eight- and nine-cat formats. While the absences of Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon have freed up opportunities for Watson, he’s still available in over 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Murray didn’t have a great night shooting the basketball, but he did lead the Nuggets with nine assists. So far, he’s had at least nine helpers in seven games this season, something he only did six times in 2024-25. While Murray’s fantasy value is not on par with that of teammate Nikola Jokić, he is closing in on first-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats. The Nuggets play three games in Week 9, starting with the Rockets on Monday.

Jokić was well on his way to a 12th triple-double of the season, but the nature of Thursday’s game got in the way. Denver held a 28-point lead at the end of the third quarter, so there was no need for the three-time MVP to go back into the game. So, Jokić managers will have to settle for his 22nd double-double and tenth game of the season with at least 30 points. Unfortunately for those who have him rostered, the Nuggets don’t play again until Monday night against the Rockets.

Zubac tied his season-high with 33 points against the Rockets on Wednesday. Almost as surprising as the high scoring output for Zubac was that he’s been held to seven and six rebounds in two of his last three games. The Clippers are back in action Monday against the Grizzlies.

Smith had some good games with Alperen Sengun sidelined and had another good game with Sengun back in the lineup against the Clippers Thursday. The 22-year-old power forward has provided top-100 value this season, but has a limited ceiling playing alongside Sengun and Kevin Durant.

Thompson was just one rebound and two assists shy of a triple-double against the Clippers on Wednesday. The 22-year-old point guard has scored at least 20 points in four of his last five games. The Rockets are off until Monday when they’ll take on the Nuggets.