NBA Player News

On most nights, coming off the bench puts Walker in a position where he struggles to offer tangible fantasy value. That wasn’t the case on Sunday, as the second-year forward grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and recorded two steals and one blocked shot. Concerning the rebounds, this was Walker’s first game hitting double figures in that category. He still isn’t at the point where fantasy managers should rush to roster him, but Walker is worth watching with his long-term future in mind.

Reaves remains on a minutes restriction, and the Lakers did an excellent job of managing his workload on Thursday. The guard was available in crunch time, and he finished with an efficient 35 points in 25 minutes of play. Luka Dončić exited Thursday’s game during the second quarter with a left leg injury, and an absence for him would make Reaves’ production even more essential for the Lakers. However, when he returns to the starting lineup — for Dončić or someone else — depends on when the Lakers decide to lift Reaves’ minutes limit.

Allen played relatively well on Thursday, recording another solid stat line. Unfortunately, his night ended painfully, as the Suns guard limped off after injuring his right ankle with 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Allen didn’t return, and the question now is whether he’ll be available for Saturday’s game against the Lakers. With the Suns already without Devin Booker and Jalen Green, they may have to rely more on Jordan Goodwin (6/2/2/2 with two three-pointers) if all three are unable to play.

Brooks led the way offensively for the Suns, but he was unable to keep the team from losing a game it led by a 90-76 margin with 10:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. Brooks had a chance to regain the lead in the final seconds, but his three-point attempt missed the mark. With Devin Booker and Jalen Green out, and the Suns losing Grayson Allen during the fourth quarter, Brooks is doing his best to shoulder even more of the offensive workload. As good as he’s been this season, that may not be the best thing for the veteran wing’s fantasy value.

While Melton’s production outside of the points category was relatively lean, fantasy managers should not be concerned. He was moved into the starting lineup on Thursday, but his playing time was limited as the Warriors take a measured approach to Melton’s return from a torn ACL. He remains a valuable option in deep category leagues, especially while the Warriors are without Stephen Curry (knee).

Santos has reached double figures in five straight games, with Thursday’s tally being a season-high for the fourth-year forward. Rostered in six percent of Yahoo! leagues, Santos has been close to a top-50 player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. While he certainly represents a risky streaming play, Gui will be worth a look in deep leagues ahead of Saturday’s game against the Lakers to end Week 16.

After getting through a trade deadline that appeared to have a significant impact on the team, Golden State picked up one of its best wins of the season in Phoenix. And Spencer was a key contributor, hitting six of the Warriors’ 20 three-pointers and leading five double-digit scorers with a career-high 20 points. The two-way player was inserted into the starting lineup for Thursday’s game, and he may have played well enough to hold onto that role until Stephen Curry (knee) returns. With Brandin Podziemski being limited to 13 minutes because of an unspecified injury — he did return during the third quarter — Spencer’s role may take on added importance in Saturday’s game against the Lakers.