NBA Player News

McConnell did his best to inject some life after the Pacers fell behind big in the second half, mixing it up with Celtics defensive specialist Jordan Walsh before attacking the rim on multiple occasions to close out the third quarter. The 33-year-old veteran point guard has recorded double-digit point in three consecutive games despite averaging less than 18 minutes per-game during that span.

Miller’s start to the season wasn’t pretty, but he has flipped the switch recently. This was his ninth straight game with at least 20 points, and he has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in five straight games. This wasn’t his best performance of the stretch, but he has been on another level offensively, which has led to elite production for fantasy managers. He’ll look to stay hot against the Spurs on Saturday to wrap up the week.

Knueppel may not have been able to match his former teammate Cooper Flagg’s 49 points, but his performance was still strong. He set career highs for both points and three-pointers and was incredibly efficient while doing it. Not many perimeter-oriented rookies are as efficient as Knueppel has been this season, which has allowed him to make a big impact in fantasy basketball. He’ll look to carry this hot shooting into Saturday’s matchup with the Spurs.

Martin has been starting over the past two weeks for Dallas, and he has had some strong production lately. The shooting has been rough, but he has averaged 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during that stretch, and he set a new season high for rebounds in this one. His upside as a scorer has been limited, though he has had a few solid performances mixed in. Naji Marshall got a rest night in this game, but he should return to take on the Rockets on Saturday. Assuming everyone else remains available, Martin will likely head back to the bench, which will eliminate his run as a streaming option.

Flagg missed Wednesday’s game against the Hornets but was back to take on Charlotte. In a matchup with his former college teammates Kon Knueppel and Sion James, Flagg’s team didn’t come out on top, but he shined brightest. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 51 points on 72 percent shooting in a game as a rookie, has ever matched or exceed Flagg’s points and field goal percentage in a game as a rookie. Of course, Kareem was less than two months from turning 23, while Flagg just turned 19. He has been incredible as a rookie and should be in line to win Rookie of the Year.

With Egor Dëmin unavailable, the Nets relied on fellow rookies Traoré and Ben Saraf to run the show in Denver. Traoré logged 30 minutes and had a few good moments, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. The same can be said for Saraf, who went scoreless with two rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot in 18 minutes. As long as Dëmin is playing rotation minutes, there isn’t much to gain from rostering Traoré or Saraf in redraft leagues.

Claxton hasn’t done much scoring recently, failing to crack double figures in four of his last five outings. However, he has 15 assists over his last two games and has recorded at least five in 16 games this season. By comparison, Claxton had four such games the entirety of the 2024-25 season. Claxton has been a top-100 player over the past two weeks.

Playing in Denver for the first time since being traded to Brooklyn during the offseason, Porter put on a show on Thursday. Not only did he record a season-high point total, but the forward also recorded his eighth double-double. Porter is up to 13 30-point games this season; he totaled ten in his final three seasons in Denver. While the move has not brought about team success, it has allowed Porter to showcase the full scope of his offensive game. And that’s been great for fantasy managers.

After shooting 7-of-18 from three in his prior two appearances, Hardaway knocked down seven triples on Thursday. That number matched his season high, which he’s recorded on two other occasions. Add in the rebounds and assists, and this was an excellent night for the 13 percent of Yahoo! managers who have Hardaway on their rosters. Unfortunately, the production has not been consistent enough to warrant trusting him in 12-team leagues.

While Watson’s production on Thursday wasn’t elite, he continues to provide reliable value to fantasy managers. Over the past month, the Nuggets forward has been a top-50 player in fantasy basketball. He’s still rostered in 45 percent of Yahoo! leagues, which is too low, especially with Aaron Gordon (hamstring) ruled out for at least four to six weeks. And with the Nuggets playing two more games in Week 15, now’s a good time to hop onto the Watson bandwagon.

Murray extended his run of games with at least 24 points to four on Thursday, helping the Nuggets hold off the Nets in Denver. Over the past month, he has been a top-10 player in eight-cat formats, more than picking up the slack as the Nuggets play without Nikola Jokić. Denver plays two more games in Week 15, starting with the Clippers on Friday.