NBA Player News

After Ayton put up 16 shots in Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans, fantasy managers likely hoped for a similar output on Wednesday, especially with LeBron James (toe) out. Unfortunately, he only attempted nine shots, with Jake LaRavia (13) and Luka Dončić (26) being the only Lakers to hit double digits in attempts. With James possibly returning to the lineup on Friday, fantasy managers have to hope that his presence will result in a few more opportunities for Ayton.

The Suns began Tuesday’s game playing drop coverage, and Clingan was ready to make them pay. With the game just over two minutes old, the second-year center had already knocked down three three-pointers. Clingan would have his double-double by halftime, but the Suns made the proper defensive adjustments and kept him under wraps for most of the night after that early outburst. Portland has a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Grizzlies to end the week. Given how shorthanded Memphis has been recently, even before the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, those could be good nights for Clingan.

Rostered in four percent of Yahoo! leagues, nights like Tuesday serve as a reminder of Goodwin’s value, especially while the Suns are without Devin Booker and Jalen Green. His double-double was accompanied by five steals, one shy of his career-high. Over the past two weeks, Goodwin has been close to a top-100 player in terms of per-game value. If Booker and Green remain out for Thursday’s game against the Warriors, deep-league managers should strongly consider streaming Goodwin if he’s sitting on the waiver wire.

Allen has now scored at least 23 points in three of his last four outings, and he last failed to hit double figures in a January 5 loss to the Rockets. With Devin Booker and Jalen Green out, Allen was one of the Suns to pick up the slack in Portland, with three — Collin Gillespie and Mark Williams being the others — scoring 24 points or more. Phoenix returns home for its final two games of Week 16, starting with the Warriors on Thursday.

Williams continues to flourish in Phoenix, with Tuesday’s double-double being his 11th of the season and first since January 14. Fantasy managers who rolled the dice on the 7-footer have been rewarded handsomely, as neither Williams’ productivity nor availability has been up for debate. He’s now appeared in 46 games, a career-high for the center who struggled with injuries throughout his first three NBA seasons.

The Trail Blazers’ approach of using “drop” coverage when defending the pick-and-roll proved costly, as Gillespie took advantage on multiple occasions in the most productive night of his NBA career. In addition to matching his season-high with eight three-pointers, the Suns’ guard notched his first 30-point game. Add in the assists and steals, and this was an excellent night for fantasy managers who have continued to roster Gillespie. His ceiling for the final two games of Week 16 depends on the availability of Devin Booker (ankle) and Jalen Green (hamstring, hip), who both remained out on Tuesday.

Moody played just 20 minutes in the blowout loss against the 76ers. The 23-year-old had scored at least 19 points in two of his last for games entering play Tuesday, but had just 12 points Tuesday. Moody has provided 13th-round per game value this year. The Warriors will look to bounce back Thursday against the Suns.

Drummond started with Joel Embiid (knee) out Tuesday against the Warriors. The 32-year-old center had 12 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes in the win. Drummond continues to be worth streaming in these spot-start scenarios.