NBA Player News

Johnson has reached double figures in scoring in six of his last seven appearances, including two of 20 points or more. Friday’s performance was one of his best this season, as the Nets guard only missed two shots from the field. In addition to the points, Johnson provided solid value in rebounds, assists and three-pointers. Going into Sunday’s season finale against the Knicks, the concern is playing time, as Johnson only logged 24 minutes. He’s played 25 minutes or less in four straight games, as players like Reece Beekman (11/2/3/3 with one three-pointer in 31 minutes) and Dariq Whitehead (6/2/2/1 with two three-pointers in 20 minutes) pick up additional playing time.

Okongwu took an elbow to the face in Wednesday’s game against the Celtics and was left with a bloody mouth and fractured teeth. He had a procedure done on Thursday and will be held out for at least this game. Christian Koloko and Mouhamed Gueye figure to see an increase in minutes, but the usage should still run through the Hawks’ main playmakers.

Eason played 25 minutes in Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, but the plan was always to sit him for the second leg of the back-to-back. With Dorian Finney-Smith also sitting out, there should be extra minutes for Clint Capela and maybe even Jae’Sean Tate.

Westbrook tweaked his foot in the final minutes of Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks. He was able to finish the game but was limping around on the court. With Westbrook out of the lineup, Dennis Schröder will likely start in his place with Keon Ellis playing more minutes as well, but DeMar DeRozan should see the biggest uptick in usage.

Anthony had 10 points in 14 minutes on Tuesday. With Gary Harris (hamstring) already ruled out for Thursday’s game, Gary Trent Jr. could be in for a decent workload off the bench.

Harris is only averaging 17 minutes per game over the team’s last five games, even though he has filled in as a starter at times. His absence could mean more minutes for Gary Trent Jr.

Finney-Smith played 19 scoreless minutes in yesterday’s game against the Spurs, but it was always the plan for him to then sit on Thursday with the Rockets being cautious about his ankle injury. DFS should get more minutes with Steven Adams out for the season, but he doesn’t have much fantasy value.

Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the Celtics’ second-round series against the Knicks last May. Given the reports out of Boston and some of the videos, it appeared that there was a good chance that Tatum would try to come back before the end of the regular season. However, that may not be the path he takes, with the star forward now re-evaluating his options. Given how well the Celtics have played this season, that may be one of the factors that Tatum is considering. Fantasy managers who have been stashing Tatum in an IL spot can hold onto him for now, but be ready to pivot.

Sengun struggled on the offensive end against the Spurs. He shot inefficiently from the floor, making less than half of his 20 attempts. And he also couldn’t capitalize at the free-throw line in this game. He still nearly totaled 20 points and, with double-digit rebounds and a team-high in assists, nearly logged a triple-double. Even Sengun’s underwhelming performances amount to good fantasy production. He has a high floor, which is comforting for fantasy managers.

Thompson was electric on Wednesday, despite his production and several entertaining highlights coming in a loss. He finished at the rim fantastically with powerful dunks, and didn’t turn down his aggressiveness throughout the game — he finished as Houston’s leader in points, shot attempts, and steals. Wednesday’s balanced performance served as a nice bounce-back for him after shooting 3-of-10 from the floor for eight points in the prior game. He’ll take the floor again on Thursday against the Hawks.

The Rockets’ two-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday, but that didn’t prevent Durant from doing what he does best. The veteran wing was the Rockets’ second-leading scorer on the evening, as he utilized the three-point line and the charity stripe, while also functioning inside the arc. He was also able to make plays for others when he wasn’t focused on only making shots. And although it wasn’t his best performance, even Durant’s relatively mediocre games are productive and useful when it comes to fantasy basketball.