Joe Kaiser, ESPN Staff Writer 3y

Fantasy basketball 30: Red-hot Curry in Philadelphia

NBA, Fantasy

Who is trending up? Which rotations are changing? And what's the latest with the notable injuries around the NBA?

Here's a list of the most fantasy relevant news and notes for all 30 teams:


Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks went after Bogdan Bogdanovic over the offseason to upgrade their perimeter shooting, and the 28-year-old shooting guard has certainly delivered. Bogdanovic's 42.0 3FG% is would not only be a career high if the season ended today - it would shatter his previous high of 39.2% set during his rookie season. Bogdanovic is also on pace to set new career highs in FG% (45.7), FT% (89.2), and RPG (3.8).

Boston Celtics: Very quietly, Celtics rookie Aaron Nesmith has emerged in recent games with Kemba Walker (oblique) out of the lineup, reaching 15 points in each of the past three contests and averaging 2.7 3PG during that span. Nesmith is one to watch, especially heading into next season, as he appears to be a nice piece to go with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but with Walker expected back in the Celtics lineup on Wednesday we may have already seen the best of Nesmith for this season.

Brooklyn Nets: James Harden hasn't played in a game since April 5 - a whole month now - due to a hamstring injury, and he doesn't appear particularly close to a return with the Nets having just six games left on the regular season schedule. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have picked up the scoring load, as expected, and KD has been particularly impressive of late. Durant has gone for 42 points in two of the past three games.

Charlotte Hornets: P.J. Washington missed last game due to personal reasons. Miles Bridges is now out 10-14 days due to health and safety protocols. And now Devonte Graham has been listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Bulls due to a knee contusion. It's going to be the LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier show against Chicago, especially if Washington misses that one.

Chicago Bulls: According to Shams Charania, the Bulls are expected to have Zach LaVine (health and safety protocols) available for Thursday's game against the Hornets. LaVine hasn't played since April 14 against Orlando, but is wrapping up a career year where he has established personal bests with 27.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 5.1 APG to go with 50.6 FG%, 41.6 3FG% and 84.8 FT%. LaVine is positioned to be a high second-round pick next season.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland's sprained left ankle is going to cost him at least one more game, as the young guard has already been ruled out for Wednesday against the Blazers. This will be the third consecutive game missed for Garland, and in the previous two games that's meant a huge workload for Cedi Osman, who played 38 minutes against the Heat on Saturday and 45 in an overtime loss to the Suns on Tuesday.

Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis has already been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Nets, which guarantees at least a fourth-straight missed game. Dorian Finney-Smith and Willie Cauley-Stein are the main options who benefit from Porzingis' absence, and each are worth a flyer as streaming options in deeper leagues.

Denver Nuggets: The mid-season addition of Aaron Gordon may have made the Nuggets a better team, but it didn't help Gordon's fantasy numbers. The veteran forward has failed to reach double-figures scoring in each of the past three games and has seen his averages plummet to 10.5 PPG and 4.8 RPG in the 20 games he's played with Denver. His assists have also taken a nose-dive, going from 4.2 per game with Orlando this season to 2.4 per game with the Nuggets.

Detroit Pistons: Rostering Jerami Grant has been a frustrating experience for fantasy managers during the past month, with the athletic forward missing a lot of games due to a sore right knee, and Grant is out again for Thursday's game against the Grizzlies. The veteran plans to return to the lineup on Saturday against the 76ers.

Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry became the fastest to ever record 300 made 3-pointers in a season, needing just 58 games to achieve the feat. Curry's 31.5 PPG puts him on pace to set single-season career-high in scoring, and his 12.4 3FGA and 5.3 3FGM would also be personal highs. What an incredible season for the 33-year-old Warriors legend.

