NBA Player News

Haliburton slipped on the court and appeared to sustain a serious injury to his lower right leg. He went down immediately and began banging the court in anguish. It was a near carbon copy of the Achilles injury suffered earlier this postseason by Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum. The 25-year-old point guard was unable to put any weight on his leg while being helped to the locker room and we don’t need official confirmation to know that his night is over. Haliburton was off to his best first quarter of the Finals, nailing three of four triples in just seven minutes. In his stead, expect big minutes from T.J. McConnell and additional playing time for the likes of Ben Sheppard and Obi Toppin. In the longterm, if the injury is indeed an Achilles, Hali could be forced to miss most, if not all, of next season.

Toohey’s NBA debut will continue to be delayed by at least one game, which will have no impact on the Warriors’ rotation.

Melton logged 21 minutes on Thursday in his first game in over a year, and he played well. He will likely end up on the injury report often this season, and his absence would likely open up extra minutes for Seth Curry and Gary Payton II.

Missi has missed the Pelicans’ last two games, which has allowed Karlo Matkovic to fill out the reserve center minutes. If Missi remains out, Matkovic will maintain that role, but that hasn’t yielded him enough time to be worth rostering in standard leagues.

Poole hasn’t played since Nov. 5, and there’s no real timeline for when he’ll be back. Jose Alvarado will remain the backup point guard, where he has been a solid reserve, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to be worth streaming in standard leagues.

As expected, James will sit out the second leg of this back-to-back for the Lakers. Jake LaRavia, who played 28 minutes off the bench on Thursday, should start in place of LeBron. Austin Reaves should be in for a big night with LeBron and Luka Dončić (personal) both sidelined.

Horford had three points in 18 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the 76ers. It was the first game action for the 39-year-old power forward since November 21. Horford will sit out Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers, but should be available for the second game of the back-to-back against the Bulls on Sunday.

Green left Thursday’s game against the 76ers with a right foot injury in the second quarter. His status remains up in the air for Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers given his questionable listing. If Green is out again, Trayce Jackson-Davis would likely start and be worth rostering in deeper formats.

Butler left Tuesday’s game against the Thunder with left knee soreness and subsequently missed Thursday’s game against the 76ers. His status is up in the air for Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers given his questionable listing. If Butler is out again, Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield should see more minutes with Hield offering a higher fantasy ceiling.

Mann has missed the last two games with right knee soreness. Given that he was downgraded to doubtful just hours before Friday’s game against the Raptors, that absence could extend to three games. Liam McNeeley and KJ Simpson could see extra minutes if Mann is ultimately ruled out.

Gafford left Wednesday’s game against the Heat in the second half with an ankle injury. Anthony Davis started at center Wednesday and will continue to do so in Gafford’s absence. Dwight Powell could see rotation minutes, but isn’t worth considering as a fantasy basketball streamer.