Category: Basketball

Whether you’re in a Yahoo! High Score league, a Sleeper league, a league with a games cap or simply have so many players with games scheduled that you can’t start them all, making a decision about who to start or sit can help you win or lose your matchup.

Obviously, in many leagues, having more games played each week ends up being the difference in a matchup. This is not me saying to bench a player in a points league without a games cap. Even if I’m expecting a terrible game, five points is better than zero!

The Nets, Hornets, Mavericks, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Magic, Trail Blazers, Kings and Spurs play twice this weekend, so if you’re just looking to maximize games, prioritize those teams.

Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report: Austin Reaves returns, Ace Bailey joins the starting lineup

Each week we’ll dig into shifting rotations, uncovering which players deserve more attention in fantasy basketball.

• Eric Samulski,

▶ Guards

Start: Miles McBride, New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson is dealing with an ankle injury, and while there hasn’t been any report that would indicate a long-term absence yet, getting out in front of it is a good idea. If McBride starts multiple games, he’s a valuable streamer. At minimum, he should have a strong performance against the Heat on Friday. Brunson has already been ruled out for that game, so McBride should start. Miami plays at a faster pace than anyone in the league, which should help boost McBride’s stats.

Start: Sam Merrill, Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s unclear how long Darius Garland (toe) will be sidelined, but Merrill will continue to start in his place. The Cavs only have one game this weekend, but it’s against a Grizzlies team that hasn’t defended the three-point line well this season. This is a great opportunity for Merrill to get back on track; he opened the year as a starter and averaged 4.5 triples per game across their first four games before suffering a hip injury.

Sit: Donte DiVincenzo, Minnesota Timberwolves

DiVincenzo has struggled the last three games with Anthony Edwards back (though he was good in Edwards’ return), and this weekend isn’t going to get any easier. Minnesota plays the Kings and the Nuggets. Sacramento hasn’t been great lately, but they’ve done a decent job at defending three-pointers this year. Plus, there’s the added motivation from head coach Doug Christie after their last game, which came in a threat to switch up the starting unit. Denver has been one of the best teams at defending the three-point line this year. This isn’t a great chance for DiVincenzo to get back on track.

Sit: Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets

Sheppard is starting to figure things out, but this weekend isn’t ideal for him. The Rockets play the Trail Blazers and Magic, and both teams rank in the top four in fewest three-pointers allowed per game. Sheppard has hit at least four triples in three straight games and knocked down a season-best five treys against Washington on Wednesday, but that streak could certainly come to an end.

▶ Forwards

Start: Bogdan Bogdanovic, LA Clippers

With Bradley Beal (hip) set to miss the rest of the season, John Collins has moved into the starting lineup, but it’s Bogdanovic that has been more productive. Over his last three appearances, he has averaged 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 three-pointers in 26 minutes per game. He has two games this weekend, and while the matchups aren’t ideal, he has been effective when Beal is injured.

Start: Noah Clowney, Brooklyn Nets

Clowney has been starting for Brooklyn, and he has been really productive in four of their last five games. The matchup with the Magic on Friday isn’t an easy one, but it’s an opportunity for him. However, it’s the game against the Wizards on Sunday that is intriguing. Washington has the worst defense in the league, which makes it a great opportunity for Clowney to have a productive night.

Sit: Trendon Watford, Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers only have one game this weekend, and it’s against the Pistons, who have been elite on defense this season, especially in the paint. Since that surprising triple-double, Watford has been disappointing. He may continue to start, but the return of Dominick Barlow (elbow) could cut into Watford’s minutes.

Sit: Dillon Brooks, Phoenix Suns

Brooks is coming off one of the best offensive performances of his career, but his lone outing this weekend will come against one of the best defensive teams in the league. The limited opportunity combined with a matchup against the Hawks makes this a suboptimal weekend for Brooks.

▶ Centers

Start: Moussa Diabate, Charlotte Hornets

Ryan Kalkbrenner (personal) has been ruled out against the Bucks on Friday, which will be at least one start for Diabate. They play again on Saturday against the Thunder, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Kalkbrenner missed both. Diabate has been solid as a reserve, but his ceiling and minutes will both rise significantly with Kalkbrenner unavailable.

Start: Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans

It’s not really about matchups here; Queen is just playing too well to not start him. Queen isn’t starting yet, but he’s playing starter minutes. He had a career-best 26 points and played 38 minutes on Wednesday. The Lakers and Warriors aren’t easy matchups, but they shouldn’t scare managers away as Queen breaks out.