Houston Rockets: Christian Wood is doubtful for Wednesday's game against the 76ers due to ankle and quad injuries, which should leave Kelly Olynyk and Kenyon Martin Jr. with an opportunity to put up strong fantasy numbers. Even with Wood in the lineup, Martin went for 13 points, six rebounds and a block in 32 minutes against the tough Knicks defense on Sunday and 16 points, nine rebounds and a block against the Warriors on Saturday. Additionally, Jae'Sean Tate has been ruled out due to health and safety protocols, another big blow for the Rockets.

Indiana Pacers: The wait has paid off for fantasy managers who held on to Domantas Sabonis when the prized Pacers big man missed two weeks at the critical stage of the fantasy season. In the two games he's played since returning to the court, Sabonis has averaged 29.0 PPG, 19.0 RPG, 11.5 APG and 2.0 SPG. It certainly helped to play the lowly defenses of Oklahoma City and Washington in those games, but it's still encouraging to see no ill-effects from the back injury that forced him to miss time.

LA Clippers: Reggie Jackson continues to come up big for the Clippers and fantasy managers alike, despite being rostered in only 11.5% of ESPN leagues. Jackson went for 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal in the win over the Raptors on Tuesday, and is averaging 15.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.9 APG and 0.8 SPG during the past nine games.

Los Angeles Lakers: Adrian Wojnarowski provided an insightful update on LeBron James Wednesday on Get Up. "I think [LeBron] is going to try to play again in the regular season. ... He probably can't get [the ankle] fully healthy until the offseason. He's going to have to play with discomfort in the playoffs." That doesn't sound very promising for those fantasy managers who are holding out hope for LeBron in the fantasy championship.

Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. has played six games since making his season debut, but the impact has been minimal as he knocks off the rust from the long layoff. JJJ has yet to start a game this season and has averaged just 21.5 MPG while shooting career lows in FG% (43.8) and 3FG% (22.2). The hope for the Grizzlies and fantasy managers alike is that this late-season stretch of games puts Jackson in better position to be at full speed heading into 2021-22.

Miami Heat: Duncan Robinson recently became the fastest player to ever reach 500 3-pointers in NBA history. Who saw that coming? Robinson, who didn't really get started until last season, averaged 3.7 3PG last season and followed that up with 3.5 3PG this season. While Robinson doesn't do enough other things to make him much of an option in points leagues, that 3-point specialist role makes him a very valuable fantasy option in roto leagues for years to come.

Milwaukee Bucks: Look up most underrated fantasy hoops players, and the photo that shows up should be one guy: Khris Middleton. As usual, the versatile veteran has stuffed the stat sheet this season, making him a terrific contributor in all fantasy league formats, but one area where he's been better than ever - partially due to the mid-season absence of Jrue Holiday - is as a distributor. Middleton's 5.5 APG is well above his previous season-high of 4.3, which he did each of the past two seasons.

Minnesota Timberwolves: There has been some concern this season about Anthony Edwards's lack of efficiency, but clearly the 19-year-old has worlds of talent and potential. There is also this: Edwards is shooting a respectable 34.1% from 3-point range during the past 10 games. Encouraging. The future is so bright for Edwards and his fantasy value.

New Orleans Pelicans: Consistency remains the big bugaboo with Lonzo Ball. Time it right, and he can vault a team to the fantasy championship. Time it wrong, and he can cost a team the title. Case in point: Ball's last four games, all against below average defenses - OKC, MIN, GS and GS. Ball went for six points on 3-12 shooting against the Thunder, then followed that with 33 points against the Timberwolves, then seven against the Warriors, then 33 the next night against the same Warriors. Until the consistency improves, Ball is a tough guy to build around, but that tantalizing upside makes him one of the better "puzzle pieces" in the fantasy landscape.

