Category: Basketball

Mid-season fantasy basketball roster management requires exploiting market value, especially with recent NBA injuries sidelining key players like Zion Williamson. This guide offers essential trade tips to help you capitalize on the changing landscape.

We analyze prime buy-low targets such as Shaedon Sharpe, who is due to regain his starting role after a calf injury, and Naz Reid, who offers immense upside should his star teammates miss time. Conversely, we advise looking to sell high on LaMelo Ball while he is healthy and look to hold value like Ryan Rollins, whose prominent role remains secure despite Kevin Porter Jr.'s return.

Buy

Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers

Sharpe recently missed four games with a calf injury. He has come off the bench in all three games since making his return, playing 22 minutes or fewer in two of them. However, he did play 30 minutes in Tuesday's loss to the Raptors. Over those three games, he averaged 13.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals.

Prior to suffering his injury, Sharpe had started the first 14 games for the Trail Blazers. During that span, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in 29 minutes per game. The Trail Blazers are likely being cautious with their young guard right now, as calf injuries can become a more serious issue if not handled properly. He should return to his normal starting role and minutes in the near future, so see if you can acquire him now at a discount.

Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves

Last season, Reid set career highs by averaging 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 three-pointers per game. The main reason for his increased production was that he averaged 28 minutes. Prior to that, he had never played more than 24 minutes a game in his career. There was a 17-game stretch at one point in the season in which he started and averaged 36 minutes with Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert both missing parts of it because of injuries. During that span, he averaged 18.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 2.8 three-pointers.

Reid's production is down slightly this season at 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 three-pointers a night. His minutes are down to 25 a game. The main reason for his muted numbers is that Randle and Gobert have yet to miss any time. It only takes an injury to either of them for Reid to be vaulted into a leading role. Acquiring him now at a discount could pay off in the long run.

Sell

LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

Ball's scoring is down at 18.9 points per game, but he is averaging 6.1 rebounds and 8.9 assists. He is only shooting 37.8% from the field, which is one of the main reasons for his decline in the scoring department. His usage rate is still high at 31.6%. That puts him on pace to have a usage rate of at least 30.0% for the fourth straight season.

The main reason that Ball is a sell-high candidate right now is that he is healthy. He has played in four straight games, which included both ends of a back-to-back set. That's the first time that he has played both halves of a back-to-back set since the second and third games of the season. Ball has a checkered injury history, and the Hornets are bad again, posting a 6-15 record. Ball runs the risk of another injury and/or rest days down the stretch as the Hornets try to improve their draft lottery odds. Look to move Ball now while he is healthy.

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

James has appeared in five of the Lakers' six games since returning from injury. His minutes have been fine at 32 per game. However, his production is way down at 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 three-pointers per game. He is shooting 46.0% from the field and 55.0% from the free-throw line, but the biggest concern is his 12.6 shot attempts per game. He has never averaged fewer than 18.1 shot attempts for a season in his career.

James is not a sell-high because his production is excellent right now. He's a sell because he probably has more name value than he does actual fantasy value. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are the driving forces behind the Lakers' scoring attack. James can be a good source for assists, but his scoring and rebounding production could remain muted in his current role.

Hold

Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons

Thompson was expected to see a significant increase in playing time this season, and that has come to fruition. After logging 23 minutes per game last season, he has played 28 minutes a game this season. However, he hasn't seen a significant leap in production. He is averaging 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, compared to 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds last season.

The good news with Thompson is that he is averaging 1.5 steals. He's not jacking up a ton of threes, but he is making his three-point attempts at a rate of 33.3%. His trade value isn't all that high right now, especially with Jaden Ivey back from injury. However, he can still be a valuable source for rebounds and steals, while also shooting for a high rate from the field. Hang onto him for the time being.

Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks

An injury to Kevin Porter Jr. in the first game of the season unexpectedly thrust Rollins into a prominent role. He stepped up in a big way, producing a 19-game stretch in which he averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.5 three-pointers. The Bucks played him 33 minutes a night during that span.

Rollins has remained a starter since Porter has returned from injury. He had 10 points and four assists over 31 minutes against the Nets, which he followed up with 14 points and five assists over 30 minutes versus the Wizards. While fewer shot attempts will likely be coming his way with Porter in the fold, Rollins can still provide enough value across the board to be worth holding onto. The Bucks don't have great depth, so Rollins should remain an important part of their team.

