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Jalen Green Jalen Green scores 13 in season finale Sunday
Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 2:05 PM
Jalen Green shot 5-of-14 from the field in Sunday's win over the Clippers, scoring 13 points with six rebounds, three assists, and three 3-pointers in 23 minutes.
Analysis: After scoring 26 points on 50% shooting in Friday's win over Portland, Green was limited to 23 minutes on Sunday. The priority was to get less experienced players more run in the second half, and the third-year guard was excellent after the All-Star break. In 28 post-break games, he averaged 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 3.3 3-pointers, shooting 44.1% from the field and 80.9% from the foul line. Green was more productive and more efficient, with his offensive rating (117.1) being nearly six points higher than his pre-break number (111.9). Green benefitted from the changes made by the Rockets, most notably the hiring of Ime Udoka as head coach and the addition of point guard Fred VanVleet. That makes him an intriguing fantasy option for 2024-25. |
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Jabari Smith Jabari Smith Jr. scores 15 points vs. Clippers
Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 1:54 PM
Jabari Smith Jr. played 33 minutes in Sunday's win over the Clippers, scoring 15 points (6-of-19 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs) with eight rebounds, three assists, and two 3-pointers.
Analysis: While Smith was one of six Rockets to score in double figures, this wasn't the best finish to the season for the second-year forward. He was 2-of-10 from three, which weighed down the overall field-goal percentage, and the 15 points equaled his total from the Rockets' games against Utah (Thursday) and Portland (Friday). Beginning the season with a Yahoo ADP of 92.1, Smith exceeded that number in 9-cat formats while ranking just outside the top 100 in 8-cat. Alperen Sengun's absence from mid-March onward did not significantly boost Smith's fantasy value, which was the expectation of many. Expecting another top-100 season from Smith in 2024-25 would be fair. |
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Amen Thompson Amen Thompson drops complete 18/11/10/3/3 line
Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 1:48 PM
Amen Thompson shot 8-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line in Sunday's win over the Clippers, scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, and three blocked shots in 40 minutes.
Analysis: Sunday's performance was an impressive ending to Thompson's rookie campaign and symbolic of what he brings to the table. The rookie has Yahoo eligibility at point guard, shooting guard, and small forward, and it fits, as Houston can use him anywhere on the perimeter (and even the four in smaller lineups). Thompson was a 12th-round player in 8- and 9-cat formats, which aligns with his Yahoo ADP (140), but there is top-100 potential. He should last on draft boards too far past the 100th pick in redraft leagues next fall. |
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Cam Whitmore Cam Whitmore leads Rockets with 21 points Sunday
Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 1:38 PM
Cam Whitmore logged 36 minutes in Sunday's 116-105 win over the Clippers, tallying 21 points (9-of-17 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, five assists, one block, and two 3-pointers.
Analysis: Due to the absence of multiple veterans, Whitmore made his second career start on Sunday. And he played well, shooting better than 50% from the field and leading the Rockets in scoring. Putting the ball in the basket has long been one of Whitmore's strengths, but he was productive in other areas in the final three games of his rookie season. While he has been overshadowed by Amen Thompson, and Tari Eason (leg) will be available, Whitmore offers a decent deep-league upside heading into 2024-25. His most significant issue may be Houston's rotation, as the team is deep on the wings. |
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Cam Whitmore HOU starting Amen, Green, Whitmore, Jabari, Jock
Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 9:06 AM
Tomer Azarly on X
The Rockets will start Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jock Landale against the Clippers on Sunday.
Analysis: Whitmore moves into the starting unit in place of Dllon Brooks, who is sidelined for the final game of the season. The Clippers are resting their rotation players, so Whitmore should be in for a big night in increased minutes. |
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Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks ruled out vs. LAC
Sat, Apr 13, 2024, 1:56 PM
NBA Injury Report
Fred VanVleet (right hip contusion) and Dillon Brooks (left adductor soreness) will not play against the Clippers on Sunday.
Analysis: Both of Houston's veterans will sit out the season finale, since they have been eliminated from the postseason for a little while now. Cam Whitmore should slide into the starting unit in place of Brooks, while Jock Landale will remain in the starting unit in place of FVV, with Amen Thompson filling the point guard minutes. |
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Amen Thompson Amen Thompson puts up 17/15/6 line as point guard
Fri, Apr 12, 2024, 6:36 PM
Ben DuBose on X
Amen Thompson recorded a double-double on Friday with 17 points (6-of-12 FGs), 15 rebounds and six assists in a 116-107 win over the Trail Blazers.
