NBA Player News

While teammate Isaiah Collier played all 48 minutes, Markkanen didn’t even play half that. The Jazz forward logged 23 minutes in Atlanta, and that’s one of the concerns for fantasy managers who have him rostered. The good news is that Markkanen actually played, unlike Jusuf Nurkić, who was active. Hopefully, for the sake of those who have Lauri rostered, the Jazz will rule him out when he isn’t playing, rather than resorting to the Nurkić-related shenanigans of the last two games.

With the Wizards likely focused on doing all they can to avoid losing their 2026 first-round pick, which is top-8 protected, to the Knicks, Davis not making his debut for the team until next season would be an unsurprising development. It was reported in mid-January that Davis’ left hand injury wouldn’t require surgery to repair the ligament damage. Will he go through with the procedure now that it’s reportedly been decided that Davis won’t play this season? For fantasy managers who have been stashing Davis in an IL spot, it’s time to move on.

The rookie center took advantage of increased minutes on Friday and logged arguably his best game as a professional. He’s notched back-to-back double-digit rebound games and could realistically carve out a consistent role with this team, given where they are in the standings at this point in the season. Cardwell recently signed a standard contract with the Kings after going undrafted and agreeing to a two-way deal.

Monk was consistent as a scorer throughout Friday’s contest, but his biggest moments came in the third and fourth quarters, when his three-point shooting put the Kings on a run and at one point gave them a fourth-quarter lead. All of the veteran combo-guard’s scoring came from deep in this game, as he finished with at least six triples for the third time this season. Monk appears to be firmly back in the nightly rotation following a stretch earlier in the season in which he saw DNP’s. He’s capable of big nights, but isn’t someone fantasy managers should get excited about.

Clifford was one of several Kings players to make an impact off the bench on Friday. He was productive in his 33 minutes, tallying a few stocks and finishing as one of Sacramento’s two-best scorers on the evening. Clifford’s production is largely a result of how little the starters played on Friday. Still, he was productive and has scored at least 14 points in three of his last four appearances.

Lopez, likely the new full-time starter at the center spot for the Clippers, logged one of his better games of the season. He scored effectively without needing to rely on high three-point production, and he also set a season-high in rebounds along the way. The former NBA champion made his mark on the defensive end as a rim protector and put together a really solid performance in his 36 minutes on the floor. Now, without Ivica Zubac, Lopez will have more opportunities to put up these types of numbers going forward.

The Clippers needed a big win to stop their two-game skid, and they got it on Friday, with Collins’ 22 points being a key reason why. The veteran power forward was good on the glass in his 34 minutes and functioned well as a secondary scorer alongside Kawhi Leonard. Collins concluded as one of two Clippers to score at least 20 points, as his run as an efficient scorer continues. His fantasy basketball value could receive a boost with the departures of two highly featured starters ahead of the trade deadline.

Without Ivica Zubac and James Harden, who were both traded ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline, Leonard led the new-look Clippers to a win on Friday, ending a two-game skid. The two-time Finals MVP reached the 30-point mark for the first time since mid-January and set a new season-high in assists in the process. Leonard also fell one rebound short of a double-double, posting one of his more balanced performances of the season. Until the Clippers get their newly acquired players into the lineup, particularly Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, expect Leonard to shoulder most of the load on a nightly basis.

Pippen Jr. was one of eight Grizzlies to score in double figures in his first game of the season. He made contributions as a scorer, but his biggest impact came as a facilitator, concluding as Memphis’ leader in assists. He logged just 22 minutes on Friday, so it’ll be interesting to see what the team’s plan is for him on Saturday’s back-to-back. Nonetheless, it was an encouraging season debut from Pippen Jr.

Jackson led all Memphis starters in scoring in his 27 minutes of action. He didn’t take many shots, but scored efficiently and used the three-point line to his advantage. The third-year forward has now scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games, and his production should realistically increase now that Jaren Jackson Jr. has been traded away. He’s someone fantasy managers should at least keep an eye on for now.

Spencer, once again, thrived off the bench. In 26 minutes, he led all Grizzlies in scoring on Friday, took advantage of his scoring opportunities with efficient shooting, and made an impact with his passing along the way. Spencer also collected a few stocks to conclude with another strong performance off the Grizzlies bench. He’ll look for a repeat performance on Saturday in a rematch against the Trail Blazers.