NBA Player News

Shams is quoted as saying, “To my knowledge Garland, Mobley, and Hunter are all aiming to play in this pivotal game three.” Mobley and Hunter sat out Game 2, and their return - along with Garland’s - will provide a much-needed boost for Cleveland on both ends of the court. Assuming Mobley and Hunter get the green light, Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro will presumably see a decrease in playing time.

We’re now coming up on a month with Herro on the sidelines. He has now missed nine games and hasn’t played since December 9th. With Pelle Harsson also out on Thursday, there should be extra usage for Davion Mitchell and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Harris was hurt in Tuesday’s game against the Lakers and was previously listed as doubtful, but he will now officially miss this contest. Isaiah Stewart started the second half for Harris and has previously performed well while starting alongside Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. He would be worth a look in fantasy leagues as long as Harris remains out.

Russell has been splitting backup point guard minutes behind Brandon Williams, so there’s not much of a fantasy impact here. Ryan Nembhard would be the only backup if Russell sits, so that could make Nembhard useful in deeper fantasy formats, but he’d still likely be limited to about 25-28 minutes.

KPJ was one of Milwaukee’s top couple of scorers on Wednesday, and he shot efficiently from the floor despite major struggles from the three-point line. He also contributed on the glass and as a passer, which have been standard for him this season. Poter will continue to be counted on by the Bucks for nightly production, regardless of who he is sharing the floor with. He finished December strong and should remain a productive fantasy basketball option at the guard position.

Rollins was part of a productive starting backcourt on Wednesday, performing adequately alongside Kevin Porter Jr. to put up fairly strong numbers. Rollins led the Bucks in assists and was one of three players to tally at least 15 points. He’s rotated in and out of the starting lineup recently, but he’s remained effective regardless. He’ll look to carry his recent success into 2026 as the Bucks face the Hornets on January 2.

Antetokounmpo logged just 28 minutes against the Wizards as he eases his way back from a calf injury. Still, he managed to reach the 30-point mark and tally double-digit rebounds for the first time in over a month. The former league MVP failed to accumulate any stocks in this game, however, and was inconsistent from the line. Otherwise, his night was encouraging, and his performances moving forward should remain strong as his minutes increase.

Sarr came up big down the stretch for Washington, recording a massive block at the rim on Giannis Antetokounmpo in the closing moments of the game to jumpstart CJ McCollum’s transition attack and eventual game-winning shot. The former No.2 pick of the 2024 draft finished with at least four blocked shots for the third time over the past five games, and has scored 20 or more points in two of the last three. His work on the glass against Milwaukee also led him to his second double-double of December. Fantasy managers are hoping he carries this recent momentum into 2026.

Carrington had a great impact on Wednesday, coming off the bench to torch the Bucks from behind the three-point line and finish as one of Washington’s top scorers. Along with the scoring and season-high in made three-pointers, the second-year guard also finished as one of Washington’s best facilitators on the night. The defensive counting stats haven’t become a consistent part of Carrington’s game yet, but if he can add a couple of stocks to his nightly lines, he could really take off in the coming years as a fantasy basketball option.

This is a tough injury for Thiero, who returned from a separate knee injury earlier this season only to get injured again. While he wasn’t getting much playing time so far, there might’ve been a chance for him to play given the Lakers’ other injuries. Obviously, that’s off the table now. Thiero will be re-evaluated in four weeks, though his absence won’t impact fantasy basketball.

Despite his minutes declining, Valančiūnas started 82 games as recently as the 2023-24 season. Last season, he started 21 games, but notably started nine games for the Kings when Domantas Sabonis was injured. Predictably, Valančiūnas started for the injured Nikola Jokic against the Raptors Wednesday. The results were excellent. Valančiūnas had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes. He’s rostered in just 29 percent of Yahoo! leagues, but absolutely needs to be picked up in more leagues while Jokic is out.