NBA Player News

Johnson has missed four of the Wizards’ last six games, and when he has played since January, he has hovered around 20 minutes per game. He’ll continue to start if he is available, but if he isn’t Will Riley could fill the void.

Edwards was initially listed as questionable for Saturday’s Game 1 against the Nuggets as he continues to manage a knee injury. Edwards missed the regular season finale, but with playoff stakes on the line he wasn’t in danger of missing the start of the Timberwolves’ opening series.

Immanuel Quickley is out with a right hamstring strain and was replaced in the starting lineup by Jamal Shead. It’s a significant loss for the Raptors, who won all three regular season meetings with the Cavaliers. There are no other lineup changes for Toronto.

Quickley is set to miss Game 1 against the Cavaliers on Saturday with a right hamstring strain. The 26-year-old point guard suffered the injury in the Raptors’ last game of the regular season. Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead are the logical candidates to replace Quickley in Saturday’s starting lineup.

Melton was one of the few players to come off Golden State’s bench and find production. He logged 28 minutes and converted half of his 10 field-goal attempts in that time, leading him to finish as the Warriors’ third-leading scorer on the evening. Melton also rebounded well from the guard position and nearly landed a double-double in the process. For the eighth-year veteran, he played relatively well in his first season back from an ACL tear. He averaged 12.3 points in his 49 regular-season appearances but struggled with his three-point efficiency. Perhaps being another year removed from the injury will pay off for him next season, potentially leading to more fantasy production.

Podziemski did what he could on Friday during his 39 minutes on the floor. He led the Warriors in shot attempts, points, and rebounds, while tying a team-high in made three-pointers. The third-year guard’s zero assists and four turnovers weren’t ideal, but his production elsewhere was some of the best on the team. Podziemski eventually became the full-time starter over the second half of the season and played fairly well in the role. Going into Year 4, he could potentially have some fantasy value, depending on what the roster looks like.

Curry couldn’t quite re-capture the magic of Wednesday’s thrilling 35-point performance. In Friday’s loss, he totaled as many turnovers as made field goals in his 36 minutes, finishing with under 20 points on inefficient shooting. The four-time NBA champion also couldn’t make much of an impact as a passer in this game, as Phoenix did a good job defensively to slow down the entire Golden State offense. Curry finishes his 17th NBA season averaging 26.6 points and 4.7 assists. While his numbers were impressive, he only played in 43 regular-season games, which undoubtedly hurt his fantasy production.

Goodwin was impressive in Friday’s victory on both ends of the floor. On offense, he took advantage of his looks from beyond the arc and made over half of his seven attempts to nearly reach the 20-point mark. He also secured four offensive boards and tallied a couple of assists. But what really stood out on this night was his work on defense, where he changed the game with his outstanding disruptiveness. Goodwin nearly accounted for half of Phoenix’s 14 steals before finishing the game just one rebound shy of a double-double. Goodwin did it all for the Suns on Friday and will have a chance to put up similar production on Sunday against the Thunder.

Booker logged a fairly balanced performance as Phoenix’s lead guard. He shot inefficiently from beyond the arc but repeatedly worked his way to the line to help reach the 20-point mark. Meanwhile, he took on the role of lead playmaker, which nearly led him to a points-assists double-double. The veteran combo guard didn’t deliver any major counting stats. However, he took a very calculated approach, which allowed him to finish with a team-high plus-25 on the evening. He’ll have a chance to log another strong outing on Sunday in Game 1 against the Thunder.

Green was exceptional on Friday to help the Suns clinch a spot in the playoffs. The first-year Sun accounted for nearly half of his team’s 18 triples, and missed only six shots en route to totaling a game-high 36 points. He also contributed as a facilitator and amassed five stocks on the defensive end of the floor. Phoenix will take the floor in less than 48 hours to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, where Green will look to stay hot.

Miller shot the ball efficiently and had a great three-point shooting performance on Friday. However, he was responsible for five of Charlotte’s 16 turnovers, and was just one of several Hornets to find difficulty on the offensive end. A blowout loss ultimately limited Miller to 29 minutes in the season-ending loss. Nonetheless, he put together another solid fantasy season in Year 3. Perhaps a jump could come in his fourth season.