NBA Player News

Suiting up for the first time in nearly 13 months, Murray was immediately moved into the starting unit. The Pelicans said he’d be on a minutes restriction, and he ended up logging 25 minutes, which isn’t a strict limit. It was a strong outing considering the layoff, and he should be considered a must-roster player if he’s going to continue to play this much. Next up is a trip to Utah on Thursday, and with a back-to-back this weekend, he will likely only play one of those games.

Murray got off to a hot start on Thursday, scoring 20 points in just the first half. Though he was much quieter after the break, he still matched Nikola Jokić as the leading scorers for Denver in the win. This was his fourth straight game with at least 25 points, and he has averaged 34.3 points and 5.5 triples per game during that stretch. This was the first night of a back-to-back, and he’ll look to wrap up the week with another strong performance against the Knicks on Friday.

With Cameron Johnson (ankle) sidelined for a second straight game, it was Nnaji that got the starting nod after Jonas Valanciunas did in Johnson’s first absence. However, he didn’t contribute much in the box score during his 24 minutes on the floor. This was the first leg of a back-to-back, so Johnson could return to take on the Knicks on Friday. Whether he does or not, Nnaji won’t be worth streaming despite the role increase.

For the 23rd time this season, Jokić was able to record a triple-double, though he nearly made it an unpleasant quadruple-double. His nine turnovers matched his season high, and this was actually the third time this year that he recorded a triple-double while turning it over exactly nine times. Managers can typically live with Jokić making some mistakes because he fills up the box score, which is exactly what happened in this game. He’ll look to keep it going against the Knicks on Friday.

Deandre Ayton played just five minutes in the first half of this game before exiting with a knee injury, though the Lakers declined to specify which knee was bothering him. Ayton missed two games just before the All-Star break due to right knee soreness, but it’s unclear at this time if that injury popped back or if this is entirely separate. Hayes started the second half in his place and was able to chip in some points, though he didn’t contribute much else. He set a new season high for scoring, and he could have some streaming appeal this weekend if Ayton misses time.

LeBron made more history in this game by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career field goals made. Unfortunately, he didn’t do much scoring in the loss. It was a well-rounded, efficient night for LeBron, but the focus should be on him reaching Kareem’s 15,837 made shots. This was his fourth straight game shooting at least 50 percent from the floor, and he’ll look to stay hot against the Pacers on Friday.

DeRozan’s output was limited on Thursday, and that’s been the case since the All-Star break. In eight games, the veteran wing has averaged 14.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 0.8 steals while shooting 43 percent from the field. DeRozan played 27 minutes against the Pelicans, and his playing time is something to watch moving forward. Fellow starter Nique Clifford (7/5/3 with one three-pointer) only played 21 minutes against New Orleans, and for the Kings’ future, it would probably be best if Clifford were asked to log heavy minutes the rest of the way.

After totaling 12 points in his first two games out of the All-Star break, Westbrook has reached double figures in each of his last five appearances. His stat line on Thursday included ten assists, the veteran point guard’s first double-double since a January 14 win over the Knicks. Westbrook played 33 minutes against the Pelicans while second-year guard Devin Carter picked up a DNP-CD. As long as he’s playing starters’ minutes, Westbrook should be rostered in standard leagues.

Achiuwa, who’s made the most of his opportunity in Sacramento, had another excellent night on Thursday. In addition to matching his career-high with the 29 points, he recorded a complete stat line and played 41 of a possible 48 minutes. Given the recent production and Sacramento’s limited frontcourt depth, Achiuwa is a must-roster player at this point. The Kings are off until Sunday when they host the Bulls.

Fears’ six assists, which equalled his total from New Orleans’ prior two games, were the most for him since hitting that number in a February 21 win over the 76ers. The rookie guard played 28 minutes on Thursday, with his playing time receiving a slight boost due to Dejounte Murray (Achilles) being sidelined. With Murray likely playing on Friday in Phoenix, Fears will have a lower fantasy ceiling for New Orleans’ penultimate game of Week 19.

Though Dončić continues to fill up the counting stats, he’s having an issue that doesn’t show up in the box score in a way that directly alters fantasy matchups. He was whistled for his 15th technical foul of the season after being whistled for his 14th on Tuesday. Now, he sits just one technical away from serving a one-game suspension. The Lakers have two more games this week and have a three-game week after that, which would make the timing difficult for managers that are relying on him in the fantasy playoffs. Hopefully being that close to a suspension will help him stay calmer during games since both the Lakers and fantasy managers need him out on the floor as much as possible.