Sit: Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat

Miami only has one game this weekend, and it comes against the Knicks, who have been one of the best rebounding teams in the league this season. Ware didn’t do much against the Knicks as a starter earlier this year, but that was with Bam Adebayo available. Adebayo (toe) is still out, so Ware should play more minutes, but this isn’t an ideal matchup for Ware.

Sit: Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks

Lively (knee) will be back on Friday against the Clippers, who rank last in the league in pace. Slower pace leads to fewer shots, which leads to fewer rebound opportunities. Sunday’s matchup with Portland is more favorable, but Gafford and Lively haven’t played together yet this season. Plus, Anthony Davis (calf) could be back. It’s best to play it safe when it comes to the Dallas bigs and wait to figure things out next week; it wouldn’t be shocking if both play 15-20 minutes.

While predicting what the Kings' front office and ownership will do is a futile mission, there is logic to their trying to trade away their veterans at the trade deadline. Sacramento is a 3-9 team — one that is frustrating its coach — with a promising young player in Keegan Murray and an intriguing rookie in Nique Clifford, but not much else to build around. The Kings control their own draft pick this season, so trading away their veterans to focus on the future makes sense.

There is interest around the league in center Domantas Sabonis, Sam Amick of The Athletic said on SacTown Sports (hat tip Real GM).

"So, as it relates to Sabonis, my understanding is there are at least a few teams that have raised their hand to say, 'Yeah, he's somebody we'd want to talk about.' I've said it on your show before — I don't have that sort of information about Zach (LaVine)."

Sabonis, a three-time All-Star and All-NBA selection in 2023 and 2024, is averaging 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game this season, although his efficiency has fallen off sharply, including his shooting just 17.6% from 3-point range. He is a good passer and just 29 years old; teams may think that if they get him in their system, Sabonis will return to form.

That said, Sabonis is making $42.3 million this season and is owed $94.1 million over the two seasons after this one. If a team is going to take him on, they are going to have to want him. Just matching that salary will mean giving up a player of value.

LaVine, 30, is averaging 23.9 points a game and shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc this season, but is more ball dominant than Sabonis. LaVine is making $47.5 million this season with a player option for $48.9 million next season (he would be extension eligible this summer). Considering how difficult the Bulls found it to find a LaVine trade before the deal with the Kings last February (part of a three-team trade involving De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio), it may be asking a lot to expect the Kings to find a deal.

Don't be surprised if Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan and Doug McDermott also come up in trade rumors.

There is a predictable pattern around the NBA: Whenever there is front office upheaval, other teams start to poke around, looking to go bargain shopping on players they like.

Enter the Dallas Mavericks, who fired general manager Nico Harrison and have replaced him with a couple of interim GMs in Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, while a search is underway for a full-time replacement (Riccardi's name is part of that search, and he is rumored to be coach Jason Kidd's guy). With that, other teams are circling, expecting Dallas to make a move eventually, starting with potentially trading Anthony Davis, league sources have told NBC Sports. That is being reported elsewhere as well, here is how Tim Bontemps phrased it at ESPN:

The belief, from sources I spoke to, is that the Mavs moving on from at least Davis, if not both stars, was the optimal strategy. Those moves would help maximize the 2026 first-round pick in a loaded 2026 draft class -- the only selection Dallas controls the rest of this decade -- to reposition the franchise around 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.

Notice how that is phrased: other teams think Dallas should trade Davis — and maybe Kyrie Irving — and essentially tank this season to use their 2026 first-round pick to get a young running mate for Cooper Flagg. That is the strategy I have written here at NBC Sports that the Mavericks should follow. That doesn't mean that is the current thinking in Dallas, especially with both of them out injured (Davis is near a return, but owner Patrick Dumont wants more medical data on Davis' calf strain before okaying his return).

Saying the Mavs should trade Davis is also a lot easier than putting together a workable deal.

Trying to find a Davis trade

There are a lot of moving parts here, let's break it all down.

• Is Dallas going to let its interim GMs make a massive trade like this that sets the future direction of the franchise? The more logical scenario is for the Mavericks to let things play out and then allow the new GM to make the call, but will all that come together in time for the February trade deadline?

• Nobody is going to trade for Davis or Irving until they see them back on the court, healthy and playing well. Until then, everything is pure speculation.

