NBA Player News

While Cunningham was efficient in his scoring, his playmaking stood out in Thursday’s preseason finale. Last season, he reached double figures in assists 31 times, and the star point guard did so against the Wizards while committing only two turnovers. Of the 31 games he dished out at least 10 assists last season, Cunningham recorded two turnovers or fewer on two occasions. The turnovers won’t make Cunningham a player to avoid in fantasy drafts; he should be a first-round pick in standard formats. But cleaning up that category would raise his ceiling.

After scoring 34 points against the Knicks on Tuesday, DeRozan was able to stay hot for the first half of this game. He scored 21 points before the break, but he didn’t do much scoring over the final two quarters. He has been efficient lately, having shot at least 50 percent from the floor in four straight games. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to turn this into a big night, and the Kings lost a seventh straight game. He’ll look to stay hot in Boston on Friday.

Smith, who started Thursday’s game with Josh Giddey (hamstring) unavailable, logged 15 first-half minutes before being ruled out for the rest of the night with right calf tightness. He finishes with 11 points (4-of-7 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), five rebounds and one three-pointer. Ayo Dosunmu was inserted into the lineup to begin the third quarter.

The Nets are without Egor Dëmin, as he has not played both games of back-to-backs this season. His spot in the starting lineup will be filled by Traoré, another of Brooklyn’s 2025 draft picks who has not offered much value in redraft leagues. The other change is Wolf, who steps in for Noah Clowney and will start alongside Porter and Claxton in the frontcourt.

Gillespie is back after missing Tuesday’s win over the Bucks, and he will be in the starting lineup. This pushes Jordan Goodwin back to the bench, lowering his fantasy ceiling slightly. He’ll still play plenty, especially with Devin Booker and Jalen Green sidelined.

Johnson sprained his left ankle when he landed on the foot of Bucks guard Ryan Rollins during the second quarter of Thursday’s game. Bub Carrington was inserted into the lineup to begin the third quarter, and he’ll have added streaming value if Johnson misses time. The rookie finished with eight points (2-of-7 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs) and two assists in 11 minutes.