Former Lakers center Elden Campbell, who played 8 ½ seasons of his 15-year NBA career with the Los Angeles team he watched while growing up here and attending Morningside High, has died. He was 57.

The cause of death is not known.

Former Lakers teammates and friends offered their condolences Tuesday.

The 6-foot-11 Campbell, who was drafted by the Lakers in the first round out of Clemson in 1990, averaged 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds over his career. He won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, getting his title with a win over the Lakers.

Campbell was known for his seemingly effortless style of play and calm and easy-going demeanor.

Former Laker Byron Scott, who said he knew Campbell’s family because Scott also grew up in Inglewood and went to Morningside, said the news was painful to hear. Scott and Campbell were teammates on the Lakers when Scott returned for his final season back with L.A. in 1996-97.

“I just remember his demeanor. That’s why we nicknamed him ‘Easy E,’ ” Scott told The Times. “He was just so cool, nothing speeding him up. He was going to take his time. He was just easy. He was such a good dude. I loved Easy, man.”

Campbell averaged 14.9 points per game with the Lakers during the 1996-97 season playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Campbell’s best season was with the Charlotte Hornets, when he averaged 15.3 points and 9.4 rebounds.

“This one hurt to the bone,” Cedric Ceballos said on Instagram about his former Lakers teammate. “Grew up as kids together.”

Campbell was part of the 2025 SoCal Basketball Hall of Fame Class.

After leaving Clemson, Campbell was viewed as a big man with vast potential who would become a force in the NBA. He never quite lived up to that billing, but he was a good defender and had a nice scoring touch.

“I thought that if he really, really wanted to be good — and that’s the only thing I would say negative about him — is that had the potential to be a great player,” Scott said. “He just wanted to play. He didn’t work out until his contract was up and he got ready to try to get another one. He didn’t put that time in, but he had some skills. He was big and strong and could jump out of the gym. He had that nice little turnaround jump shot. He didn’t want to be great, to be honest with you. He just wanted to play. But what a good guy.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Jalen Brunson didn't have it on Tuesday night against the Celtics.

The Knicks guard scored a season-low 15 points on 6-for-21 shooting (1-of-8 from three) in New York's 123-117 loss in Boston.

Brunson's performance was indicative of the team's overall poor performance against the rival Celtics. 

After getting out to a fast start, going up by 11 points after the first quarter, the Celtics outscored the Knicks 73-44 in the second and third quarters. And although the Knicks had a furious comeback in the fourth, it wasn't enough as Brunson scored just four points on 2-of-7 shooting in the final frame.

Despite the poor performance, Knicks coach Mike Brown wasn't discouraged by what he saw from the team's captain.

"I felt he got the normal looks that he normally takes," he said after the game. "He’s gotta keep shooting 'em and he’s gotta keep getting to his spots. I thought he got to his spots and I thought he took good threes too, they just didn’t go in. And that happens sometimes. So, a guy like him, he's got to keep letting it fly if he's open. Or if he gets to the spots."

With Brunson struggling, the Knicks leaned on Mikal Bridges for the offensive scoring. 

The forward scored 17 of his season-high 35 points (12-of-17 shooting) in the fourth quarter, hitting four of his eight threes to help cut the Celtics' lead to as low as three points in the final minutes of the game.

Brown was impressed with Bridges' performance and credited him for almost completing the comeback.

"He was feeling it and he was aggressive and I thought our guys did a good job trying to find him, and he hit some big shots for us," Brown said of Bridges. "He was one of the guys trying to will us back into the game offensively."

Bridges' Knicks tenure has been a rocky one. After the team traded five first-round picks for him ahead of last season, the forward didn't necessarily live up to that package. He averaged 17.6 points a game in his first season with New York, a far cry from the 20 points per game he put up in his two years with the Nets. 

And while Bridges entered Tuesday averaging 16.1 points per game, there have been sparks of offensive explosions from the Villanova product among his all-world defense this season. Perhaps Tuesday's performance will carry over 24 hours later when the Knicks take on the Hornets at home in the second of a back-to-back.

The Knicks were defeated by the Boston Celtics 123-117 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

Here are some takeaways...

- The Knicks have been up-and-down on the road this season, but they got off to about as good a start as you could ask for in this one. Josh Hart continued his strong play, dropping 11 points in the first seven minutes, and New York knocked down four of their first seven attempts from downtown to quickly open a double-digit advantage. 

