NBA Player News

Jaquez sprained his right ankle while defending Julius Randle during the second quarter of Saturday’s game. While it was initially announced that he would be available to return, the Heat changed course and ruled Jaquez out for the rest of the night. The minutes that would usually go to him should be divided among Nikola Jović and Kasparas Jakučionis.

Middleton was back in the Wizards’ lineup after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Kings, pushing Justin Champagnie (13/9/1/3 in 26 minutes) to the bench. Middleton was productive in his 27 minutes, but the few who have him rostered should be hoping to see him traded before the February 5 deadline. Already not playing both games of back-to-backs, availability could become an even bigger issue for Middleton managers if he isn’t traded.

The good is that Sarr shot the ball well from the field and was active on the glass. The bad was that he had a brutal night at the foul line and did not record any steals or blocked shots. That has not been a common occurrence for Sarr, so fantasy managers should not be too concerned about Saturday’s performance. The Wizards begin a three-game Week 14 on Monday against the Clippers.

Saturday’s game was the best for George since returning from the hip injury that sidelined him for seven games. The 29 points were the most in a game for him since Washington’s second game of the season, and he was also effective setting up others. As long as he stays healthy, George should be a fantasy standout the rest of the season. Managers in 10-team leagues should ensure that he isn’t sitting on the waiver wire.

While Gordon didn’t do much scoring on Saturday, the rebounding and facilitating boosted his final stat line. The Nuggets forward recorded his third double-double of the season and first since returning from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for six weeks. While Gordon is ranked outside the top-150 over the past two weeks, it’s fair to expect that the production will continue to improve as he gets further removed from the hamstring injury.

Three games removed from scoring 25 points in a win over the Bucks, Hardaway had his most productive outing since joining the Nuggets last offseason. Shooting 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, he recorded his first 30-point game of the season. Unfortunately, Hardaway didn’t provide much beyond points, three-pointers and percentages, but that’s to be expected, given his fantasy profile. No Nikola Jokić in the rotation does give Hardaway a slightly higher fantasy ceiling, but not to where he becomes a must-roster player in standard leagues.

Watson continues to offer excellent fantasy value as one of the players helping compensate for Nikola Jokić being out with a knee injury. Over the past three weeks, he has been a sixth-round player in eight-cat formats. Since Jokić’s injury, Watson has scored at least 20 points in eight of ten games, and that includes two 30-point performances. Managers in 12-team leagues should add Watson if he’s sitting on the waiver wire.

Despite the Wizards boasting one of the NBA’s worst records, Saturday’s game proved to be more challenging for the Nuggets than many anticipated. Murray made five of his six field-goal attempts during the fourth quarter to help Denver complete its rally. Saturday’s game was the third in which Murray has scored at least 40 points, with the 42 being the most in a game for him since he dropped 52 on the Pacers in early December. Denver plays four games in Week 14, starting with the Lakers on Tuesday.

Melton stepped up to spearhead Golden State’s offensive output on a night where Stephen Curry finished with just 14 points and Jimmy Butler sat out for personal reasons. He knocked down 3-of-6 from beyond the arc as the Warriors bench went off for 72 points. The 27-year-old has been hot-and-cold this season but he’s in the midst of a nice stretch, scoring at least 19 points in four of his last six games. The Warriors have four games coming up next week including showdowns against the Heat, Raptors, Mavericks and Timberwolves.

Miller came out of the gate hot and finished 6-of-11 from three-point range, falling just short of reaching the 30-point mark for the third time this season. The issue for Charlotte in this one was one the defensive end of the floor as they allowed Golden State to pile up 136 points on 55 percent (51-of-93) shooting, including 44 percent (23-of-52) from beyond the arc. The Hornets have a three-game week coming up with matchups against the Cavaliers, Magic and Wizards.

Green recorded his first 20-point effort since December 28 as he drained 4-of-8 from three-point range. The 35-year-old veteran forward can be ignored in most fantasy formats but this contest served as a reminder that he’s still capable of producing the occasional strong all-around effort.