Analysis: With Fred VanVleet sidelined for this game, Amen took over point guard duties. He led the team in assists and was still able to record a monster double-double with his rebounds. Ime Udoka expressed confidence in Thompson's ability to play point guard after the game, and while it won't happen soon, the torch will eventually be passed from FVV to Amen. It's unclear if VanVleet will suit up on Sunday, so Thompson could get another game to run the offense, which will be great for his development. He may not start next season when the team is healthy, but he should still make a fantasy impact. |
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Jalen Green Jalen Green drops 26 in win over Portland Friday
Fri, Apr 12, 2024, 6:32 PM
Jackson Gatlin on X
Jalen Green led Houston with 26 points (10-of-20 FGs), nine rebounds, one assist and five triples against Portland on Friday.
Analysis: Green only played 19 minutes in their last game, with Ime Udoka benching him because he couldn't get anything going. Udoka even went back to him for a couple of minutes before benching him again. He was asked about it after the game on Thursday and said he wanted to âsee if he could get a spark going. Was not aggressive offensively and another defensive error. When I saw nothing changed, I went back to who was playing well.â Green was far more effective in this game, and he'll look to end the season on a high note on Sunday. The results were mixed this year for Green, and he will be a polarizing player in fantasy drafts next season. |
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Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet (hip) ruled out Friday vs. Portland
Fri, Apr 12, 2024, 10:36 AM
NBA Injury Report
Fred VanVleet (right hip contusion) is out for Friday's game against Portland.
Analysis: VanVleet is out after scoring a season-high 42 points and playing 40 minutes in Thursday's loss to the Jazz. Aaron Holiday's minutes will increase as he's the player likely to move into the starting lineup. VanVleet's absence also impacts Amen Thompson and Jalen Green, who will have more opportunities to serve as primary playmakers. |
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Cam Whitmore Cam Whitmore tallies 18 points, four assists
Thu, Apr 11, 2024, 5:57 PM
Cam Whitmore played 27 minutes in Thursday's loss to the Jazz, recording a line of 18 points (5-of-11 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), four rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and four 3-pointers.
Analysis: After being ejected from Tuesday's win over the Magic, Whitmore made up for lost time with a solid performance in Salt Lake City. A double-digit scorer in ten of his last 11 outings, the rookie wing's 18 points were the most he's tallied in a game since March 5 (19 vs. San Antonio). Fellow rookie Amen Thompson also had a good night, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 35 minutes. While Thompson, when healthy, has been a fixture in the starting lineup since Alperen Sengun suffered a sprained ankle, Whitmore has continued to come off the bench. That's unlikely to change unless Dillon Brooks were to pick up his 16th technical foul of the season on Friday. |
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Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet scores season-high 42 points vs. UTA
Thu, Apr 11, 2024, 5:51 PM
Fred VanVleet shot 12-of-30 from the field and 9-of-10 from the foul line in Thursday's 124-121 loss to the Jazz, accounting for 42 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, one block, and nine 3-pointers in 40 minutes.
Analysis: VanVleet came out red-hot, scoring 20 points in the first quarter alone. But Utah was able to cool him down considerably after that hot start, and Mr. Bet on Yourself made only three of his 17 2-point attempts on the night. The overall stat line was excellent, especially the nine 3-pointers on 13 attempts, but VanVleet's field-goal percentage took a significant hit. He did what he could to compensate for Jalen Green's poor showing, as he shot 1-of-7 from the field and finished with three points, one rebound, one assist, and one 3-pointer in 19 minutes. |
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Amen Thompson Amen Thompson (finger) active Thursday vs. Jazz
Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 9:43 AM
NBA injury report
Amen Thompson (right finger tendon injury) will be active for Thursday's Rockets-Jazz game.
Analysis: Thompson's on the injury report after logging 38 minutes against the Magic over the weekend but isn't expected to miss time. He should continue to start for the Rockets. |
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Jae'Sean Tate Jae'Sean Tate (ankle) out Thursday vs. Jazz
Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 9:39 AM
NBA injury report
Jae'Sean Tate (right ankle sprain) has been ruled out for Thursday's Rockets-Jazz game.
