NBA Player News

Zubac tied his season-high with 33 points against the Rockets on Wednesday. Almost as surprising as the high scoring output for Zubac was that he’s been held to seven and six rebounds in two of his last three games. The Clippers are back in action Monday against the Grizzlies.

Sunday’s game will be the sixth that Sarr has missed with a strained right adductor. The center rotation should remain the same in his absence, with Marvin Bagley III filling the void in the starting lineup and Tristan Vukčević serving as the backup. Bagley offers a higher streaming ceiling since he’s the starter.

Sunday’s game will be the third straight that Middleton has missed, as he continues to deal with a sore right knee. Justin Champagnie has been his replacement in the starting lineup and should retain that role. However, he played only 18 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Cavaliers, while rookies Jamir Watkins and Will Riley logged 29 and 24 minutes, respectively, off the bench. With Tre Johnson returning to action on Friday, there may not be enough minutes for Champagnie to affect fantasy basketball, even if he remains in the starting lineup.

Branham is unavailable for a second straight game as he deals with a sprained right thumb. However, his absence does not affect fantasy basketball, as the guard is not guaranteed rotation minutes when healthy.

While Dadiet’s availability is good news, he is not in the Knicks’ rotation. The second-year forward’s availability does not affect fantasy basketball.

Green has missed a little over a week of the season with a shoulder injury and that absence will extend through Sunday’s game against the Nets. Kyle Kuzma will likely remain in the starting lineup with Gary Trent Jr. seeing additional minutes off the bench.

Williamson participated in practice Saturday and at least has a chance of returning from his adductor injury against the Bulls on Sunday. The 25-year-old power forward was to be re-evaluated three weeks from December 3, but beat that timeline by about a week. Saddiq Bey will likely move back to the bench if Zion is available Sunday.

Butler had a relatively quiet outing on Friday, despite leading the Warriors in rebounds and tying for the most assists. He made only 2-of-4 shots in the second half and registered just one point in the fourth quarter. The veteran forward’s scoring has slowed down in December compared to the previous two months. He’ll be in solid shape from a fantasy basketball perspective if he can regain his form as a scorer.

Despite not shooting the ball well, Post was Golden State’s second-highest scorer on the evening — the majority of his production came from beyond the arc, where he shot 4-of-11. He also made a decent impact on the boards in his 33 minutes. And while Post’s performance on Friday was nothing spectacular, it marked the fourth straight game he’s scored in double figures. He’ll have chances to produce solid fantasy basketball numbers if Draymond Green (foot) and Al Horford (back) continue to miss time.

Curry returned from a five-game absence and rounded right back into form. The two-time MVP logged 32 minutes and was a missed free throw away from cracking the 40-point mark in his first game back. Still, the high-scoring outing featured strong three-point shooting and efficient scoring inside the arc, along with a brilliant fourth-quarter display of shotmaking that got Golden State back in the game. Curry tied a team-high with assists along the way, and will have a day off to recover before getting back on the floor on Sunday against the Trail Blazers.

On the heels of a two-point outing against the Suns, DiVincenzo bounced back nicely on Friday with his fourth 20-point game of the season. He hadn’t had a significant impact on the game through three quarters, but saved his best for the fourth. In the final frame, he recorded 10 points and knocked down two massive three-pointers to swing the momentum and ultimately help the Wolves get back in the win column. With Mike Conley (Achilles) and Anthony Edwards (foot) out on Friday, and Bones Hyland (knee) exiting early with an injury, there’s a chance DiVincenzo’s usage and production could take a jump in the short term.