NBA Player News

Goodwin left Sunday’s Game 1 loss to the Thunder after five minutes with a sore left calf and didn’t return. Royce O’Neale started the third quarter in his place and finished with four points in 23 minutes. O’Neale could be looking at a spot start if Goodwin is ruled out for Game 2. Grayson Allen could also be an option, though he got a DNP-CD in Game 2 as he was available despite a hamstring injury.

Fresh off dropping a career high 17 assists on Friday, Mitchell wasn’t able to record another double-double, but he came close. He ended up making up for it by contributing extra value on the defensive end in what has been arguably his best two-game stretch of the season. He has been one of the best late-round picks in fantasy basketball this season and should continue to stuff the stat sheet as Miami’s starting point guard for the rest of the season.

Giannis wasn’t able to match his season high of 37 points that he set on Friday, but he was able to score at least 30 points for a third straight game, which led to Miami’s fourth straight win. Detroit didn’t have much of an answer for him, which helped him add an efficient shooting night to a dominant stat line. Plus, he was able to have an effective night at the free throw line, which helped inflate his value.

Following a one-game absence, Thompson was back in the starting unit for the Heat and had another strong outing. This was his second-highest scoring performance of the year, and he has really shrugged off a slow start. Over his last seven games, he has averaged 20.7 points and 5.1 triples per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 46.8 percent from deep. If he continues to shoot this well, Miami should keep winning more games.

Robinson exited this game late in the second quarter due to thigh soreness and didn’t end up returning. Kevin Huerter replaced him to start the second half, and if Robinson remains out in San Antonio on Tuesday, Huerter would likely get the start. Robinson has been a big part of Detroit’s success this season, but Huerter is a solid replacement that has been on fire lately.

It wasn’t a great encore after his performance on Thursday, but Cunningham still led the way for Detroit. 12 of his points came in the fourth quarter, though it wasn’t enough to complete a comeback. Cade has been effective from the free throw line all season, but he has been on fire lately. Over his last three games, he has shot 34-of-35 from the charity stripe. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite as dominant as he was on Thursday. Still, Cade has been well worth the first-round pick.

Huerter has been fantastic off the bench for Detroit lately, and he filled up the box score once again in this one. Over his last four games, he has averaged 16.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 triples per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor. His role may continue to expand, as Duncan Robinson exited early with a thigh injury. If he ends up missing any time, Huerter would start in his place, just like he did in the second half of this game.

Sharpe started the year off slow, but he’s really starting to show why he was one of the best late-round targets. This was his second double-double of the season, and while he didn’t do as much on the defensive end in this game compared to what he’s done in recent games, he continues to be one of the best passing bigs in the league. Over his last five games, Sharpe has averaged 7.4 assists per game. Combined with efficient shooting, solid rebounding and defensive production, Sharpe’s game is tailor-made for category leagues.

After three straight games scoring in the teens, Randle was finally able to get over the 20-point mark in this game. They needed his offense a little more than usual in this game with Michael Porter Jr. (personal) unavailable. It hasn’t been a great start to the season for Randle, but the volume will continue to be there for him. More nights like this one will help him improve his season-long numbers.

With Michael Porter Jr. (personal) ruled out for this game late, Clowney ended up entering the starting unit. He took advantage of the opportunity and put together a solid stat line, complete with multiple blocks and triples. The Nets play again on Monday against the 76ers. If MPJ remains out, Clowney could be in line for another start and would have some streaming appeal.

Buzelis has gotten off to a rocky start overall this season, but he looked sharp in the early stages of this one, pouring in a game-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, in the opening half. He cooled off considerably afterwards, notching just four points in the entire second half. Still, he managed to do enough as Chicago’s primary offensive creator in place of injured rookie sensation Caleb Wilson, who is set to miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured right hand, to power them to a much-needed road win. It’s hard to trust him for fantasy purposes given how up-and-down he’s been, but he should get plenty of scoring chances while Wilson is sidelined for at least the next month.