NBA Player News

After having his lowest-scoring game as a starter on Tuesday, Johnson responded with a strong outing on the second night of the back-to-back. This was the second 20-point game of his rookie season, with the other also coming during the seven games since he moved back into the starting lineup. Johnson has flashed plenty of upside as a rookie, mostly as a scorer and shooter, though his production in standard fantasy leagues has been limited this season.

Bey is on track to return from a six-game absence due to a right hip flexor. Bey should reclaim his starting role from Bryce McGowens, but with Herb Jones (ankle) out, McGowens could see some rotational minutes. McGowens isn’t worth a look in most fantasy leagues due to his limited production.

Shams also notes that the Mavericks have renewed trade talks for Davis, and he could be moved to a contender before the deadline, which would shorten his return date and get him established with a new team. This latest development means we may have seen the last of Davis in a Dallas uniform, ending one of the shortest and most bizarre runs in recent memory. Davis has appeared in just 29 games for the Mavericks after the improbable blockbuster deal that swapped him for Luka Dončić. Fantasy managers holding onto Davis can safely drop him to free up a valuable IL spot, as he’s not expected to be back prior to the postseason, if at all. Daniel Gafford should continue to soak up minutes at center, though given his injury history, Moussa Cisse should see a fair share of minutes, too. Naji Marshall and PJ Washington will be heavily involved in the rotation, and all three of Cisse, Marshall and Washington are worth snagging off the waiver wire if available.

According to McMenamin, Dončić had his inner thigh/groin area treated in the second half of Monday’s loss to the Kings, and his status for the second leg of the Lakers’ back-to-back set is uncertain. The Lakers have not yet submitted an injury report for Tuesday’s tilt with the Hawks, but LeBron James has not played both legs of a back-to-back this season, so his status is also in question. Los Angeles could be sorely undermanned, which would lead to the team picking up the slack in a committee approach, with guys like Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith Jr. and Gabe Vincent seeing increased run. The team will need to lean heavily on its available starters, which could mean monster usage for Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.

For the first time since a November 26 loss to the Knicks, Knueppel failed to make a three-pointer in a game. He missed all three of his attempts against the Clippers, but the rookie wing still shot 66.7 percent from the field. Since the start of the new year, Knueppel has been a top-100 player in eight-cat formats, but the lack of defensive production has weighed down his value. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Knueppel has been one of the best rookies in the NBA and in fantasy basketball.

While Ryan Kalkbrenner has been available for the Hornets’ last two games after missing ten with a sprained left elbow, the Hornets have stuck with Diabaté as their starting center. And with good reason, as his activity has been difficult to ignore. While undersized, Diabaté is highly productive as a rebounder and shot blocker, and he’s been a top-100 player since the beginning of January. Kalkbrenner (two points) started the third quarter but only played 13 minutes while Diabaté logged 35. For the time being, Moussa is worth a look in 14-team leagues, especially with the Hornets closing Week 13 with three games in four days.

After ending 2025 on a run of five consecutive games with at least 22 points, Ball’s scoring output has fallen off to begin 2026. He only has two games of 20 points or more in seven appearances this month. Averaging 19.3 points on 43.6 percent shooting, Ball is ranked just outside the top-50 in eight-cat formats over his last seven games. That certainly isn’t poor value, but fantasy managers likely want more from Ball, given how well he played to close out 2025.

In recent games, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has been more willing to give Miller and Kobe Sanders rotation minutes. On Monday, it was the former who stepped up, reaching double figures for the second time in three games. As for Sanders, he contributed eight points, three rebounds, one assist and two three-pointers against the Hornets. While neither Miller nor Sanders should be rostered in redraft leagues, injuries to Bogdan Bogdanović and Derrick Jones Jr. have freed up minutes for them.

Harden made some personal history during Monday’s game, and it can be argued that the way in which he did it was fitting. The Clippers’ guard made use of a ball screen, dribbling to his left and knocking down a three-pointer with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter to move into ninth on the NBA’s all-time points list. Harden, who passed Shaquille O’Neal, finished the victory with 32 points, the most in a game for him since scoring 34 in a December 26 win over the Trail Blazers.

Leonard put on a show during the third quarter, scoring 19 of his game-high 35 points. Availability hasn’t been a significant concern for the Clippers’ forward this season, and he’s been one of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball. According to Basketball Monster, he’s ranked second in eight- and nine-cat per-game value over the past month. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the Clippers play only two more games in Week 13, but one is against the Wizards.

One of the few positives for the Lakers in a game in which they allowed the Kings to shoot 59 percent from the field was the production of their centers. After totaling 13 points and nine rebounds in his previous two games, Ayton recorded his 14th double-double of the season. By comparison, he had 20 double-doubles last season. Jaxson Hayes added 12 points (5-of-6 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), five rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes off the bench. If LeBron James doesn’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Hawks, there should be more opportunities for Ayton and Hayes offensively, even if it’s just in the two-man game with Luka Dončić.