NBA Player News

The Nets are without Egor Dëmin, who is out due to plantar fascia injury management. As a result, Martin will make his third start of the season, and the promotion makes him worth a look in deep redraft leagues. Martin isn’t a must-stream player, but there are opportunities to produce.

JJJ did it all for Memphis on Monday. Outstanding shooting led him to his first 30-point outing of the season and helped him to finish as the Grizzlies’ leading scorer on the evening. He was also dialed in from beyond the arc and was a monster on the defensive end of the floor. Altogether, his numbers led to an exceptional fantasy basketball performance. He’ll look to put together another strong showing on Wednesday against the Timberwolves.

A season-high 38 minutes allowed Filipowski to produce some of his best work of the season. In his minutes, efficient shooting both inside and outside the arc helped him set a new high in points on the season, which was only the third-most on the Mavs on Monday. Filipowski’s high-scoring performance came with Jusuf Nurkic (rest) on the sideline for Monday’s contest, but when Nurkic returns, the versatile forward will likely head back to the bench to play a more reduced role.

Lauri Markkanen was great against the Mavs on Monday. He dominated the glass, tied a season-high in assists, and set a new season-high in steals, all while finishing as one of two Jazz players to score at least 30 points. About the only thing that didn’t go well for the veteran forward was his three-point shooting. Otherwise, he had a strong performance and continues to put up some of the best numbers of his career.

George was electric in the overtime thriller on Monday. On the heels of a career-high 39-point game, he logged a nearly identical line against the Mavericks — he drained five three-pointers, made double-digit free throws, and pitched in as a facilitator and rebounder. George has been one of the league’s most improved players this season, resulting in stellar fantasy numbers. He’ll have a chance to keep his streak of 30-point games alive on Thursday when they face the Lakers.

The rookie bounced back from a zero-point outing against the Nets recently by logging his third double-double of December. Nembhard led the Mavericks in assists and was one of four on the team to score at least 10 points. He did commit four turnovers, but was otherwise very productive on offense in the high-scoring contest. Nembhard has had a nice rookie season to this point and should continue to improve going forward.

Washington filled the scoring and rebounding void that Anthony Davis (calf) left behind on Monday in his absence. The veteran forward produced mostly inside the arc en route to his first 20-point game of December, with his double-digit rebounds leading to double-double No. 3 on the season. His scoring total was second on the team behind Cooper Flagg’s 42 points, with the two combining for over half of the Mavericks’ points in the loss. Washington has had a good year, but his production has reached another level recently when Davis hasn’t been in uniform. If Davis is out again on Thursday against Detroit, expect Washington to put up good numbers.

For the first time since November 14, Okogie hit double figures in a game. Also, his 16 points on Monday were a season-high for the veteran wing. The Rockets don’t rely on Okogie for offensive production, which explains why his nine shot attempts were the second-most in a game for him this season. Starting gives Okogie the opportunity to provide some value, but he still isn’t worth the risk in fantasy leagues. Leave him on the waiver wire.

Thompson dropped his fifth double-double of the season in Monday’s overtime defeat, and the six assists were a nice bonus for fantasy managers. The negative was that he did not record any steals or blocked shots, the second time in four games that Thompson has failed to post any defensive stats. However, he’s still averaging 1.6 “stocks” per game over the last two weeks, which is one reason he has been a third-round player in eight-cat formats during this stretch.

Şengün’s first triple-double of the season wasn’t enough to get the Rockets the win, but fantasy managers won’t care about the game’s outcome. Over the past two weeks, he has provided top-10 value in eight-cat formats. As a result, Şengün’s season-long value aligns with his Yahoo! ADP (19). Houston closes Week 9 with three games, starting with the Pelicans on Thursday, which is excellent for those who have Şengün on their rosters.

While Durant produced solid numbers in multiple categories, the blocks category is where he truly stood out. The five rejections were a season-high and the most in a game for him since February, and two shy of his career-high. Over the past two weeks, Durant has been close to a first-round player in eight-cat formats. As a result, his season-long value is edging closer to that threshold. The Rockets have one of the busier Week 9 schedules, as they’ll play three games over the final four days of the week.