NBA Player News

Nembhard will miss another game, which means Quenton Jackson should remain the starter at point guard. Jackson logged 29 minutes as the starter on Sunday, while Kam Jones played 19 minutes off the bench.

Cunningham will return after a lengthy absence, but his minutes may be managed. Detroit has a winning record with its star point guard sidelined, and Detroit has the No. 1 seed locked up. The Pistons have the luxury of easing Cunningham back into action, so if you’re playing fantasy hoops, you should hang onto Daniss Jenkins.

No surprises here, as Castle and Wemby were listed as doubtful on Tuesday. San Antonio is locked into the No. 2 seed in the West, so absences or limited playing time could be the norm for the Spurs’ starters over the final week of the season. Dylan Harper and Luke Kornet should see additional run against Portland.

The Timberwolves are waiving the white flag against Orlando, and most of the regular starters are expected to be sidelined. Bones Hyland should see a major bump in usage and playing time tonight with both Dosunmu and Conley out of action.

McDaniels has missed six straight games, but he’s got a chance to return to Minnesota’s lineup to face Orlando. Minnesota is resting a number of starters in this one, so McDaniels may end up getting the night off as the team essentially punts.

Green struggled on Tuesday, missing all four of his three-point attempts. Over his last four games, the Suns guard has shot 5-of-22 from beyond the arc. While productive nights in the mid-range and around the basket boosted Green’s points tally in games against the Suns and Bulls, he only made five two-pointers against the Rockets. He’ll look to bounce back on Wednesday against the Mavericks.

After playing 26 minutes in his return to the Suns’ starting lineup on Sunday, Williams played 28 minutes on Tuesday. While the increase in playing time was slight, his workload will be something to watch in Phoenix’s last three regular-season games. Oso Ighodaro (8/5/1/1/1) played 19 minutes off the bench, with his role taking a hit since Williams’ return to action. The Suns host Dallas on Wednesday, a spot where they could look to rest Williams. If so, Ighodaro would start.

Booker has scored 30 points or more in four of his last five games, and his 31-point effort on Tuesday was supplemented by eight assists. A 15-of-16 night from the foul line helped boost the point total, but the defeat locked the Suns into the Play-In Tournament. Phoenix still has a little work to do to ensure it will remain in seventh, which would guarantee it home court in the 7 vs. 8 game.

Şengün locking in during the fourth quarter helped the Rockets pull away in Phoenix. The Suns could not find an answer for the Rockets’ center, who was especially impactful in making plays for his teammates. In the fourth quarter, Şengün recorded three assists and committed just one turnover. While Amen Thompson led the way with eight assists, Şengün recorded six and was able to get the turnovers in check after being a bit loose with the basketball early on.

Thompson was outstanding on Tuesday, finishing two assists shy of a triple-double. The Suns struggled to come up with an answer for the athletic wing, even though he isn’t much of a threat on the perimeter. In addition to his work on the offensive end, Thompson put up four defensive contributions, including three steals. With the Rockets still able to finish as high as third in the Western Conference, Thompson should continue to play starters’ minutes for the team’s final three games of the regular season.

For the second consecutive game, Smith scored at least 20 points and made five three-pointers. His percentage wasn’t good on Tuesday, with a 1-of-5 night inside the arc being more problematic than Smith shooting 5-of-13 from three. Add in the rebounds, and this was a solid showing from Smith, even with the low field-goal percentage. The Rockets have three games left in their regular-season schedule, starting with the 76ers on Thursday.