- The Celtics' offense finally found their footing after an early timeout, but New York's hot shooting continued. Boston turned to the 'Hack-A-Mitch' strategy on Mitchell Robinson in an effort to slow down the momentum in down the stretch in the first, but they still found themselves trailing by 11 after 12 minutes. 

- The second quarter was a much different story. The Knicks put together one of their worst quarters of the season, losing their composure after some foul calls didn't go their way, and Boston was able to take advantage. The Celtics used a long run to cut into the deficit, and eventually open an advantage of their own, which they carried into the break (58-52).

- Boston outscored the Knicks 37-20 in the middle frame; their leading scorer, Jaylen Brown, was responsible for 18 of those points, as he finally found his touch after going just 2-for-5 from the field in the opening quarter. 

- The Celtics were able to keep the momentum going coming out of the break. New York eventually found their groove and was able to get the deficit down to six points, but Brown led Boston on another scoring barrage and they carried their largest lead of the game into the final frame (18). 

- The Knicks' second unit helped them regain some momentum in the opening minutes of the fourth. The starters then returned to the court, and behind Mikal Bridges' hot shooting and Karl-Anthony Towns' three-point play, they were able to cut the deficit all the way back down to three points. 

- Clutch buckets from Towns, Hart, and Bridges helped New York hang around down the stretch. The Celtics received big plays of their own from Jordan Walsh and Brown in the closing minutes, though, and they were able to just barely hang on for the victory. Brown finished with a game-high 42 points on 16-of-24 from the field.

- Derrick White knocked down four threes, Walsh had eight points on a perfect night from the field and six rebounds. 

- Jalen Brunson tied his season-high with 11 assists, but shot an inefficient 6-of-21 from the field (15 points). With the captain struggling it was Bridges who led the way for the Knicks' offense, finishing with 35 points on 12-of-17 from the field and 8-of-12 from three-point land. 

- Towns had 29 points and brought in seven boards, Hart ended with 19 and seven boards of his own. 

Game MVP: Jaylen Brown

Brown took things over after a quiet first quarter, finishing with a game-high 42 points. 

Highlights

Josh Hart drills the three to open the scoring! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2xbCLg1tT1

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025

DEUUUUUCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEE pic.twitter.com/oLERAaV8n0

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025

JOSH HART 🎯 pic.twitter.com/uHHFPzpR0s

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025

Tyler Kolek with the floater! pic.twitter.com/WeUV5plihr

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025

What's next

The Knicks return to MSG to host the Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Thunder show Warriors why they can threaten Golden State's historic 73-9 mark originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors own the most impressive of regular-season NBA team records, most wins in a season. They took it from Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls not quite 10 years ago, but it’s already facing extinction.

They now know why: The Oklahoma City Thunder want the record — and have the goods to take it.

The Thunder rolled into the Bay Area on Tuesday night flashing such shiny possessions as month-old NBA championship rings and a gaudy 20-1 record that sits high atop the league. Golden State, for all its gallant second-half effort to get close, didn’t have enough to avoid a 124-112 loss because OKC’s closing lineup turned lethal.

The Warriors’ comeback attempt was inspiring insofar as it came without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III. Coach Steve Kerr turned to random lineups, and they worked – until they didn’t.

“I didn’t learn much,” Draymond Green said of the second half, when the Warriors outscored the Thunder 68-61. “But I hope our guys learned that if we play hard, we can compete with anybody.

“Whether Jimmy is out there or Steph is out there or not, it’s going to be much tougher. The margin for error is a lot less. But you give yourself a chance, and that’s all you can ask for. I hope that’s what we collectively learned.”

To be fair, OKC was taking full advantage of weakened prey. Curry is sidelined with a quad contusion, and Butler, a game-time decision with gluteal contusion, played 15 valiant first-half minutes before hobbling into the night with a sore left knee.

Yet the Warriors, who trailed by as much as 22 in the third quarter, got back in the game. With Seth Curry (14 points in 14 minutes in his Golden State debut) and Pat Spencer (15 points in 12 second-half minutes) leading the charge, the Warriors even took a lead inside the final five minutes, momentarily delighting the sellout crowd (18,064) at Chase Center.

The Thunder’s response was typical of a champion. Neither flinching nor blinking, they ignored the blood on their face and started coming at the Warriors like a squadron of specially trained soldiers, calmly smothering their offense, surgically eviscerating their defense and leaving them for the buzzards with a blistering 18-5 closing run over the final 4:40.

