NBA Player News

Coward was one of the Grizzlies’ main contributors in his 27 minutes of game action. He shot efficiently and came close to scoring 20 points, despite an insignificant number of shot attempts. Just as impressive were the contributions he made as a passer; Coward finished second on his team in assists, while only committing one turnover along the way. The rookie didn’t log any stocks on Wednesday. Still, he had a solid game overall and will have an opportunity to be even better on Friday against the Pelicans.

The Nets are without Egor Dëmin, as he has not played both games of back-to-backs this season. His spot in the starting lineup will be filled by Traoré, another of Brooklyn’s 2025 draft picks who has not offered much value in redraft leagues. The other change is Wolf, who steps in for Noah Clowney and will start alongside Porter and Claxton in the frontcourt.

Gillespie is back after missing Tuesday’s win over the Bucks, and he will be in the starting lineup. This pushes Jordan Goodwin back to the bench, lowering his fantasy ceiling slightly. He’ll still play plenty, especially with Devin Booker and Jalen Green sidelined.

Johnson sprained his left ankle when he landed on the foot of Bucks guard Ryan Rollins during the second quarter of Thursday’s game. Bub Carrington was inserted into the lineup to begin the third quarter, and he’ll have added streaming value if Johnson misses time. The rookie finished with eight points (2-of-7 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs) and two assists in 11 minutes.

Wallace is back after a one-game absence with a sore left hip. His return may push Aaron Wiggins to the bench, but both will be part of the rotation regardless of who starts.

Flagg is back after missing Wednesday’s loss to the Timberwolves. His return coincides with Naji Marshall’s absence, so that’s the lone change to the Mavericks’ starting lineup.

Gobert was initially listed as questionable for this game, but he will be good to go against OKC. He was held to just six points and six rebounds in 21 minutes in the Timberwolves’ last game, but he had 14 rebounds in 32 minutes against the Thunder earlier this season.

Gillespie is back after sitting out Tuesday’s win over the Nets. His return will likely push Jordan Goodwin to the bench, but both players will see plenty of action since the Suns won’t have Devin Booker or Jalen Green.

Valančiūnas was initially listed as probable, and now he is officially cleared to suit up. This could mean that he won’t play the second leg of this back-to-back against the Clippers since he didn’t play the second leg of their last back-to-back. If that happens, Zeke Nnaji could return to the starting lineup.

Murray is officially available after being listed as probable on the initial injury report. He’ll take on his usual role as the starting point guard, sharing the backcourt with Jalen Pickett.

The Bulls won’t have Josh Giddey (hamstring) for Thursday’s game, opening up a spot in the starting lineup. They’ll go back to the lineup they used when Giddey was being brought off the bench as part of his minutes restriction, with Smith starting alongside Vooch. In this role, “Stix” is worth rostering in deep leagues.