NBA Player News

Hunter stepped up to shoulder more of the scoring and play-making workload in this one with Darius Garland, who made his season debut earlier this week following offseason toe surgery, held out on the tail-end of a back-to-back. Jaylon Tyson got the start in place of Garland, which figures to happen again early next week against the Heat. He finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes. Hunter delivered several highlight-reel worthy plays, including four three-pointers and a massive dunk after dropping Josh Giddey with a phenomenal crossover in the second quarter.

After a few rough outings, Bane came up big to help the Magic advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas. Bane joked after the game that he just lost $35,000 (courtesy of him throwing a ball at OG Anunoby), and that he’s “gotta go get it back somehow.” Orlando just lost Franz Wagner (ankle) to what is expected to be a multi-week absence. Bane figured things out after a slow start to the season when Paolo Banchero missed time, and now Bane will get the opportunity to gel with Banchero with Wagner sidelined. While Bane has shown on multiple occasions that he can still be as productive as he was in Memphis, it hasn’t happened consistently when this team is healthy. For now, he’ll look to help the Magic win the NBA Cup by taking on more responsibility on offense, which is a great thing for fantasy managers.

The start of the season was rough for Suggs, largely because of a minutes restriction. Since then, he has dealt with injuries that have limited him, but this current stretch has been excellent. He has scored at least 20 points in three of his last four games, and with Franz Wagner (ankle) set to miss time, he’ll continue to be prioritized on offense.

For just the fourth time this season, Carter was able to record a double-double, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He helped Orlando outrebound Miami 47-39, which allowed them to secure the win and advance to the semifinals of the NBA Cup. Carter has improved his points, rebounds, three-pointers and field goal percentage from last season, and while he isn’t a great fantasy option, he is a reliable starter.

With Franz Wagner sidelined with a high ankle sprain, Black made a return to the starting lineup. He didn’t have an efficient night on offense, but there were some nice moments for him, and he was able to stuff the stat sheet. Wagner’s injury will likely keep him sidelined for multiple weeks, which makes this a great opportunity for Black. Currently rostered in 31 percent of Yahoo! leagues, the 2023 lottery pick should be considered a priority streaming option.

Larsson was listed as questionable to return after exiting the game in the first half. He ended up missing the remainder of the game, and the initial x-rays were negative. He’s set to undergo an MRI on Wednesday that should provide more information. Miami won’t play again until next week, so Larsson should have time to recover, though if he does miss time, Dru Smith will likely see a bump in minutes off the bench.

Mitchell (groin) missed Saturday’s game against the Kings, but he was back in the lineup to take on Orlando. He has been a strong source of assists this season, especially lately; he has at least nine dimes in five of his last six outings. The scoring hasn’t been consistent, but the former top-10 pick is averaging career highs in both assists and steals. That should continue for this fast-paced Miami offense.

Adebayo has taken major strides as a shooter this season, but that hasn’t been the case over Miami’s last two games. After being held to nine points in Saturday’s loss to the Kings, Adebayo failed to hit a three-pointer for the second straight game. The only other time he didn’t hit a triple this season was against Denver; he exited that game after playing just eight minutes. Adebayo is having an excellent year, but he’ll need to get back on track to help Miami snap this four-game losing streak.

Powell was the leading scorer for Miami, but the Heat offense, which has been one of the best in the league this year, faltered once again, leading to a fourth straight loss. Still, even if this was a slightly subpar shooting performance for Powell, he has been a consistent source of offense for them this season. Even with Tyler Herro (toe) back in the lineup, Powell was still able to get his typical shot attempts. Powell should remain a fantastic option for fantasy managers for the remainder of the season.

Following a two-game absence, Herro was back in the lineup for Tuesday’s NBA Cup matchup with Orlando. He was able to score at least 20 points for a 16th straight game, which dates back to the end of last season. However, for the second time in six appearances this year, Herro failed to knock down a three-pointer, which has been one of his strongest categories over the last few seasons. That won’t happen often, but he wasn’t alone in struggling from deep. As a team, the Heat shot 8-of-33 from beyond the arc, while the Magic shot 15-of-32, which was one of the deciding factors in this game. With the loss, Miami will play on Monday against the loser of the Raptors-Knicks quarterfinal matchup, meaning this was the Heat’s final game of this week. Herro will look to bounce back then, but this ends up being just a one-game week for Miami.

Kleber’s role has been minimal when the rest of the roster is healthy, which is the case for Wednesday’s game. His absence won’t have much of an impact on the rest of the rotation.