When the Thunder was seriously threatened, their leaders – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren – turned clinical when it mattered most. OKC took eight shots inside over the final 4:40 and made seven.

“They’re 21-1 for a reason,” Kerr said. “Shai is the MVP for a reason. He goes 5 of 6 from three; the step back at the top of the circle was a huge shot. And it’s one you kind of have to live with. You don’t want him getting to the rim. And they made big shots. Isaiah Joe made a corner three. Jalen Williams made a big shot.

“So, give them credit. They’re NBA champs for a reason.”

Champs, yes, but the Thunder are aiming higher. They want to accomplish what the Warriors did not in 2016, which is set a record for wins and then repeat as champions.

“It’s hard, man, but I do think they’re capable,” Green said. “You just need so many things to go right though. Like health, which they kind of plow right through health, so it really don’t matter. You need a lot of breaks to go your way.

“They’re on the right track. And like I said, they’re more than capable. I think 73 wins took some years off my life. It’s hard. But like I said, they’re capable of a lot.”

"I think 73 wins took some years off my life." 😅

Draymond believes the Thunder are "more than capable" of passing the 2015-16 Warriors' record pic.twitter.com/ajyWURdQk6

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 3, 2025

The Warriors concluded their five-game homestand with a 2-3 record and will be at .500 (11-11) when they fly to Philadelphia on Wednesday to open a three-game tour through the Eastern Conference.

They’ll fly to Philly without Curry, who will stay in the Bay Area and rehab with Rick Celebrini, with the belief that he’ll be cleared when the Warriors return home and face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 12. Butler’s immediate availability is in question.

The Warriors are trying to find themselves while shorthanded.

Meanwhile, OKC will go home with a 21-1 record that puts it well within reach of the record 73 wins Golden State compiled in the 2015-16 NBA season. They might not get there, but they seem to have the necessary thirst for triumph.

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Seth Curry, unsurprisingly, fits seamlessly with Warriors in loss to Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — If anyone can ignite a Chase Center crowd in an instant, it’s a Curry.

Without superstar Steph Curry (quad contusion) for Tuesday’s 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center, his younger brother, Seth, who Golden State re-signed on Monday after waiving before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, provided that signature Curry spark with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range in 17 minutes in his Warriors debut.

Curry helped fuel a monstrous 44-28 third quarter for Golden State, which trailed by 19 points at halftime before storming back to lead by as many as four points in the fourth quarter.

“It felt good, it felt good,” Curry shared postgame. “I’ve been waiting to get on this floor for a while now and the fans showed me a lot of love when I stepped on the floor and it felt good to go out there and make my first shot, kind of ease the pressure a little bit. And then from there, I’m just playing basketball.”

Seth’s performance, albeit not the typical Earth-shattering “Curry Flurry” that Golden State has grown accustomed to over the years, was impressive, and came as no surprise to Warriors coach Steve Kerr and his new teammates.

“He comes from the greatest shooting family in the history of basketball,” Kerr said. He’s a pro, the guy’s been around for a long time and he’s helped win a lot of games for a lot of teams. He kept himself ready and he just knows how to play. He’s in the right place at the right time, he doesn’t turn it over, he’s a good passer and he fights defensively. It’s great to have him.”

“It’s in his blood,” Warriors guard Pat Spencer added. “He’s always been a shooter, man. He’s got the green light to shoot it from anywhere on the floor just like his brother. We have full confidence it’s going in.”

Tuesday’s game was Curry’s first real NBA action since April 11 of last season, when he scored 17 points for the Charlotte Hornets in a loss to the Boston Celtics.

There appeared to be no sign of rust.

“It felt normal, it felt natural,” Curry said about his return to the court. “I was a little nervous, I wasn’t sure how I would feel when I got out there. It’s probably been seven, eight months since I played a game, but once I got up and down a couple times, it was basketball. Nothing new.”

The Warriors are hoping to have Steph, who will not travel with the team on its upcoming three-game road trip, back for the Dec. 12 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While his absence leaves a massive void in the starting lineup that nobody can fill, Golden State knows Seth is more than capable of replicating some of what his older brother can do on the court.

“Just to add that level of shooting,” forward Draymond Green explained. “He’s led the league in 3-point percentage multiple times, and at one point, I know he was the career leader … Just being able to add Seth and him come out and get going. What he did tonight was great for us, but the one thing we know he can do and we expect him to do is shoot the ball, so it’s on us to make sure we get him looks.”

For one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, that seems like the right call.

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