NBA Player News

Barrett chipped in 16 points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 7-8 FT), three rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over 30 minutes during Wednesday's 113-95 loss to the Pistons.

Barrett appears to be just about all the way back from an ankle sprain that plagued him in the middle of January. The star swingman has averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 three-pointers in 27.0 minutes per contest in his last eight games, though he's still shaking off some rust while hitting just 29.4 percent of his three-point attempts.

Ayton won't play in Thursday's game against Dallas due to right knee soreness, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

Given the nature of the issue, it's fair to anticipate Ayton being able to return right away once the Lakers return from the All-Star break. Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber are primed to split the center minutes Thursday, with the former being the more appealing fantasy option of the two.

Thompson closed with four points (2-3 FG), four rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 24 minutes during Wednesday's 113-95 victory over the Raptors.

While Wednesday's effort was relatively muted, Thompson has bounced back nicely overall from a shaky start to the season. The versatile forward has averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest in his last 12 games, shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. That said, Thompson's subpar foul shooting and lack of outside scoring could continue to limit his minutes to the 20s.

Yabusele logged 13 points (5-12 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes during Wednesday's 124-105 loss to the Celtics.

Although Yabusele has impressed during his brief time in Chicago following the departure of Nikola Vucevic, it'll be interesting to see what kind of role he plays once Jalen Smith (calf) gets back on the court. Yabusele has averaged 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.5 three-pointers in 26.8 minutes per contest in his last four games, connecting on 41.7 percent of his three-point shots.

Demin chipped in 13 points (3-8 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in 32 minutes during Wednesday's 115-110 loss to the Pacers.

Now that Cam Thomas is out of the mix altogether, the Nets could be even more inclined to give Demin an extended look during the final third of the season. It's been a rocky ride so far for the rookie first-rounder, who has shown plenty of upside as a shooter with averages of 13.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 three-pointers in 27.6 minutes per contest in his last eight games.

Bailey provided 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-6 3Pt), four rebounds and four assists over 31 minutes during Wednesday's 121-93 victory over Sacramento.

After a rough start to his career, the first-year forward is starting to showcase the potential that made him the No. 5 overall pick in this past year's draft. Over his last 12 appearances, Bailey has averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 three-pointers in 32.6 minutes per contest.

Nurkic finished with eight points (4-6 FG, 0-1 3Pt), nine rebounds, four assists and one steal in 26 minutes during Wednesday's 121-93 victory over Sacramento.

Utah's intentions when it comes to how much Nurkic will play down the stretch remain unclear, but what's certain is that the veteran center is producing at a high level when available. Nurkic has averaged 14.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 three-pointers in 29.4 minutes per contest in his last 16 games, shooting 47.2 percent from long range during this period.

Williams amassed nine points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt), five rebounds, two assists and three steals across 25 minutes during Wednesday's 121-93 victory over Sacramento.

Williams is carving out a steady role for himself, but his style of play isn't translating into much fantasy relevance on the whole. The forward has averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 26.4 minutes per contest in his last 10 games, so his appeal is very limited outside of swipes.

Gobert contributed 17 points (5-7 FG, 7-10 FT), eight rebounds and one assist over 28 minutes during Wednesday's 133-109 victory over the Trail Blazers.

Gobert took a step in the right direction at the free-throw line Wednesday, but he's hitting a career-low 50.2 percent for the season. As for his counting stats, Gobert is averaging a double-double with 11.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.7 dimes and 1.6 blocks per contest.

Markkanen is out for Thursday's game against Portland for rest purposes.

Fantasy managers can expect the star forward to return when the Jazz get back from the All-Star break, which is the Feb. 20 matchup in Memphis. Kyle Filipowski appears to be lined up for a featured role at power forward and warrants streaming consideration in all fantasy leagues Thursday.