NBA Player News

Saraf’s availability isn’t surprising after his initial probable tag. However, he hasn’t been part of the rotation over the last few weeks, and that is unlikely to change in this game.

The stars shine bright on Christmas Day, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Jokić got off to a dominant start to this game. He finished the first quarter with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, which led to him making history by the end of the night. He became the first player in NBA history to finish with at least 55 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game. 18 of his points came in the extra frame to secure the win on Christmas Day. Jokić has once again been the best player in fantasy basketball, but even he won’t be able to replicate this performance. This was otherworldly.

Murray’s breakout season continued with another strong performance in this game. He had at least 30 points for the ninth time this season, with six of those coming over his last 10 games. This was also his second straight 30-point double-double, and he fell one three-pointer shy of matching his season high. Murray’s progress this season can be overshadowed by Nikola Jokic’s dominance, but he has provided first-round value this season and should be considered one of the premier options in fantasy basketball for the remainder of the season.

In Denver’s first game without Cameron Johnson (knee), THJ slid into the starting unit. He provided floor spacing and buckets, which is what he will continue to do as long as he is starting. Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle) will likely return long before Johnson, which could impact THJ’s place in the lineup. However, he can be considered a decent streaming option in points leagues, though he has never been a consistent producer.

Though Gobert finished one point shy of a double-double, he was still able to have a productive fantasy night in what has been a strong season for him. Of course, Nikola Jokic’s monster night will take away from what Gobert did, but it was solid for fantasy managers before he fouled out in overtime. The former Defensive Player of the Year recorded double-digit rebounds for a seventh straight game and set a new season high for blocks.

Randle has cooled off after an excellent start to the year, but he’s certainly still capable of big scoring nights, as he proved in this game. This was his sixth 30-point game of the season, though it was his first since Nov. 19, and the other four came during Minnesota’s first eight games of the season. Randle had scored 25 points in the game before this, so he’ll look to carry this momentum into a matchup with the Nets on Saturday.

Edwards started this game off hot and ended the first quarter with 14 points. He cooled off after that until the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points over the final seven minutes, including a contested three-pointer from the corner to tie the game and force overtime. He helped Minnesota score the first nine points of overtime, but the game shifted Denver’s way after that. Edwards scored 11 points in the extra frame prior to an ejection that came after he disagreed with a pivotal call. Edwards matched his season high for scoring in this game it what will go down as a disappointing loss for the Wolves.

Shannon was ruled out a few minutes into the fourth quarter, so he likely wouldn’t have seen the floor for the remainder of the game regardless. If he misses time beyond the end of this game, Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark should take on a few extra minutes.

Reaves, who missed three games with a mild left calf strain, played 15 first-half minutes on Thursday before being ruled out at halftime. The Lakers announced that he would miss the remainder of the game with a sore left calf. More will be learned about the severity of the injury on Friday, with Marcus Smart likely returning to the starting lineup if Reaves has to miss time.

Back in the Lakers’ lineup after missing two games with a groin injury, Hachimura offered little value in his 28 minutes. In addition to missing all six of his shot attempts, the Lakers forward only grabbed two rebounds. That equalled the tally of Deandre Ayton, who supplemented his two boards with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The Lakers are off until Sunday; hopefully, that’s enough time for Hachimura to shake off the rust after a poor showing on Christmas Day.

While James shot the ball reasonably well and recorded a complete stat line, the numbers felt a bit underwhelming, given how the game went. Including James, Luka Dončić was the lone Lakers starter to grab more than two rebounds as Houston dominated the boards. LeBron and the Lakers will look to end Week 10 on a high note when they host the Kings on Sunday.