NBA Player News

The highs are quite high, and the lows are rather low for Poole. Over his last five games, he has hit at least four triples in three of them, and he has gone scoreless in the other two. Poole has been too inconsistent to be considered a must-roster player, even if he is able to have some strong outings from time to time. Still, this was a solid performance for him.

While fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears (two points, three rebounds, two assists and one block) has hit a rough patch recently, shooting 40.2 percent from the field over the past two weeks, Queen’s production has been consistent. During these two weeks, the rookie center has been close to a top-50 player in eight-cat formats. Fears was limited to ten minutes, with Queen sharing the frontcourt with Yves Missi (10/7/4/1/2) to begin the second half. That’s something fantasy managers should watch during the Pelicans’ three-game Week 14.

Williamson’s game does have some flaws: he isn’t a great foul shooter, and turnovers can be an issue. However, when he’s healthy, the Pelicans’ forward can offer solid fantasy value. Having scored at least 20 points in six of his last seven appearances, Williamson has been close to a top-75 player over the past two weeks. The Pelicans play three games in Week 14 without a back-to-back, so availability shouldn’t be an issue for Zion.

Murphy led six Pelicans in double figures with his 21 points, extending his streak of games with at least 21 to eight. Over the past two weeks, he has been a top-10 player in eight-cat formats. With the Pelicans not having control of their first-round pick, tanking should not be in the equation. That’s good news for fantasy managers who are hoping Murphy can help carry them to a league title. The Pelicans open a three-game Week 14 on Wednesday against the Pistons.

Adams, who started alongside Alperen Şengün, needed help getting back to the locker room after rolling his left ankle during the fourth quarter. The good news is that X-rays were negative, so the veteran center is dealing with a sprain. However, Adams is likely going to miss some time, which should push Clint Capela (DNP-CD) into the rotation.

Durant didn’t shoot the ball well, making one of his eight three-point attempts, but that didn’t prevent him from making some history. With a fourth-quarter free throw, he passed Dirk Nowitzki to move into sixth on the all-time scoring list. The next name on the storied list is Michael Jordan. Durant didn’t have his best night scoring-wise, but he did dish out eight assists to preserve some value. He’ll look to have a better night on Tuesday against the Spurs.

Şengün had a good night, shooting 66.7 percent from the field and matching his career-high with five steals. If there has been an issue for the Rockets’ center recently, it has been the foul line. Over the past two weeks, Şengün has only made 45.8 percent of his attempts. Sunday’s 3-of-5 effort is a step in the right direction, and he’s still shooting 69.9 percent for the season.

All that was missing from Thompson’s stat line was a three-pointer, but that’s a common occurrence for the third-year guard. Over the past two weeks, he has been close to a top-50 player. While that isn’t on par with his Yahoo! ADP (21), Thompson’s production has been consistent. The Rockets play three games in Week 14.

On a night when teammate Kevin Durant made some personal history, Smith had one of the best games of his NBA career. The Rockets’ forward finished with a season-high point total, and the seven three-pointers were a career-high. And to say Smith needed a night like Sunday would be an understatement. Even with this performance, he’s shot 36.1 percent from the field over the past two weeks. Smith will look to carry the momentum into a three-game Week 14 that begins on Tuesday against the Spurs.

White fueled Chicago’s offense early on with 16 first-half points as they shot 60 percent (12-of-20) from three-point range and 60 percent overall (28-of-47) to take a 70-51 halftime lead. The 25-year-old slashing guard has struggled to return to form after dealing with a calf injury earlier this month, but he looked sharp in this one, knocking down 7-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc. He’ll continue to play a significant role with plenty of creation possessions while Josh Giddey (hamstring) remains sidelined. The Bulls have a three-game week on tap featuring matchups against the Clippers, Timberwolves and Celtics.

The Nets snapped a five-game losing streak in Friday’s win over the Bulls but they didn’t fare so well during Sunday night’s rematch with leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. sitting out for load management reasons. Their issues weren’t limited to the offensive end as they allowed Chicago to shoot 52 percent from the floor and surrendered 124 points in a one-sided affair. Traore was one of the few bright spots as he did most of his damage in garbage time, knocking down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to finish with a season-high 16 points off the bench. He’s earned some additional run but doesn’t offer enough of a role to be a viable streaming option for fantasy managers. The Nets have a four-game week coming up that features showdown against the Suns, Knicks, Celtics and Clippers.