NBA Player News

Gordon is managing a left hamstring injury and could miss Saturday’s game against the Pacers. The 30-year-old power forward is off to a hot shooting start this season. Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji would be the primary candidates to see extra minutes in Gordon’s absence.

Russell did not play in Friday’s win over the Nets and will miss a second straight game. His absence does not affect fantasy basketball, as the Mavericks have relied on the combo of Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams at the point in recent games.

Gafford has missed Dallas’ last three games as he continues to struggle with a right ankle injury initially suffered during training camp. Dwight Powell has taken on the backup center duties in his absence and would continue to do so if Gafford can’t play on Monday.

Davis has a left calf contusion, casting some doubt on his availability for Monday’s game. With Daniel Gafford also questionable and Dereck Lively II done for the season, the worst-case scenario for the Mavericks would be having to rely on Dwight Powell and Moussa Cissé as their only options at the center position.

Payton’s absence will leave the Warriors down an option off the bench, but he does not impact fantasy basketball.

Hyland has been upgraded from questionable to available and will be back in the starting lineup. He’ll once again fill the void left by Anthony Edwards, who’s out with a foot injury. Hyland only played four minutes in Friday’s win over the Warriors, as he exited with a right knee contusion.

LaVine is back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday’s loss ot the Nuggets. His return means that Nique Clifford heads to the bench, where he provided minimal fantasy value at best. There may come a point later in the season when Clifford is worth rostering, but not now.

Ellis will play after initially being listed as questionable with a sore right wrist. With Dennis Schröder also available after missing time with a hip injury, there may not be as many minutes available to Ellis. He should not be rostered in most fantasy leagues.

Knueppel continues to be the metaphorical straw that stirs the drink for the upstart Hornets as he stayed sizzling-hot with 27 points in regulation and finishing just shy of his second consecutive 30-point effort. The 20-year-old rookie delivered a sublime 33-point, nine-assist performance during Friday’s loss to the Bulls. He’s been a revelation this season for fantasy purposes, delivering sixth-round value through 26 games, averaging a crisp 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks. The Hornets will attempt to keep the momentum going when they square off against the Hawks on Thursday before closing out the week with a road tilt against the Pistons.

Garland led the Cavaliers in scoring during regulation before coming up empty on all three of his shot attempts as they somehow went scoreless in overtime. He also committed a costly turnover with 23 seconds left in the marathon affair that enabled Charlotte to hang on for an improbable win. Cleveland will attempt to get back on track next week with a pair of matchups against the Bulls, who rank 23rd in defensive rating since the start of December.

Miller, who left the game briefly with what appeared to be a left shoulder issue, had a chance to put Charlotte ahead in the final seconds but wound up missing a seven-footer. He atoned for it moments later by knocking down a game-tying step back three-pointer with five ticks left in regulation. He finished with 23 points in regulation before hitting a pair of free throws in overtime to give the Hornets a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.