NBA Player News

While he was not on track to duplicate his 55-point effort against the Pistons on December 28, Leonard started very well on Wednesday. He scored 21 first-half points, likely causing many fantasy managers to envision another big night for the Clippers forward. Leonard would only score four points after halftime, shooting 2-of-7 from the field. While some of his teammates knocked down shots in the third quarter, Leonard’s failure to score in the fourth quarter helped the Clippers fall off the pace. Friday’s matchup with the Nets looks like a good one for Leonard to bounce back from a disappointing second half at MSG.

Scheierman entered the starting unit with Jaylen Brown (hamstring, knee) sidelined for this game, which was also the case in Brown’s previous absence. It wasn’t an explosive performance, but Scheierman was able to contribute decent value in an increased role. If Brown remains out against the Bucks on Sunday, Scheierman should be in line to start once again. He was solid in this game and would hold upside as a streamer, but he isn’t worth rostering beyond that.

Ingram was excellent Friday against the Magic, though it wasn’t enough for the Raptors to get the win. The 28-year-old small forward had 35 points on 23 attempts, made four three-pointers and didn’t turned the ball over. None of his teammates scored at least 20 points and the Raptors were blown out in the fourth quarter 44-21. Ingram has provided third-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Raptors close out the week against the Jazz on Sunday.

Banchero had scored a combined 68 points in his last two games entering play Friday, but took a backseat to Desmond Bane when it came to scoring against the Raptors. The 23-year-old power forward still had a full stat line and came just one rebound and four assists away from a triple-double. Banchero has provided sixth-round per game value over the last two weeks. He’ll have another chance for a big game this week Sunday against the Spurs.

With Jaylen Brown (hamstring, knee) sidelined for this game, Pritchard took over as the focal point of the offense. He has typically had big nights when Brown is out of the lineup, and that was the case once again in this one. In four games without Brown, he has averaged 26.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 3.8 three-pointers per game. He has been fantastic all season, but this was one of his best performances. If Brown remains out against the Bucks on Sunday, Pritchard should be in for another monster outing.

Black has posted at least 25 points in two consecutive games. The 22-year-old point guard went about the scoring in completely different ways. In Wednesday’s win over the Heat, Black didn’t make a free throw and only even attempted one shot from the charity stripe. Friday against the Raptors, he made all 14 of his free throw attempts. While Black is averaging just 15.8 points per game this year and the boost in scoring is likely a blip, he still offers enough fantasy value to be rostered in standard leagues.

The Magic trailed by 13 points after three quarters, but Bane got white hot in the fourth quarter and carried Orlando to victory. The 27-year-old shooting guard had 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting and four three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone. The Magic improved to 6-0 this season when Bane has at least 30 points. The was exactly what the team envisioned when they traded for Bane in the offseason. He’s provided third-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Magic will close out the week Sunday against the Spurs.

LaVine came off the bench in his return from a two-game absence on Thursday, and he returned to the starting lineup 24 hours later. He scored 17 points in both games, though he was more efficient in this one, even if the result on the scoreboard was the same. LaVine’s name will be floated around in trade rumors as the deadline approaches, but until then, he’ll remain a decent scoring option, even if he hasn’t been able to score as much as he typically does in recent weeks.

Raynaud got the starting nod with Domantas Sabonis sidelined for the second leg of Sacramento’s back-to-back, and he took full advantage of the increased opportunity. He was able to match his career-high for rebounds and record a double-double for the first time since December. Sabonis should return to take on the Wizards on Sunday, which will push Raynaud back to the bench. However, it was good to see Raynaud be productive, especially after how rough most of his starts were in December.

Schröder started on Thursday and had arguably his best game of the season with Russell Westbrook (foot) sidelined. He started again in this one, and, to put it mildly, the results were not as good. Schröder set a season high for scoring on Thursday, but follow it up by scoring four points for the second time in his last three games. Basically, Schröder has either been really good or really bad in recent weeks; no middle ground for average production. He should start against the Wizards on Sunday if Westbrook remains out.