• Neither Davis nor Irving is a 1A, best player on a championship team guy (the Lakers hoped Davis would take that mantle from LeBron, but it never happened, in part because LeBron never faded away that much). Davis and Irving are, at this point, No. 2 or 3 guys on a title team. This means that teams trading for them are not going to give up elite prices — the Mavs are not going to get back what they gave up to acquire Davis. However, if healthy, both players could be important parts of a contending or playoff team. There are just a limited number of those teams, and even fewer looking to trade for a high-priced big man.

• Davis is making $54.1 million this season, and the Dallas Mavericks are hard-capped at the second apron, which they are just $1.3 million below. That combination makes it incredibly difficult to find a trade partner during the season, especially since most of the teams he would go to are also facing a hard cap or other apron/tax issues.

• Davis is extension eligible this offseason, which is going to scare off some teams. Here is what one GM told Brian Windhorst of ESPN:

"I just looked it up so I could say this to my owner if he asks me about it, AD is turning 33 in March and he's going to be in position next summer where he'll probably want a contract extension that would cost $70 million per year when he'd be 37," one general manager said. He's a great player, full stop. But when you consider a player at his age with his injury history, you'd also be trading for the stress of that extension. That plays into it."

• What teams are interested? On FanDuel’s Run it Back show, John Wall floated the idea of Davis wanting to return to his native Chicago. He may want that, but would Chicago? The Bulls would want to swap older big men, sending out Nikola Vucevic in the trade, but would have to add a young player such as Coby White and another player (Isaac Okoro?) to make the math work, plus picks to interest Dallas. And why would Chicago do that, exactly? If they believe they have something to build around with Josh Giddey, Chicago should be looking for players on his timeline. Davis is not that.

• Golden State fits the "would take on an older player to try and win now" criteria and could use some help along the front line, but constructing a trade is very difficult (the Warriors are hard-capped at the second apron and just about $2 million below that number). Jimmy Butler for Davis straight up works under the cap (they have the same salary), but why would either team do that?

Would Golden State be willing to trade Draymond Green to get Davis? I imagine the answer to that is no, considering Green's chemistry with Stephen Curry, but it's another path. While difficult to construct (but can work with a third team involved), there is a trade that sends Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and another player, such as Buddy Hield, out of the Bay Area. Again, why would Golden State do that? Does this really make them better right now? Davis is a better player than Green in a vacuum, but at twice the salary and wanting an extension. Also, is Dallas willing to bet on Kuminga fitting next to Flagg and being a long-term part of what they are building? It's hard to see the sides finding common ground.

• It's possible a team like Sacramento or Phoenix could kick around a deal (the Kings could send out Zach LaVine or Domantas Sabonis), but do either of them want to get that much older with Davis?

• The bottom line is that while teams are poking around and think the Mavericks should trade Davis (and fans are clamoring for the bold move), finding a deal that actually makes sense for the Mavericks — with young players and picks to help them pivot around Flagg — is very difficult to find. And it's more likely to happen around the draft or next offseason than in the next three months.

Last weekend, roughly two thousand people gathered at Pier 36 in New York City for a collision of food, music, and basketball called The Battle of Jollof.

The event, now in its fifth year, featured a jollof rice cook-off, a 1v1 basketball tournament highlighting talent from across the African diaspora, and a high-stakes basketball game between Team Ghana and Team Nigeria — a showdown for bragging rights in the kitchen and on the court.

It brought together NBA and WNBA stars, Afrobeats powerhouses, a Bib-Gourmand-recognized chef, and some of the city's best restaurants, representing flavors from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ethiopia — and it was completely free of charge.

Why?

Because the purpose of the Battle of Jollof isn't fame or profit; the purpose of the event is community.

Jordan Christopher Reginald Hill

On the eve of Battle of Jollof, I sat down with Arinze Emeagwali, TJ Adeshola, and Abdul Karim Abdullah, the founders,at Ludlow House in SoHo for a pre-event gathering where they shared how this event came to be. As we walked through the four-story house to find a quiet place for our interview, they paused to greet every guest they encountered, dapping them up with a warm, welcoming energy.

Being greeted is such a significant part of African culture. If you grew up in an African home and made the mistake of walking past someone without saying hi, you've probably heard:

"You don't greet?" or in Pidgin, "You no dey greet"?

You acknowledge everyone in the room to not only show that they matter but to show that they are welcome. Being welcoming is a core value in African culture.

That sense of welcome is what sparked the idea for global brand marketer Emeagwali in 2019. He partnered with Adeshola, a sports and media executive and operating partner at Arctos Partners, and Abdullah, the founder and CEO of AfroFuture, to bring the vision to life in 2020.

