NBA Player News

Smart, who played 20 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, is dealing with back spasms. If he’s unable to play on Friday, Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht may absorb the available minutes. However, neither has been productive enough to merit streaming, especially with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves available.

Schroder was listed as doubtful on Saturday evening, but he’s now got a chance to take the court against the Timberwolves. If he’s available, Schroder could step back into the starting five, shifting Russell Westbrook back to the bench. Malik Monk and Keon Ellis (available) could also see a reduction in playing time.

No surprise here, as Maxey was listed as doubtful on Sunday evening. Maxey sat out Friday’s matchup with the Pacers, and Quentin Grimes replaced him in the starting five, posting a 10/9/4/1/1 line with a pair of triples. Grimes is likely to remain in the starting lineup for a second straight game.

Ant-Man will miss a second straight game, which means Bones Hyland (knee) could be in line for a spot start. Hyland, who has been upgraded to available, could see a boost in playing time with Mike Conley (Achilles) also on the sideline.

While Williams did not shoot the ball well on Saturday, fantasy managers will be pleased with the rebounds, assists and steals. His four pilfers were a season-high; Williams entered Saturday with seven steals across six appearances. J-Dub is providing third-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats, not far removed from his Yahoo! ADP (26). Unfortunately, the Thunder play just twice in Week 9, a Thursday/Friday back-to-back against the Clippers and Timberwolves.

Victor Wembanyama wasn’t the only post player making their return to action on Saturday. Hartenstein was back in the Thunder lineup after missing six games with a strained right calf, and his minutes were restricted. The 7-footer played 20 minutes and was productive, recording a complete stat line. Hartenstein doesn’t need a high usage to provide reliable fantasy value, but he is more “high floor” than “high ceiling.” Cason Wallace moved to the bench on Saturday, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one three-pointer in 27 minutes.

Holmgren didn’t have the best night shooting the basketball, but the foul line helped boost the final point total. Having to deal with Victor Wembanyama for portions of Saturday’s game didn’t help, but there’s no need for fantasy managers to have any concern about Holmgren. He’s still providing excellent value in eight- and nine-cat formats, proving to be slightly more valuable in the latter. The Thunder play twice in Week 9, starting with the Clippers on Thursday.

While the Spurs made life difficult for Gilgeous-Alexander in some ways, he still extended his streak of games with at least 20 points to 97. The reigning MVP shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, and he committed a season-high five turnovers. Entering Saturday, SGA had just two games this season with at least four turnovers. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the Thunder don’t have a good Week 9 schedule. They play twice, with a back-to-back on Thursday/Friday against the Clippers and Timberwolves.

Vassell led the way for the Spurs in what was a balanced scoring effort, with four players scoring at least 22 points in Saturday’s victory. And he needed the slump-buster, having totaled 13 points on 3-of-15 shooting in the Spurs’ prior two games. Vassell’s performance on Saturday was especially encouraging because it came with Victor Wembanyama available, even if the big man’s minutes were limited. For the season, Vassell is closing in on top-75 value in nine-cat formats, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP (97).

The reigning Rookie of the Year took a beating on Saturday, finishing with both a bloody lip and a bloody nose, and he was also responsible for six turnovers. However, Castle’s turnover issues were limited mainly to the first quarter, as he and the other Spurs appeared to be pressing. Victor Wembanyama subbing in to begin the second quarter certainly helped calm some nerves. Castle has scored at least 20 points in seven games this season, and his scoring average is nearly four points higher than his rookie year number (14.7). Next up for Castle and the Spurs are the Knicks in Tuesday’s NBA Cup final, which will not count toward team records or statistics.

Fox was one of four Spurs to score either 22 or 23 points on Saturday, with the team rebounding from a brutal 0-of-11 start from three to hand Oklahoma City its second loss of the season. Fox has scored at least 20 points in 14 of the 17 games he’s appeared in this season, and he’s providing top-25 value in eight-cat formats. After Tuesday’s NBA Cup final against the Knicks, Fox and the Spurs will play three games over the final four days of Week 9. That’s good news for fantasy managers.