NBA

Ball was given a probable tag on Monday evening, but his latest status update means he’s trending in the wrong direction. If he’s unable to go against Atlanta, Nick Smith Jr. and Seth Curry will presumably pick up the slack.

Taylor has made some noise for the Stockton Kings of the G League this season, averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He’ll get some time with the parent club, but don’t expect enough minutes or usage to make him worth picking up in most fantasy leagues.

Okogie last played on January 31, but it sounds like he’s nearing a return with the parent club. Even if he’s back on the court before the end of the season, Okogie won’t see enough run to be impactful for fantasy hoops managers.

With Stephen Curry struggling, Butler picked up the slack on the offensive end to lead Golden State in scoring. However, he had his own uncharacteristic struggles at the free throw line, which prevented him from having a better night. Steve Kerr said that they will consider resting Curry against Milwaukee on Tuesday, which should mean extra usage for Butler. However, there is a chance that Butler also gets a rest night. Keep a close eye on the injury report.

While Ighodaro has not provided much fantasy value on most nights this season, he has had more opportunities recently. The rookie has taken on the backup center responsibilities in the Suns’ last four games, averaging 8.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 27.5 minutes. Ighodaro has recorded excellent percentages, shooting 77.8 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line. Nick Richards (10 points, four rebounds and one assist) remains the starting center, but he only logged 12 minutes on Monday. Ighodaro isn’t a player to add right now, but he’s worth watching for the rest of Week 20.

Green did a bit of everything in this game and came close to recording a 5x5. Aside from his four turnovers, this was an excellent night in the box score for him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for Golden State to maintain their winning ways and take advantage of Denver missing Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Steve Kerr said that Stephen Curry could rest against the Bucks on Tuesday, and it’s unclear if that will extend to Green. If he plays, Green should continue to be a strong option in the box score.

Curry struggled during Monday’s loss to Denver; he shot 6-of-21 from the floor and turned the ball over seven times against a shorthanded Nuggets squad. Kerr described Curry as both “tired” and “exhausted,” which is certainly a reason to consider resting him on the second night of a back-to-back. This would also line up with the expected return of Brandin Podziemski (back), and Gary Payton II has played well in recent weeks, which would help make up for the potential absence of Curry. Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green would likely take on extra playmaking responsibility.

GP2 was one of Golden State’s best sources of offense in the first half, which was a factor in him starting the second half over Quinten Post. 11 of his 18 points came before the break, and while he wasn’t able to match that production in the second half, he was still able to have a productive night. GP2 isn’t known as a reliable option in fantasy basketball, but he has provided fifth-round value in nine-cat leagues. That is enough for him to warrant consideration as a streaming option, especially if Stephen Curry gets a rest night on Tuesday.

With both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic sidelined, Westbrook took on the workload as the primary playmaker for Denver. He took the role seriously, which resulted in plenty of assists for him. This was the 40th time in Westbrook’s career that he had at least 16 dimes in a game and his first since 2021. Westbrook’s stat set makes him ideal for managers that can disregard turnovers and field goal percentage, since he is still more than capable of filling up the box score. Unless Jokic and Murray remain sidelined against the Lakers on Wednesday, Westbrook likely won’t repeat this performance.

With Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun all sidelined, Denver relied on MPJ more on the offensive end. He delivered his second-straight 20-point double-double and had his highest assist total since December. That was enough for the shorthanded Nuggets to get the win in Golden State after a disappointing loss to the Wizards two days before. MPJ will continue to be productive, but managers shouldn’t get used to 20-point double-doubles. They have three more games this week on this road trip, with the Lakers up next on Wednesday.