"I just wanted to bring together the community — our friends and other people that aren't West African — and have a vibe and educate them," he said.

"To be Black, we have so many more similarities than we have differences, " said Adeshola. "[Battle of Jollof] is all about our shared experiences, shared culture, and pride in the nuances that exist across all of that cultural overlap."

"It's a space for us to really honor our stories, share a little bit about our culture, and to gather as a community," added Abdullah. "We're able to showcase our story, showcase who we are, and develop pride in the next generation of people who are now getting to see their culture as mainstream."

Getty Images for BMG – BET Media Group

That shared pride and celebration of culture is what attracted a star-studded lineup of athletes and artists who came to support and experience Battle of Jollof firsthand.

"This event speaks to all aspects of everything that I love," said two-time WNBA All-Star and basketball analyst Chiney Ogwumike. "I think the best thing that sport does is it brings everyone together — culture, community, vibes, Afrobeats, and of course, athletes and celebrities — all celebrating what it means to be Black, to be of culture, and what it means to be of the diaspora."

viewmyvizion Jordan Canty

"I love repping my culture, and I love Nigeria," said WNBA All-Star Kiki Iriafen. "To be able to celebrate basketball, jollof, and the beautiful African diaspora is super special. It's great for us, especially being in the States, to be able to get together, have community, and celebrate our culture and heritage.

Team Nigeria was coached by four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, who led the group to an 80-74 victory over Team Ghana.

"This is my first time going. I've always seen it, but I'm super excited that I could be part of it. This is my culture, and African culture is just dope," said Ogunbowale.

Jordan Christopher Reginald Hill

Ogunbowale wasn't the only first-timer at the event. New York Knicks Star OG Anunoby came to show his support.

"I heard about the event. I thought it'd be pretty cool, so I wanted to come check it out for myself," Anunoby said. "I'm very proud of my African culture. I grew up in a Nigerian household, and it's very important to see African representation. It's very uplifting and cool for everyone to see and be a part of."

Other guests included Philadelphia 76ers Center Adem Bona, former NBA stars Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Emeka Okafor, and Ty Lawson; rapper Wale; Afrobeats sensation King Promise, Grammy-nominated artist Fridayy, host and executive producer Speedy Morman, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’Bozoma St. John — who is also the Chief Marketing Officer for NBC's On Brand with Jimmy Fallon — and more.

Bussalenz Media

The influence is impressive, but at its core, Battle of Jollof is about giving back. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) — one of the event's sponsors — donated $5,000 in the event's honor to One Love Community Fridge.

The non-profit organization, founded by Asmeret Berhe-Lumax in June 2020, is working to eradicate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.

"It really is about just having an impact wherever we show up," said Lyzz Ogunwo, Vice President of Player Experience Operations and Global Impact at NBPA, on the organization's involvement.

"We already know the state of access to food right now in the United States," Ogunwo continued. "We saw this as a great opportunity to make a contribution on behalf of our players — ensuring additional access to food for those in times of need right now.

"So many of our players have shared narratives with the folks who are playing in the [tournament] and with the founders of Battle of Jollof as well. It's just an opportunity to see themselves within the diaspora community.

"It's also a great [extension] of what we've been doing with One Court Africa."

Battle of Jollof is more than an event; it's one big greeting — a warm embrace that comes from the depths of a culture and tradition that says, "Isee you, I acknowledge you." The shared plates of Jollof, the rhythm of the log drum in Afrobeats, and the shared celebrations on the court are all invitations to partake — a way to say: you are welcome.

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Despite its magnitude, the founders of Battle of Jollof have full-time jobs. The event isn't a side-hustle — it's an overflow of their passion for culture and the diaspora.

"Battle of Jollof is a love letter to the community," said Adeshola. "Everybody has jobs and things that we have going on, but we recognize that this is important, and we have to prioritize bringing people together in a way that's differentiated. It's not the club, it's not a concert, it's not a party, it's truly breaking bread and watching sport.

Our hope is that everybody who walks in the space gets a plate, enjoys their jollof, and gets to experience a really dope moment with the culture."

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"It's really about the community and us prioritizing paying the community — paying the mom-and-pop shops, paying the vendors, bringing them out so people can know about the Liberian place that has good Jollof.

Battle of Jollof is a moment to not only showcase African talent and how diverse we are, but to highlight African food and how diverse we are," said Emeagwali.

"It's a way to share a piece of our childhood and a piece of our culture with people," said Abdullah.