NBA Player News

Markkanen is set to miss his third game in a row with an illness against the Mavericks on Saturday. Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski are all candidates for increased minutes and usage with Markkanen out.

Gilgeous-Alexander is playing through a finger injury on his shooting hand, but still managed to lead the Thunder to a runaway victory Tuesday over the Magic. The 27-year-old point guard wasn’t efficient with 20 points on 22 field goal attempts, but managed to dish out nine assists and had one three-pointer. It’s a quick turnaround for SGA and the Thunder as they play the Spurs on the road on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.

Despite White’s name popping up in trade rumors throughout the day, he started and had 21 points in 30 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks. The fact that the 25-year-old point guard played at all suggests no trades involving him are close. White could be an odd fit if he were to remain with the Bulls for the rest of the season given the reported Bulls’ acquisitions of Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons Tuesday.

Buzelis became the first Bulls player in franchise history to have five three-pointers and five blocks in a game. In an exaggerated parody of Michael Jordan’s shot over Bryon Russell in the 1998 NBA Finals, clearly shoved a defender to the floor with no foul called before making a three-pointers toward the end of the third quarter. Buzelis has provided ninth-round per game value this season, though with game like this at age-21 he obviously has a sky-high ceiling.

Rollins continues to average career-highs across the board in what has turned into a breakout season. The 23-year-old point guard was three rebounds shy of a triple-double in Tuesday’s win over the Bulls. Rollins has provided fourth-round per game value this season. The Bucks play the Pelicans Wednesday at home on the second night of a back-to-back.

While Nic Claxton (10 points, five rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes) will start whenever he’s available, now may be the time for fantasy managers seeking “silly season” value to invest in Sharpe, if they haven’t already. He recorded his third double-double of the season against the Lakers, recording season-highs in points and rebounds while also posting solid numbers in assists and steals. The Nets only play two more games in Week 16, but that should not deter deep-league managers from strongly considering Sharpe.

Back in the lineup after missing two games for personal reasons, Porter recorded his second double-double in as many appearances and ninth of the season. And Tuesday should have been even better for the Nets forward, as he shot a brutal 0-of-9 from beyond the arc. Porter entered the game shooting 39.8 percent from three on the season, so this performance was a clear departure from the norm. The only thing that should concern fantasy managers is MPJ’s availability, especially if he remains in Brooklyn after the trade deadline.

With Tuesday’s game being the first for Reaves since Christmas Day, he was on a minutes restriction. Coming off the bench, the Lakers’ guard logged 21 minutes in his first game back. Reaves didn’t have the best night shooting the ball, but he was able to get to the foul line. Based on how Lakers head coach JJ Redick handled the rotation, Jake LaRavia could be the odd man out once Reaves’ playing time is no longer restricted. Reaves started the second half, replacing LaRavia (18 points, five rebounds, one steal and one three-pointer). However, LaRavia heading to the bench isn’t set in stone, especially with Marcus Smart (6/3/1/1) being the player who moved into the lineup when Reaves went down in December.

Dončić’s points total on Tuesday was his lowest in nearly a month, but the game being a blowout had more to do with that than anything the Nets may have done defensively. Regarding per-game value, he has been a top-5 player over the past two weeks. Getting Austin Reaves back in the fold should only help Dončić from a spacing standpoint as the returnee shakes off the rust after missing more than a month with a strained calf.

The Lakers ended their annual Grammys road trip with a 5-3 record, blowing out the Nets on Tuesday. With the game getting out of hand by halftime, the team was able to give its stars a little more time on the bench. James played 30 minutes, and he wasn’t put under too much stress in his time on the floor. He should be well-rested for Thursday’s game against the 76ers, the first of two home games the Lakers will play to conclude Week 16.

Without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Bobby Portis (hip), the Bucks were relying on Kuzma and he totally delivered in the win over the Bulls on Tuesday. The 30-year-old power forward had 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and was +18 in 31 minutes in the 16-point victory. Kuzma could be one of the main beneficiaries of fantasy value for the rest of the season, depending on what the Bucks do before the trade deadline.