NBA Player News

It’s been fascinating to track González’s growth over the course of his rookie season as his role continues to expand with the upstart Celtics. The 19-year-old came within one point of his season high in this one while adding six rebounds and two steals, continuing to flash his defensive upside as a disruptive on-ball presence. The offense is still catching up, but the minutes are trending in the right direction — he’s logged at least 27 minutes in four of Boston’s last five games since December 19. He remains a work in progress offensively, but the pathway to sustained relevance is becoming clearer by the night.

The Magic wasted no time releasing their injury report for Wednesday, doing so a couple of hours after Tuesday’s loss to the Wizards. With head coach Jamahl Mosley saying on Tuesday that Suggs has not resumed on-court activities, his being ruled out for Wednesday is unsurprising. He may be closer to “week-to-week” than “day-to-day.”

Spencer stepped up as the Grizzlies go-to option down the home stretch with Ja Morant sitting out with a right calf contusion as he knocked down a clutch three-pointer and a step back jumper in the final two minutes to put Memphis ahead for good. The 25-year-old guard, who came a couple boards and helpers away from a triple-double in this one, has been hit-or-miss from a scoring standpoint but he should continue to see plenty of minutes, even if he ends up splitting time with Vince Williams, on a Memphis squad that is dealing with an avalanche of injuries.

Wembanyama was a force inside the paint and also knocked down 3-of-6 from three-point range in his return to San Antonio’s lineup following a brief two-game absence due to left knee soreness. The 22-year-old generational talent came off the bench in this one and fantasy managers should anticipate the Spurs putting a governor on his workload as he continues to deal with lingering physical issues. The limited opportunities haven’t prevented him from making a significant fantasy impact of late as he’s averaging an absurd 27.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.8 blocks in five games over the past two weeks.

Jackson came within one board of his third double-double effort of the season and reached the 20-point plateau for the eighth time in his last 11 games since December 15. The 26-year-old forward has underwhelmed from a fantasy standpoint this season, but his scoring numbers have gone up in recent weeks, which is an encouraging sign. He’ll be tasked with carrying Memphis on both ends of the floor as they deal with a plethora of injuries to key starters and reserves.

Champagnie came out of the gate on fire, knocking down four three-pointers to finish the opening stanza with a game-high 15 points. He was relatively quiet over the final three quarters but still managed to break the 20-point barrier for the third time in his last four games. The 24-year-old guard is worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats based on his recent production but there’s some regression looming based on his track record since he’s in the midst of an insanely hot run from a shooting standpoint.

Williams, who has been dealing with a knee injury recently, was sizzling-hot from long range in this one, knocking down 5-of-7 from distance. The 25-year-old guard figures to continue splitting time with Cam Spencer while Ja Morant is out dealing with an ongoing calf issue.

The Kings won’t have Keegan Murray, as he is out for at least three to four weeks with a sprained ankle. His absence means that Achiuwa will remain in the starting lineup, with LaVine filling the void left by Murray.

The Mavericks are without P.J. Washington, who suffered a sprained right ankle during Saturday’s win over the Rockets. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Marshall, who started the second half of that victory. That’s the lone change to the starting lineup, with Flagg once again serving as the primary playmaker.

Tuesday’s game was Jones’ first since December 22. Unfortunately, he could not find his stroke offensively, leaving the minutes tally (35) as the lone positive. As for Jones’ availability for Wednesday’s game against the Hawks, Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego said that will be determined after the team arrives in Atlanta. Fantasy managers should consider him questionable for the time being.

After ripping off a streak of three consecutive games with at least 30 points, Williamson has totaled 27 over his last two appearances. The points tally on Tuesday was negatively affected by a 1-of-5 night from the foul line; not just the percentage, but the attempts as well. The good news for fantasy managers is that Williamson tallied five assists, the most in a game for him since December 26. He’s offered top-100 value in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks, and the emergence of Derik Queen may have lowered Zion’s ceiling due to a decrease in on-ball playmaking opportunities.