NBA Player News

While it’s unclear when exactly Antetokounmpo suffered the injury during Friday night’s loss to the Nuggets, the 31-year-old power forward didn’t mince words in his postgame media availability. Antetokounmpo said he expects the MRI, which is scheduled for Saturday, to show that he popped something in his calf and that he won’t return before the end of February at the earliest. While the injury is potentially devastating for fantasy managers, it also has major implications on the Bucks’ playoff hopes. Milwaukee is currently two and a half games behind Atlanta for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and will have to find a way to tread water without their star player for at least the next month.

Limited to six points in Thursday’s comeback win over the Suns, Moody was much better on Saturday. The 25 points were the most in a game for him since January 26, when he scored 26 in a win over the Jazz. While inconsistency can be an issue for Moody, he’s worth rostering in the short term as the Warriors await Stephen Curry’s return. The Warriors play two of their four Week 17 games before the All-Star break, and Curry may miss both, thus enhancing Moody’s fantasy value.

Acquired from the Hawks for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick, Kennard made his Lakers’ debut on Saturday. As expected, he was used in a reserve role, playing 26 minutes. Kennard isn’t at the point where he’s worth relying on in most fantasy leagues. But he’ll have every opportunity to change that, as the Lakers are looking to him to provide consistent perimeter shooting.

Reaves’ minutes are still being restricted, and he played 24 on Saturday. That didn’t keep him from having a productive night off the bench, finishing with a stat line that only lacked a three-pointer. Counting Saturday, Reaves has recorded at least eight assists in ten of the 10 games he’s appeared in. With Luka Dončić sidelined, the Lakers will need a little more playmaking from Reaves, and he was up to the task against the Warriors.

With Austin Reaves still under a minutes restriction, Hachimura was JJ Redick’s choice to replace the injured Luka Dončić (hamstring) in the starting lineup on Saturday. He was effective as a scorer, shooting 70 percent from the field overall and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, fantasy managers didn’t receive much else from Hachimura. As long as Luka is out and Reaves’ minutes are restricted, Rui should remain in the starting lineup.

With Luka Dončić (hamstring) out, more of the playmaking responsibilities fall upon James’ shoulders, so the increased assist output is expected. For the first time this season, he’s hit double figures in that category in consecutive games. However, turnovers remain an issue for James, who racked up seven more after committing eight in Thursday’s win over the 76ers. While Dončić has offered elite nine-cat fantasy value despite his turnover woes, that hasn’t been the case for LeBron, who’s ranked outside the top-50. Hopefully, he’ll be able to clean that up during the Lakers’ five-game Week 17.

Simons didn’t have as good of a game as his Bulls debut where he had 22 points, but his 15-point effort was still encouraging for fantasy managers. The 26-year-old shooting guard played the most minutes, took the most shots and had the most assists on the Bulls. Simons is widely available in Yahoo! leagues and should be worth rostering in most leagues for the rest of the season.

Buzelis had 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the first three quarters as the Bulls led by six entering the fourth quarter. The 21-year-old forward had six points, one rebound and no assists in the fourth quarter and the Bulls lost by 16. Bulls coach Billy Donovan spoke after the game about how Buzelis has to adjust to losing so many teammates at the trade deadline. Essentially playing with all new teammates could lead to some inconsistencies, but Buzelis should get more comfortable with his comrades eventually.