NBA Player News

Hukporti exited Monday’s win over the Pelicans during the second quarter after suffering a mouth contusion. If he can play on Wednesday, the second-year center will play rotation minutes, as Mitchell Robinson (ankle) is out. If Hukporti can’t play, Guerschon Yabusele and Trey Jemison will pick up additional minutes.

Obviously you want Darryn to be more efficient from the field, but he got his shot attempts up which is what you want to see. He did leave the game in the first quarter with a head injury but returned. He did not close the game which is notable. He will continue to get better, and this is a good game all things considered, but the fantasy upside for this season isn’t very high.

Buzelis is shooting just 38.8 percent from the field this season, seven percentage points lower than his career number. He was 2-of-7 inside the arc on Wednesday, but the Bulls forward made half of his six three-point attempts. Add in the full stat line, and things could have gone far worse for those rostering Buzelis.

Powell finished Wednesday’s defeat with his first 30-point game of the season, shooting 66.7 percent from the field. The veteran guard began the day shooting 36.5 percent from the field, so category-league managers will be pleased with Powell’s showing against the Knicks. Things won’t get easier for Powell and the Bulls, as they visit the Celtics on Friday. Boston blew out Chicago on Friday, with Powell scoring 20 points.

Ace Bailey is the best point of attack defender the Jazz have on the roster right now. He’s also put in serious work on the offseason to get better at rebounding the ball and passing. The amount of trust the coaching staff has in him right now cannot be understated. He’s worth grabbing in redraft leagues if he’s available, and in dynasty leagues, you have to be happy if you have him on your roster.

On a night when Mikal Bridges (three points and one three-pointer) didn’t have it, Knicks head coach Mike Brown didn’t hesitate to turn to his bench. Clarkson, who didn’t play in Tuesday’s win over the Pistons, scored 12 points, grabbed two steals, and hit two three-pointers in the second half in 12 minutes. Bridges played three minutes in the second half and 13 overall. Clarkson isn’t at the point where he can be trusted in fantasy basketball, but he helped the Knicks come back from 19 down on Wednesday.

Keyonte had a lot on his shoulders with the injuries to Jaren Jackson and Lauri Markkanen. He was the go to guy and helped keep the Jazz in the game. He was one of three people on the team to play more than thirty minutes in the loss. If you have Keyonte George in redraft leagues, it will be worth paying attention to how many points he’s scoring in case there is a sell-high window due the injuries and with Darryn continuing to get better.

In the second game of a back-to-back, a team usually needs more production from its bench, and the Knicks’ reserves answered the call in Chicago. Shamet briefly left the game in the first half after tweaking his right ankle, then hit four three-pointers and scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime. Add in the assists and blocks, and this was a good night for the few who are rostering Shamet.

Anunoby has scored 20 or more points in three of five games, with Wednesday’s total a season high. He didn’t record any defensive stats against the Bulls, but that’s not a big deal, as OG posted two steals and two blocks in Tuesday’s win over the Pistons. The Knicks play one more game in Week 2, Friday night against the 76ers in Philadelphia.

Herro has scored at least 23 points and made at least three three-pointers in four of five games so far this season. He played 27 minutes in a game the Bucks lost by 32. Given Milwaukee’s lack of depth, which has led to high usage for Herro, the only thing that can slow him down are blowouts.

Shooting 36.6 percent from the field in New York’s first four games, Brunson snapped out of that funk in a big way on Wednesday. Shooting 52 percent from the field and 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, the Knicks point guard finished with season highs in points, assists, steals and three-pointers. With the Knicks not arriving in Chicago until about 3 AM Wednesday, Brunson delivered an impressive showing.