NBA

Following Jayson Tatum’s ejection in the third quarter, Joe Mazzulla called on Pritchard to close this game out in the place of their All-NBA forward. After posting a 11/5/2 in 23 minutes in Tuesday’s blowout win, Pritchard followed it up with a 10/2/5 line in 23 minutes in this game, which didn’t come during garbage time. In fact, he ended up scoring all 10 of his points in the pivotal final period. Pritchard may not be a great fantasy option right now, but he is an important bench piece for a Boston tem that lost some depth this summer.

After dropping 42 points against Detroit on Thursday, Brunson came into Friday’s game against the Raptors with the same energy. Although he did not finish with another monster performance, he did produce a respectable stat line. He finished with 22 points, leading all Knicks scorers. Brunson continues to position himself as one of the league’s elite floor generals. He was shooting 82% from the free throw line heading into the game and if he can raise that number significantly, look for him to climb into the top 25.

Since returning from a three-game absence, Vassell has been coming off of the bench. The trend continued on Friday against the Pelicans, despite Victor Wembanyama sitting out (right hip). Vassell had a productive game leading all San Antonio scorers with 14 points. Some would say Gregg Popovich has not been a fantasy-friendly coach and the current situation with Vassell is another chapter within that narrative. Managers who drafted him should wait it out and hope he’s announced as a starter in San Antonio’s next game.

After coming off the bench in their last game with Joel Embiid (illness) sidelined, Reed was able to get the start this time around. He only played 22 minutes, so he wasn’t able to truly take advantage of the opportunity, but he was able to provide some solid value. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that he will get a second straight start, since the 76ers don’t play again until Wednesday, which means that Embiid should be back in the lineup. Through Embiid’s two absences, we’ve learned that Nick Nurse isn’t going to force minutes for Reed, even though he is their next best option at center, which is discouraging for his value.

With Tyrese Maxey sidelined due to an illness, Beverley made his first start of the season and did not disappoint. He tied his career-high for scoring and contributed a full stat line. He hasn’t made much of a fantasy impact this season, though this eas his second straight game with seven assists and his third straight scoring in double figures. The 76ers don’t play again until Wednesday, so Maxey should be available for that game. That will force Pat Bev back to his role off the bench, where he hasn’t been much of a fantasy contributor.

With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Nicolas Batum all out for this game, 2018-19 Robert Covington came out of nowhere to help the 76ers nearly pull off the upset. RoCo has been dominant in fantasy hoops throughout his career, but his role has been minimal last two season, which has prevented him from providing top tier value. He played 30 minutes off the bench in this game, which was enough time for him to set a season-high for both scoring and steals. Philly doesn’t play again until Wednesday, so they should be close to full strength, which will limit Covington’s fantasy upside. This was a fun game for him, but he isn’t worth picking up at this point unless you’re desperate for a defensive boost.

It’s been a while since the New Orleans Pelicans have been at full strength. With Murphy making his season debut on Friday against the Spurs, managers can finally take a big-picture view of one of the most fantasy production-rich rosters in the NBA. Murphy showed no signs of rust and appeared to be ready to roll. Despite logging just 22 minutes, he still managed to score 18 points and shot 40% from the three-point line. He is still available in 32% of Yahoo leagues so grab him where applicable. Herbert Jones managers should closely monitor his output in upcoming games, as Murphy’s return may affect productivity.

Wagner is figuring it out at the right time. As he led the Magic to their ninth straight win, Franz scored a game-high 31 points, which was his third consecutive game with at least 30 points. He has provided fifth round value this season, but over the past two weeks, he has bumped that up to second round production. During that stretch, he has averaged 24.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.4 triples per game while shooting 56.6% from the field. He has dominated with his efficient scoring, but he has been well-rounded across the board. He’ll look to extend his 30-point streak in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Ingles hasn’t been a consistent producer for Orlando this season, but he has played an important role off the bench for them. He set a new season-high for scoring in this game and tied his season-high for assists. Ingles isn’t necessarily a player to consider in fantasy hoops, but he is an important veteran on a young Magic squad. He’s long past his top-100 days with the Jazz, but the Australian is still one of the smartest player in the league, and his contributions have been vital to Orlando’s nine game winning streak.

After scoring a season-low six points against Orlando on Wednesday, Banchero was far more productive in their rematch. He had his second-highest scoring performance of the season and set a new season-high for rebounds. After his last game ended a five-game streak with at least 20 points, he started up a new streak in this game. Though his fantasy value doesn’t reflect it because of his poor free throw percentage, Banchero is having a phenomenal season. He was also able to make all three of his free throw attempts in this game, which is encouraging for him, even if he is unlikely to continue to shoot that well from the charity stripe.