New York Knicks: Nerlens Noel sprained his left ankle on Sunday and missed one game, but the veteran center is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday against the Nuggets. Noel has reemerged on the fantasy scene this season, at least in roto leagues, due to his stellar combination of high FG% and blocks and steals. His 2.2 BPG this season is on pace to shatter his previous best of 1.9 set during his rookie season way back in 2014-15 with Philadelphia.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Fantasy gurus have written plenty about the many under-the-radar options on the Thunder at this stage in the season, and here's another - Gabriel Deck. The rookie forward who recently signed a four-year, $14.5 million deal has played four games for the Thunder, increasing his scoring production in each of them, going from 2 to 8 to 11 to 16. The 6-foot-6, 231-pound Real Madrid product is worth keeping tabs on in the final weeks of the season.

Orlando Magic: The Magic are looking at shutting down a number of players on the team who are battling injuries. That list includes Chuma Okeke (ankle sprain), Michael Carter-Williams (ankle sprain), James Ennis (sore calf), Otto Porter Jr. (foot pain) and Terrence Ross (back spasms). That leaves seven games where guys Mo Bamba, Cole Anthony, Wendell Carter Jr., Gary Harris and R.J. Hampton are in position to be strong fantasy options.

Philadelphia 76ers: This just in - the Currys can shoot. Seth Curry followed up his 6-6 display from long range on Sunday against the Spurs with a 3-5 performance against the Bulls on Monday. Curry, who has played for seven NBA teams, is a 44.2% shooter from distance. Believe it or not, that puts him ahead of his brother Steph, who is a career 43.4% 3-point shooter.

Phoenix Suns: Fantasy managers who were depending on Deandre Ayton for scoring and efficiency were stung last week, as the former No. 1 overall pick shot 2-8 against the Clippers and scored only five points and later went 1-4 with another woeful five-point showing against the lowly Thunder. Just a brutal stretch at an untimely part of the season for a solid player. If anything, this could cause at least one fantasy manger in every league to have Ayton on their "do not draft" list next season.

Portland Trail Blazers: While Norman Powell's numbers have taken a hit since the trade to the Trail Blazers, the veteran swingman has still proven to be an impactful fantasy option. He has averaged 1.9 3PG and 1.4 SPG in 21 games with Portland, while also adding 17.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 2.0 APG. Powell is still available in 16.5% of ESPN leagues.

Sacramento Kings: All eyes turn to Delon Wright in Sacramento for the rest of the season, as Tyrese Haliburton (left knee) is expected to miss the rest of the season and De'Aaron Fox (health and safety protocols) is also out. Wright erupted for 13 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and four steals against the Thunder on Tuesday. Wright remains available in 26.3% of ESPN leagues.

San Antonio Spurs: A 15.0 PER is league average and on this Spurs roster, the only two players with any distance above that mark are Dejounte Murray (16.7) and DeMar DeRozan (22.3). DeRozan's PER is the second-best of his career, and one of the reasons for it is that the veteran shot a career-best 88.5% from the free throw line while still getting there 7.3 times per game. Not bad for a 31-year-old nearing the end of his 12th NBA season.

Toronto Raptors: Khem Birch has started 11 straight games for the Raptors and the former Magic big man has opened some eyes and made himself worthy of being on fantasy rosters. In 13 games with Toronto, Birch has a 58.8 FG% and has averaged 10.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 1.1 BPG. He remains available in 32.5% of ESPN leagues.

Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert entered 2020-21 with seven NBA seasons under his belt, a well-established veteran and one of the game's top shot blockers. But typically, at this stage in the career of 7-footers, the shot-blocking prowess starts to fade. Not the case with Gobert. In fact, the 28-year-old's 2.8 BPG puts him on pace to beat his previous career high of 2.6 BPG set back in 2016-17.

Washington Wizards: Lost in all the talk of Russell Westbrook's inefficiency this season is the fact that his 31.4 3FG% is actually his highest mark from long range since the 2016-17 season in Oklahoma City. Westbrook also happens to be on pace to set new career highs in RPG (11.3) and APG (11.2). What a turnaround it has been this season for one of the most athletic guards the NBA has ever seen.

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