Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire
Player News
Myles Turner shot 3-of-10 from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line in Friday’s Game 4 loss to the Thunder, scoring 12 points with two rebounds and two assists.
While the illness that limited Turner during Thursday’s practice did not land him on the pregame injury report, it’s fair to wonder if the center was still feeling the effects. He missed all six of his three-point attempts in Game 4 and also did not record any steals or blocked shots. By comparison, Turner blocked five shots in Indiana’s Game 3 victory on Wednesday. The Pacers don’t need Turner to be a superstar, but they do need him to be more impactful than he was on Friday. He’ll look to rebound in Game 5 on Monday.
According to Elijah Evans of Just Baseball, the White Sox plan to promote left-handed pitching prospect Noah Schultz to Triple-A Charlotte.
The 21-year-old southpaw made 12 starts at Double-A Birmingham, going 4-3 with a 3.34 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 58 strikeouts over 56 2/3 innings. He’s now just one step away from the big leagues. Given their alternative options and the fact that it’s another lost season for the White Sox, it would be surprising if Schultz didn’t get a start or two in the big leagues before the season is through.
Obi Toppin tallied 17 points (7-of-12 FGs, 1-of-4 FTs), seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and two three-pointers in Friday’s Game 4 loss to the Thunder.
Sandwiched around subpar offensive performances in Games 2 and 3, Toppin was effective in Games 1 and 4. Friday was the second time this series he’s scored 17 points, and the high-flying forward recorded a complete stat line. The lone negative for Toppin was his foul shooting, as he was just 1-of-4 from the stripe. Add in some key missed free throws from Bennedict Mathurin and Oklahoma City’s superior play in crunch time, and the Pacers likely feel that they let Game 4 get away. Toppin and the Pacers will look to bounce back when they visit Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday.
The Mets announced on Friday that right-hander Kodai Senga is dealing with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain.
All things considered, that’s the best possible news that the Mets could have heard following Senga’s evaluation. He’ll rest for a couple of weeks before being reassessed. It sounds like if everything goes according to plan, he should be able to rejoin the Mets’ rotation before the All-Star break.
Pascal Siakam accumulated 20 points (6-of-15 FGs, 6-of-8 FTs), eight rebounds, five assists, five steals, one block and two three-pointers in Friday’s Game 4 loss to the Thunder.
Siakam started Game 4 extremely well, tallying 10 points and four steals in the first quarter. However, he was 1-of-6 from the field in the second half, only attempting one shot in the fourth quarter. Whether that’s on Siakam for not being aggressive enough to get the ball, or on the Pacers for not getting him the ball more often, that cannot happen. Similar to Tyrese Haliburton’s assist-to-turnover ratio, Siakam’s offensive production has been far better in wins than in losses during the NBA Finals. With two of the final three games on the road, the Pacers will need a better Siakam if they’re to win the franchise’s first NBA title. Game 5 is on Monday.
Trevor Richards has elected free agency.
The 32-year-old right-hander had been designated for assignment by the Royals earlier in the week. After passing through waivers unclaimed, he refused an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha and will peddle his wares on the open market instead. Richards posted a 12.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP and a 2/2 K/BB ratio in three innings with the Royals this season.