NBA Player News

With Jusuf Nurkić still out due to injury, it was Love who started Saturday’s game and not Kyle Filipowski. While the veteran forward/center didn’t do much scoring in San Francisco, he was effective as a rebounder and playmaker. As for Filipowski, he tallied seven points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot in 19 minutes off the bench. Generally speaking, Filipowski has been more valuable to fantasy managers than Love, and that will be the case later in the season. However, the veteran was more productive than his younger teammate on Saturday.

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.

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.

Queen finished Tuesday’s defeat two assists shy of his second triple-double, pushing his double-double tally up to seven. While the production has tailed off somewhat after a hot start to December, the rookie center is still offering top-100 per-game value in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. Rostered in 53 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Queen is someone who 10-team league managers should look to add now if he’s on the waiver wire. His usage should be even higher after the trade deadline, especially if the Pelicans can’t make some headway in the race for a play-in spot.