NBA Player News

Four days after turning 19 years old, Flagg made his Christmas Day debut. While it ended in defeat and Anthony Davis (groin) limped off with another injury, the rookie certainly made a positive impression. Flagg shot over 50 percent from the field and provided solid value in the rebound and assist categories against the Warriors. Depending on how long Davis is out, the Mavericks will have to rely even more on their prized rookie. Dallas ends its Week 10 schedule in Sacramento on Saturday.

Gordon was back in the Nuggets’ lineup after sitting out Sunday’s loss to the Hornets, pushing DaRon Holmes II (DNP-CD) out of the rotation entirely. While he didn’t record any defensive stats, Gordon’s points, rebounds, assists and three-pointers were solid. The combination of decreased defensive production and poor foul shooting has negatively affected Gordon’s fantasy value recently, pushing him outside the top-100. That said, he’ll be worth holding onto as long as the Nuggets are without Nikola Jokić.

Two nights removed from being limited to 11 points in a blowout loss to the Hornets, Watson was more productive against the Lakers. The fourth-year forward recorded a complete stat line in his 38 minutes, and he has offered consistently reliable value over the past month. Rostered in 43 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Watson has been a sixth-round player in eight-cat formats over the past month. He’s worth rostering until Christian Braun (ankle) and Cameron Johnson (knee) return from their injuries.

Like Jamal Murray, Tuesday’s game was a tale of two halves for Jones. After making all four of his three-point attempts during the first half, he was 0-of-3 from beyond the arc after halftime. Jones shot 2-of-5 from the field in the second half, and the Nuggets blew a 14-point lead. The two-way contract forward has filled in admirably over the last few weeks, but he’s barely been a top-200 player over the past month. There’s no need to add Jones, especially with Aaron Gordon back in the lineup.

DeRozan’s uptick in fantasy value lately continues. The 36-year-old small forward dropped 23 points in the loss to the Heat on Tuesday. DeRozan has been a second-round player in per game value over the last two weeks. We’ll see if he can keep it going against his former team the Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday.

Murray’s shot from just beyond half court capped an 8-0 Nuggets run to end the first half, during which he scored 26 points. Murray appeared to be well on his way to an outstanding night. Give the Lakers credit for adjusting their defensive approach, sending more doubles Murray’s way, and he may have been a bit too deliberate with his decision-making. The Nuggets’ guard scored two points in the second half as Denver watched a 14-point lead slip away. Murray will look to bounce back on Thursday against the Wizards.

James got going in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game, shooting 4-of-6 from the field. However, while the final stat line was solid, there were a few issues. LeBron didn’t shoot well from the foul line, and he was responsible for six of the Lakers’ 12 turnovers. Over the past two weeks, he has provided first-round value in eight-cat formats and second-round value in nine-cat, continuing his ascent up the fantasy rankings.

Dončić and the Lakers pulled off one of their best wins of the season, coming back from 14 down to beat the Nuggets in Denver. He finished with the 52nd 30-point triple-double of his NBA regular season career, moving into second place on the all-time list behind Oscar Robertson. Dončić was efficient, shooting over 50 percent from the field and committing just three turnovers, making this a great night to have him on a fantasy roster.

It was a mixed bag for Westbrook on Tuesday. The 37-year-old point guard had 22 points and seven assists against the Heat, but also turned the ball over six times and was 1-of-6 from behind the three-point line. Westbrook has provided ninth-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Kings take on the Raptors Wednesday night for the second game of a back-to-back.

There weren’t many who believed Warriors head coach Steve Kerr when he said after Monday’s win over the Heat that he could turn to Kuminga if need be, with Jimmy Butler III (knee) done for the season. Well, Kuminga checked into Tuesday’s game at the start of the second quarter and provided excellent contributions in his 21 minutes. The Warriors forward scored 12 points in the third quarter alone, helping make the game somewhat competitive after Golden State fell behind by 29. With Kuminga get legitimate chances to contribute? Or will this be a “shop window” phase in which the team looks to boost his trade value ahead of the February 5 deadline? Regardless of the answer, Kuminga getting the chance to play is huge after being shelved for 16 straight.

After dropping a season-high 24 points in Monday’s win over the Heat, Podziemski was probably due to cool down. He moved into the starting lineup on Tuesday, and the overall stat line was modest. However, one mediocre performance as the fifth starter should not prompt fantasy managers to immediately drop Podziemski, especially if he holds onto that role. He’ll look to bounce back on Thursday against the Mavericks.