NBA Player News

There aren’t as many minutes for Harper as there are for other lottery picks, but he was able to make the most of his time in this game. Since returning from a 10-game absence, Harper has averaged 12.5 points, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals in just 18 minutes per game. He’ll continue to have his minutes managed for now, and when he returns to a full workload, he’ll still have De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle ahead of him in the rotation. Harper is valuable asset in dynasty leagues, but his role may not be large enough for him to truly pop this season.

Brunson took over this game early, and he entered halftime with 26 points. He wasn’t as dominant in the second half, but he did enough to help the Knicks advance to the semifinals of the NBA Cup. This was Brunson’s third straight game with at least 30 points, and he’ll look to keep that going against the Magic in Las Vegas on Saturday, with a chance to advance to the NBA Cup championship on Monday.

Hart simply couldn’t miss in this game. This was just his third 20-point game of the season, and he has shot at least 60 percent from the floor in each of those. All of them have come since Nov. 24, which is when he moved into the starting lineup. Hart’s return to the starting lineup was also a return to fantasy dominance for him. As long as that doesn’t change, Hart will be a fantasy stud.

After missing Sunday’s win over the Magic with a calf injury, Towns returned to the lineup for the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. It wasn’t a great offensive performance, but he dominated the glass in his 31 minutes. Having Towns back on the floor helped New York advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas, which will be a matchup with the Magic on Saturday.

Ingram starred for Toronto, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. This was his second straight 30-point game and his third of the season. Ingram has bounced back after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which he only played 18 games. His tenure in New Orleans was limited by injuries, but his start as a Raptor has them in the playoff race. He’ll remain an offensive star for them, which will continue to lead to strong fantasy contributions.

Walter had been starting with RJ Barrett (knee) sidelined, but he was replaced by Ochai Agbaji for this game. However, he fared much better as a reserve than Agbaji did as a starter. Walter still isn’t worth rostering in standard leagues, but he made his case to return to the starting lineup. It’s unclear if that will happen, and even if it does, Walter should be left on the waiver wire.

With Immanuel Quickley (illness) sidelined, Shead got the starting nod for the first time this season. In the increased opportunity, Shead was able to set a new season high for scoring and reached eight assists for the fifth time this season. Shead is more than capable of making an impact in fantasy basketball when he gets the chance to start, but it is unlikely that Quickley remains sidelined until Monday’s game against the Heat.

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.