Analysis: Tate has been ruled out with plenty of time to spare and hasn't impacted fantasy basketball much whether he's healthy or not. Fantasy managers need not consider his status when making lineup decisions this week. |
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Jabari Smith Jabari Smith Jr. goes 23/7/5 with 2 blocks in win
Tue, Apr 9, 2024, 5:02 PM
Jabari Smith Jr. ended Tuesday's win over Orlando with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three triples across 41 minutes.
Analysis: Smith Jr. finished behind only Fred VanVleet (37 points) for team lead in the scoring department, as he posted a strong final stat line. Smith Jr. has averaged fewer than 14 points per game but he's been on a roll as a scorer as of late. Over his last games, the second-year man has averaged 18.7 points to go with 6.3 boards, 1.1 blocks and 3.0 triples. |
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Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet drops season-high 37 points in win
Tue, Apr 9, 2024, 4:44 PM
Fred VanVleet finished Tuesday's win over the Magic with 37 points (13-of-22 FG), eight rebounds, six assists, a steal, a block and six three-pointers.
Analysis: VanVleet dropped a season-high 34 points on March 23 against the Jazz, but in eight games after that, he averaged just 16.1 on 38.7% shooting. FVV came alive on Tuesday with a new season-high in the scoring department and an efficient shooting night that included a 6-of-11 mark from long distance. VanVleet's peripherals were stupendous, and he was a game-best +21 in the box score. This was a marvelous performance from a Houston team that's been eliminated from playoff contention against a Magic team vying for a top-3 seed in the Eastern Conference, |
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Cam Whitmore Cam Whitmore ejected Tuesday vs. Magic
Tue, Apr 9, 2024, 4:26 PM
Adam Wexler on Twitter
Cam Whitmore was ejected from Tuesday's matchup with the Magic after picking up his second technical foul.
Analysis: Whitmore got into it with Joe Ingles twice, and the second engagement got the rookie tossed from the game. He finished the contest with just two points in nine minutes of action. |
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Jae'Sean Tate Jae'Sean Tate (ankle) out Tuesday vs. Orlando
Mon, Apr 8, 2024, 12:07 PM
NBA Injury Report
Jae'Sean Tate (right ankle sprain) will not play in Tuesday's game against Orlando.
Analysis: Tuesday's game will be the third that Tate misses, but his absence does not significantly impact fantasy basketball. Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore are available and will continue to play more minutes on the wing than anyone not named Dillon Brooks. |
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Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet tallies 24 points, 12 assists
Sun, Apr 7, 2024, 12:19 PM
Fred VanVleet finished Sunday's overtime loss to Dallas with 24 points (9-of-21 FGs, 4-of-6 FTs), one rebound, 12 assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 44 minutes.
Analysis: VanVleet finished Sunday's defeat with his first double-double since March 16, and the 12 assists were the most in a game for him since March 21 (12 vs. Chicago). He was one of three Rockets to score at least 21 points, with Dillon Brooks (29) and Jalen Green (21/6/8/2/1 with two 3-pointers) being the others. The Rockets have been officially eliminated from postseason contention, which may impact how they approach Week 24. Fantasy managers whose leagues run that long should consider Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson if they are available on the waiver wire. |
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Dillon Brooks Dillon Brooks scores season-high 29 points vs. DAL
Sun, Apr 7, 2024, 11:54 AM
Dillon Brooks played 42 minutes in Sunday's 147-136 overtime loss to the Mavericks, scoring 29 points (9-of-14 FGs, 6-of-7 FTs) with two rebounds, two assists, three steals, and five 3-pointers.
Analysis: While his performance did not come in a win, Brooks was excellent in Dallas. He was efficient as a scorer, with the 29 points representing a new season-high. Brooks may only be a late-round option in fantasy leagues, but he has been more reliable this season than during his final run in Memphis. For fantasy leagues that run through Week 24, the Rockets play four games. That includes a game on Thursday, which is one of the lighter days of the regular season's final week. Rostered in 31% of Yahoo leagues, Brooks could be worth streaming on that day. |
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Amen Thompson Amen Thompson issued Flagrant 2, ejected Sunday
Sun, Apr 7, 2024, 9:05 AM
Amen Thompson was called for a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from Sunday's game against the Mavericks.
Analysis: Cleared to play on Sunday after sitting out Friday's loss to the Heat with ankle and finger injuries, Thompson played seven minutes before being ejected. He delivered a forearm to Maxi Kleber that sent the Mavericks forward to the court, and the officials deemed the action worthy of an ejection. Thompson tallied five points, three rebounds, and three assists in eight minutes. |
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