NBA Player News

With the Knicks trailing the Pistons by eight at the end of the third quarter, the home team needed a spark in Saturday’s series opener. Enter Payne, who hit two three-pointers and shot 4-of-5 from the field in the fourth. His production was part of a 21-0 Knicks run that swung the game’s momentum, compensating for fellow reserve Miles McBride’s (one rebound, four assists, and one steal) failure to score in his 15 minutes on the court. Payne can be erratic, but days like Saturday serve as a reminder of the value he can bring to the table. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night.

Sharpe had 25 points and five steals, but tanked his value in nine-category leagues with eight turnovers in the loss to the Pistons Monday. The 22-year-old shooting guard scored at will as the Trail Blazers mounted a comeback in the second half. Sharpe has provided eighth-round value over the last two weeks. He’ll be back on the court Tuesday against the Magic.

Green only played 18 minutes on Monday, and with good reason. He and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had a heated exchange during a third-quarter timeout, with Green deciding to go back to the locker room to cool off. Kerr said after the game that the forward would not have been allowed to go back into the game, but he did not provide any details about what was said during the exchange. The Warriors don’t play again until Thursday, so cooler heads have time to prevail.

Thompson was integral in the Pistons’ victory Monday night. The 22-year-old small forward had 18 points and was a force both on the glass with 12 rebounds and defensively with three steals. The Pistons blew a 21-point fourth quarter lead, but Thompson had a late steal that helped them close the game out anyway.

Cunningham has now scored 15 points or less in two of his last five games. The 24-year-old point guard is averaging just 23.1 points per game in December after averaging 31.6 in November. Cunningham also turned it over five times, which lessened his value in nine-category leagues. He’ll be back on the floor Tuesday against the Kings.

Duren’s 26 points were a game-high in the eight-point win over the Trail Blazers. Detroit led by as much as 21 in the third quarter, but found themselves trailing with under four minutes left in regulation. Duren was one of six Pistons in double figures as they begin a west coast trip. Detroit will face the Kings in the second game of a back-to-back Tuesday.

Monday’s game was the third since Orlando lost Jalen Suggs to a hip injury, and Black has scored at least 19 points in each. The third-year guard was already in the starting lineup, filling the void left by Franz Wagner, but the opportunities to score have increased even more after Suggs’ injury. Rostered in 31 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Black is providing close to top-100 value over the last week for those willing to overlook the mediocre free-throw percentage.

While he didn’t record any defensive stats in Monday’s defeat, this was another highly productive night for Banchero on offense. He’s scored at least 20 points in four straight games, his longest streak since recording six consecutive games with 20 or more in late October/early November. Over the last two weeks, Banchero has been an eighth-round player in eight-cat formats. While that isn’t close to his Yahoo! ADP (30), it’s a marked improvement when compared to his season-long value. Banchero will look to end the road trip on a high note Tuesday night in Portland.

After dropping 32 points in Saturday’s win over the Jazz, Bane followed up that performance with another solid effort on Monday. This is the fourth time this season that the Magic guard has scored at least 20 points in consecutive games. And over the last two weeks, Bane has been a third-round player in eight-cat formats. With Franz Wagner (ankle) and Jalen Suggs (hip) out, there has been an even greater need for Bane’s scoring, and his fantasy value has increased. Orlando concludes its road trip in Portland on Tuesday.

Podziemski has scored in double figures in four straight games, his most consistent run of the season. He finished Monday’s victory with a complete stat line, and he has been close to a top-100 player in eight-cat formats over the last week. Coming off the bench limits Podziemski’s fantasy ceiling, but it is encouraging that he has averaged 28.4 minutes in his last three games.

After totaling eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in his two previous games, Moody enjoyed one of his best nights of the season on Monday. This was his first game with at least 20 points in over a month and fifth of the season. While his fantasy value remains relatively low, with Moody sitting outside the top-150 in eight-cat formats, he’s done enough to earn consistent playing time. That keeps him on the radar in some deep leagues, especially when he’s playing starters’ minutes.