NBA Player News

Playing in Denver for the first time since leaving the Nuggets in free agency this summer, Westbrook was outstanding on Saturday. The veteran point guard recorded an efficient double-double, and he’s providing top-100 value in eight-cat formats. Westbrook’s play led to him replacing Dennis Schröder as the Kings’ starting point guard earlier this season, and the depth chart won’t change anytime soon, given his solid play. The Kings play four games in Week 6, starting with the Timberwolves on Monday.

Brunson will be back in action following Tuesday’s absence, and he should handle his typical workload. Tyler Kolek played well on Tuesday in his first career start, but he’ll head back to the bench in favor of New York’s usual starting PG. Brunson is fresh off a tremendous, 47-point performance in Sunday’s win over Miami, and he’ll look to build on that momentum on the national stage for the Christmas Day slate.

Dončić will return following a one-game absence, and his return should mean reduced roles for Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith and Jake LaRavia. Not counting 2024 when he left early due to injury, Dončić has averaged 36.3 points, 10.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds across three career Christmas games.

Love’s role with Portland has bene inconsistent, but the undrafted guard has had some big scoring nights. This was his sixth game scoring in double figures this year, and he also got it done on the defensive end in this one by blocking the first three shots of his career. It’s a fun success story for the two-way guard that had a decorated college career, but he isn’t worth rostering outside of dynasty leagues.

This was a third straight start for Murray, who has replaced Jerami Grant while he is sidelined with Achilles tendonitis. It isn’t expected to be a long-term absence for Grant, but Murray should continue to start until he returns. Murray had been quiet as a starter, but he was able to match his season high for scoring in this one. However, it came as a result of a hot shooting night, not an increase in volume. He still isn’t worth streaming with Grant sidelined.

Avdija’s field goal percentage has suffered recently, but he has still been able to pour in the counting stats. Over his last six games, he has shot 40 percent or worse in five of them. His percentages haven’t been great this year, but this is a step down for him. Still, he has had an excellent season. He is joined by Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic as the only players averaging at least 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game this season.

Black continues to start for Orlando with Franz Wagner (ankle) sidelined, and with Jalen Suggs (hip) also out, he has seen a jump in production. His field goal percentage hasn’t been great, but over the last four games, Black has averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 triples per game. As long as Wagner is out, Black will be worth streaming.

Bane came up big in the second half of this game, with 17 of his 23 points coming after the halftime break. It was a well-rounded outing for him with a season-best six “stocks” to go with a strong offensive performance. Bane’s past the slow start, and he has helped keep Orlando afloat with Franz Wagner (ankle) and Jalen Suggs (hip) sidelined. He’ll look to keep it up against the Hornets on Friday.

Hendricks’ offense has prevented him from making an impact for fantasy managers this season, which makes a performance like this one so encouraging. He set a new season high for scoring, which allowed him play a season-high 27 minutes, which led to a new season high for steals. If he can continue to contribute on offense, he’ll get more minutes, which leads to more defensive stats. He’ll look to stay hot against the Pistons on Friday.

With Lauri Markkanen (groin) and Jusuf Nurkić (rest) sidelined, Filipowski returned to the starting unit for this game. It wasn’t enough for Utah to get a win, but he led the Jazz in scoring and matched his season high for both points and rebounds. Filipowski should shine down the stretch of the season, but his value at this point is tied to the availability of Markkanen and Nurkić. When he is given the chance, he is more than capable of nights like this.

Aldama returned to the starting lineup in this game and led Memphis to win. He set a new career high for threes and matched his career high for points, which he set three days prior to this game. A dud against the Thunder was sandwiched between two 37-point outings. Aldama continues to be a consistent producer for Memphis, which is helpful with how many injuries they have dealt with in the frontcourt. Aldama is available in 55 percent of Yahoo! leagues but should be considered a must-roster player at this point.