NBA Player News

Johnson hyperextended his right knee during Tuesday’s loss to the Mavericks and was diagnosed with a bone bruise. With Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon still out, the Nuggets will be down three starters for the foreseeable future. Johnson’s absence opens the door for Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. to step up. While the latter is mainly a three-point specialist, the former can be more useful to fantasy managers needing production across the board.

Newell played four minutes before exiting Sunday’s game with a right quad contusion. While the Hawks announced that the rookie was questionable to return, he did not. Atlanta won the game big, so Newell likely would have picked up a few more minutes in the fourth quarter. Hopefully, he won’t have to miss time, but the rookie forward’s status won’t affect redraft leagues.

Durant’s streak of 30-point games ended at two on Sunday, and he needed to knock down three shots during the fourth quarter to extend his streak of 20-point games. Give credit to the Kings for their work defensively, but this was an underwhelming performance for fantasy managers hoping to get a big night out of Durant. Houston opens a four-game Week 13 on Tuesday against the Bulls in what should be a high-possession game.

This has been a challenging time for Şengün’s managers, as injuries have sidelined him for five of the Rockets’ previous seven games entering Sunday (and he played only one minute in a January 3 loss to Dallas). While the center did not shoot the ball well in Sacramento, playing 35 minutes in his first game back was encouraging. The Rockets play four games in Week 13, but a midweek back-to-back could limit Şengün to three appearances, depending on how the training staff handles his playing time.

While it wasn’t enough to deliver the Rockets a win, Thompson’s final line was one of his best this season. In addition to matching his season-high in points, the third-year wing recorded his eighth double-double of the season. The lack of defensive stats and five turnovers were disappointing, but Thompson has scored at least 20 points in three straight and six of his last seven appearances. The Rockets will play all four of their Week 13 games at home, starting with the Bulls on Tuesday.

For those who may have hoped that Dennis Schröder’s three-game suspension would have cleared room in the Kings’ rotation for Monk and Keon Ellis, Sunday night was a disappointment. Monk had no issue getting minutes, as his 26 led all five reserves who saw time. However, one game removed from being in the starting lineup, Ellis played seven minutes and grabbed one rebound. While Monk’s night may inspire some optimism among deep-league managers heading into the Kings’ four-game Week 13, it’s tough to trust him or Ellis in fantasy basketball.

While Westbrook has consistently scored in double figures, double-doubles have been challenging to come by for the veteran point guard. The ten assists recorded against the Rockets were the most in a game for him since hitting that number in a December 18 overtime loss to the Trail Blazers. With Dennis Schröder serving the first game of a three-game suspension, Westbrook’s 34 minutes were six more than he played in Friday’s loss to the Kings.

DeRozan led six Kings in double figures with his point total, and he also made some history, becoming the 23rd player in NBA history to score at least 26,000 points in a career. While DeRozan’s overall stat line was a bit lean, the six assists were a nice bonus. That’s the most in a game for him since he reached that number in a New Year’s Day loss to the Celtics. DeRozan and the Kings play four games in Week 13, starting with the Lakers on Monday.

The Kings had something on Sunday that has been difficult for them to achieve on most nights: offensive balance. Four of the five starters attempted between 10 and 13 shots, as did reserves Malik Monk and Dylan Cardwell. LaVine may not have offered much value beyond points, three-pointers and percentages, but the balance helped Sacramento pick up one of its best wins of the season. As the trade deadline draws closer, LaVine will be one of the players to watch as the Kings need to get younger for the future.

Sunday’s production was in line with what many fantasy managers hope to see from Butler consistently. The veteran forward finished with his first 30-point game since December 18 and fourth of the season. Over the past two weeks, Butler has offered third-round value in eight-cat formats, so he hasn’t been struggling. That said, the elite performances that he was able to produce when at his peak in the past have not been there consistently this season.

Curry and Jimmy Butler III were responsible for 61 of the Warriors’ 111 points, but it wasn’t enough to avoid watching the final few minutes from the bench in a 13-point loss. He’s now scored 31 points in three of his last five appearances while offering top-10 per-game value in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. The Warriors open a three-game Week 13 on Tuesday against Portland.