NBA Player News

Small posted 13 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes during Friday's 117-112 loss to Boston.

The rookie second-rounder started Friday due to the absence of Cedric Coward (personal) and certainly took advantage of his playing time to deliver another productive showing. Regardless of whether he's starting or coming off the bench, it's worth noting that Small has scored in double digits in five of his last six games -- as well as in six of nine since the beginning of March. Throughout the current month, the rookie out of WVU is averaging 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists while averaging 24.7 minutes per game in nine appearances (four starts).

Garza provided 22 points (9-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-5 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and one steal across 27 minutes during Friday's 117-112 victory over the Grizzlies.

Despite coming off the bench, Garza was one of the most productive players for the Celtics in this tight win and ended up delivering a new season-high mark in scoring. Don't expect the big man to suddenly become a reliable scoring weapon for Boston, let alone a player you should target in fantasy ahead of the playoffs. This was likely a one-off performance for the big man, who has scored at least 15 points in just nine of his 60 appearances in 2025-26. Garza was averaging just 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in March before this 22-point explosion.

Queta produced 12 points (4-4 FG, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes during Friday's 117-112 victory over Memphis.

Aside from notching his fourth double-double since the beginning of the month, it's worth noting that Queta also achieved this feat by not missing any of his shots from the field. His offensive touches will be even more inconsistent now that Jayson Tatum is back in the lineup, but the big man is making the most of his opportunities. Queta is averaging 10.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in March while shooting 62.7 percent from the floor.

Etienne (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Friday in the Nets' 93-92 loss to the Knicks.

Though Brooklyn was without five players Friday, head coach Jordi Fernandez still elected to leave Etienne, Jalen Wilson and E.J. Liddell out of his 10-man rotation. Etienne had been a more regular presence in the rotation than the other two players of late, appearing in each of the previous six contests while averaging 8.5 points, 2.2 three-pointers, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.7 minutes per contest. Brooklyn could get Terance Mann (illness) back for its next game Sunday in Sacramento, making it difficult to count on Etienne regaining a spot on the second unit.

White registered 14 points (6-15 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 0-1 FT), five rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals over 36 minutes during Friday's 117-112 victory over Memphis.

The Celtics ended up getting the win, but White didn't have his best performance. Even though managers in point-based leagues will be happy to see White leaving his mark in the five major categories, this game marked the third out of the last four in which White failed to surpass the 15-point mark. White has shot just 32.4 percent from three-point range over that four-game stretch, and as low as that number looks, it's not too far from his season-long average of 32.6 percent -- a clear downgrade after he made at least 38.0 percent from deep in the previous three campaigns.

Claxton supplied eight points (4-7 FG) and seven rebounds in 22 minutes during Friday's 93-92 loss to New York.

Claxton has been slumping badly in recent weeks, and Friday's loss means he's now scored in double digits in just two of his nine appearances since the beginning of March. Over that stretch, the veteran big man has averaged just 7.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, as this month has been his least productive of the season by a wide margin.

Valanciunas (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Friday's 121-115 win over the Raptors.

Heading into Friday, Valanciunas' spot in the Denver rotation appeared to be tenuous, as the veteran center had logged seven minutes or fewer in five of the Nuggets' previous seven contests. With Friday's contest proving to be tightly contested throughout, Nuggets head coach David Adelman finally pulled the plug on Valanciunas, who was handed his first DNP-CD of the season. Valanciunas' odds of re-emerging in the rotation will only grow dimmer moving forward, as the imminent return of Peyton Watson (hamstring) could result in Aaron Gordon logging more minutes as a small-ball center whenever starter Nikola Jokic is off the court.

Minott accumulated 22 points (8-13 FG, 6-9 3Pt), five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 26 minutes during Friday's 93-92 loss to New York.

Minott came close to matching the career-best 24-point output he had against the Hawks on March 12, and the four-year veteran is making the most of his expanded opportunities of late. Minott has logged at least 20 minutes off the bench in four of his last five appearances, a stretch in which he's posted double-digit scoring figures three times. He's averaging 15.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in that five-game span.

Traore amassed 11 points (3-11 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and one steal over 24 minutes before fouling out of Friday's 93-92 loss to New York.

Traore had a rough shooting performance and needed 11 shots to score 11 points, but fantasy managers will gladly overlook the shooting woes if Traore continues to deliver decent numbers in several categories. He finished just three assists away from notching a double-double, something he hasn't accomplished since Feb. 9, and this was the second straight game in which he had at least 10 points and six assists. The rookie has started in every one of his 16 appearances since the All-Star break, and with Egor Demin (foot) out for the rest of the campaign, he should continue to see regular playing time in the final weeks of the regular season.

Diawara racked up eight points (2-4 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes during Friday's 93-92 win over the Nets.

Diawara didn't have a lot of touches on offense, but he certainly made his presence felt in this 19-minute cameo off the bench. However, these numbers won't be enough to make Diawara relevant in most fantasy formats. He's scored in double digits in just two of his 11 appearances off the bench in March, a stretch in which he's averaging 6.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 14.9 minutes per contest.