NBA Player News

While Williams would have a decent chance of logging rotation minutes if he were healthy, that is not the case for Ducas. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein will continue to dominate the playing time at the center position on Sunday.

Reed may have been bumped to the bench two games ago, but that doesn’t mean his value is gone. He proved that in this game, and he was part of the closing lineup instead of John Collins. Keep an eye on the starting lineup for their next game in Miami on Saturday. Reed could return to the starting unit, but even if he doesn’t, he should play enough to be worth rostering.

Thompson did a little bit of everything for Detroit in this game, which included the first triple-double of his career and a new career high for assists to go with a massive impact on the defensive end. Thompson’s rebounding and assist numbers have been way up to start the season, which has helped make up for a drop in defensive stats and field goal percentage, though he was excellent in all of those categories in this one. He is one of the best defensive players in the league, and he was able to get it done on offensive as well on Thursday.

Cunningham set a new career high for scoring in this game, with 30 of those 52 coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. However, the most impressive part of his performance was that he didn’t turn the ball over once, which led to him becoming the first player with at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game without turning it over. This was one of the best games anyone has had this season, and it came after he scored a total of 31 points over Detroit’s last two games. It was good to see him not only get back on track, but to truly dominate. He’ll look to carry some of this production with him to Miami on Saturday to wrap up the week.

Jenkins has been on fire as of late, which continued in this game. This was the third straight game that he scored at least 20 points, with the last two coming as a starter. He didn’t have any assists in this game, but he has been productive as a playmaker this year and had a season high eight dimes in their last game on Monday. Jenkins has played well enough that he may remain a starter when Jalen Duren is healthy.

Edgecombe did a little bit of everything for Philadelphia in this game. He set a new season high for assists while stuffing the stat sheet in the win. Edgecombe’s production has dropped off from his rookie season, which was expected. However, he is still able to produce well-rounded value, and when other starters miss time, his usage leaps up, which allows him to provide numbers like he did in this game.

Carrington was ruled out in the second overtime, so it is unlikely he would’ve checked back in if he was healthy. However, this is worth keeping an eye on ahead of their next game. Tre Mann could return to the rotation if Carrington is unavailable.

Embiid banged knees with Ja’Kobe Walter in the first quarter, which forced him to exit the game briefly. Thankfully, he wasn’t gone long and was able to finish out the game. This was his fifth 20-point game of the season, though he did finish with a season-low four rebounds. Embiid may not be the player he once was, but he is certainly still able to stuff the stat sheet when needed.

Maxey started this game off hot, scoring 10 points in the first quarter alone, which propelled his team-high scoring outing. Maxey is now averaging 26 points while shooting 61 percent from the floor over the last three games, which is a strong stretch after two rough performances where he shot below 35 percent from the floor prior to this. Maxey will look to keep it going against the Pacers on Sunday to wrap up the week.

After a couple rough shooting nights, Barrett was able to get back on track in this game. He has scored at least 20 points in nine of his 12 games this season, though he had failed to reach that mark in his two previous games. He ended up setting a new season high for scoring in this one, and he fell one rebound shy of matching his career high. It was a spectacular night for Barrett as he tried to keep the shorthanded Raptors in the game.

Murray-Boyles is starting to pick up the production after a rough start to the season. He set a new season high for blocks in this game and has at least one swat in three straight games. CMB hasn’t popped like many managers were hoping for, but he is beginning to produce high-level value in multiple categories. Entering the starting unit has helped, which will hopefully allow him to keep it going as the season continues, even if he eventually moves back to the bench.