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McGowens’ availability isn’t super impactful to the Pelicans’ rotation, but his absence could free up some extra minutes for Bennedict Mathurin.
With a number of key players sidelined, Mathurin could be in line for additional run against Memphis. He’s averaging just 6.0 points across 15.8 minutes this season, but he’s worth a dart throw on Friday night for fantasy managers in need of his stat set.
Murray was previously listed as doubtful due to a left ankle sprain, but this recent update from Charania means that Murray’s status may actually be related to his trade request. The former Hawk and Spur will likely have interest around the league, and his landing spot will dictate his rest-of-season fantasy value. Murray isn’t expected to play for New Orleans again, which means Jeremiah Fears’ stock is way up.
Klay Thompson (ankle) has been upgraded to probable, but the expected absence of Larsson should free up additional minutes for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Andrew Wiggins.
Murray is dealing with a left ankle sprain, and he’s unlikely to suit up against Memphis. That could lead to Herb Jones sticking with the first unit and Jeremiah Fears handling increased responsibilities as a scorer, rebounder and facilitator. In three prior games with Murray sidelined, Fears averaged 18.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Thompson is expected to take the court, and he’ll look to stay productive after averaging 19.8 points and five triples across his last six games.
As expected, Giannis will take the court against Cleveland. The superstar forward has averaged 26 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists across 38 career matchups with the Cavs.
Though Gillespie has played well, he hasn’t been as impactful so far this season due to his role being limited. This was his fourth game scoring in double figures this season and his second straight. If he were to see his role expand for any reason, Gillespie would become a must-roster player. For now, he’s just worth keeping an eye on.
After scoring just 17 points in Tuesday’s win, which was a game he only played 29 minutes due to the lopsided score, Booker was able to get back on track in this one. He matched his season high for both steals and three-pointers in the win while also scoring at least 30 points for the fifth time this season. He has been excellent this season and will look to stay hot against the Lakers on Sunday to wrap up the week.
It has taken White some time to get going after missing the start of the year, and he’s still on a minutes restriction, but he was able to have his highest scoring performance of the season in this game. Despite playing less than 20 minutes, White led Charlotte in scoring in what was his best game of the season. Hopefully his role will increase as the season progresses, but he is already starting to tick up his production.
Hyland had his best game of the season in what ended up being a blowout win for Minnesota. He set season highs for both points and three-pointers while matching his season high for assists. Hyland has been a solid reserve for the Wolves this season, though the production hasn’t come consistently. Despite a fantastic performance, he isn’t worth adding in most formats due to a limited role.
It wasn’t a monster game for LaMelo, but it didn’t need to be. He made the most of his 25 minutes on the court in the blowout win. This was his fifth straight game with at least 20 points, and he set a new season high for assists. LaMelo took some time to get going, but he is starting to get into a groove with Anthony Edwards sidelined. Minnesota has now won five straight games and will look to extend their streak with the Bulls coming to town on Saturday.
Risacher was the leading scorer for Dallas in this game, though most of his work came after the result had been decided. Risacher had a strong start to the season, specifically on the defensive end. However, he has cooled off a bit in recent weeks, though this was a nice outing for him. However, in the month of November, he has only scored in double figures in the games that were decided by at least 35 points, making him a difficult player to trust in fantasy basketball.
Washington got off to a hot start to this game, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. Unfortunately, foul trouble limited him to just 16 minutes, and he didn’t score over the final three quarters. That pretty much sums this game up for Dallas, as they were outscored by 31 points after the first quarter. They were completely dominated in this game, though Washington was able to start off well, so that is something, I suppose. They’ll look to bounce back in Cleveland on Saturday.
A big fourth quarter led to Trae setting a new season high for scoring. In fact, this was his first 30-point, 10-assist game as a Wizard and the 92nd of his career, which ranks fifth in NBA history. Unfortunately, after scoring his 33rd point at the buzzer with an incredible three-pointer to force overtime, he shot 0-of-7 from the floor in overtime, with the four extra points coming at the free throw line. Still, it was an excellent night for him and was certainly his best performance as a Wizard. It is also worth noting that AJ Dybantsa, despite a rough night, hit a tough mid-range shot to force the second overtime, which was a fun moment for the rookie.
Though he ended up fouling out early in the second overtime, AD still had more than enough time to make his impact felt in this game. This was his fourth straight game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, though he was able to set a new season high for boards in this one. Though AD will always have his question marks, he’s one of the most dominant players in fantasy basketball when he’s on the court. He’ll look to stay hot against the Rockets to wrap up the week on Sunday.
It has been a rough start to the season for Sarr, especially on the offensive end. However, he was excellent in this one. He set a new season high for scoring and started the game shooting 10-of-10 from the floor. He didn’t miss a shot until overtime. This was the fourth 30-point game of his career, and it was by far his best outing of the season. Hopefully this is the type of performance he’ll be able to build on after a slow start to the year.
Reed may have been bumped to the bench two games ago, but that doesn’t mean his value is gone. He proved that in this game, and he was part of the closing lineup instead of John Collins. Keep an eye on the starting lineup for their next game in Miami on Saturday. Reed could return to the starting unit, but even if he doesn’t, he should play enough to be worth rostering.
Thompson did a little bit of everything for Detroit in this game, which included the first triple-double of his career and a new career high for assists to go with a massive impact on the defensive end. Thompson’s rebounding and assist numbers have been way up to start the season, which has helped make up for a drop in defensive stats and field goal percentage, though he was excellent in all of those categories in this one. He is one of the best defensive players in the league, and he was able to get it done on offensive as well on Thursday.
Cunningham set a new career high for scoring in this game, with 30 of those 52 coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. However, the most impressive part of his performance was that he didn’t turn the ball over once, which led to him becoming the first player with at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game without turning it over. This was one of the best games anyone has had this season, and it came after he scored a total of 31 points over Detroit’s last two games. It was good to see him not only get back on track, but to truly dominate. He’ll look to carry some of this production with him to Miami on Saturday to wrap up the week.
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