Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Strong double-double in win
Rotowire
Valanciunas closed with 21 points (6-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 33 minutes during Sunday's 117-107 victory over the Rockets.
Valanciunas finished with at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks for a second straight game and notched his fourth double-double over his past seven appearances. During that stretch, the talented big man is averaging 13.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists in 22.7 minutes with 62/43/88 shooting splits.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Strong double-double Friday
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Valanciunas totaled 22 points (10-16 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 17 rebounds and four blocks over 34 minutes during Friday's 114-112 loss to Houston.
Valanciunas had his best game in over two months, scoring at least 20 points for the first time since mid-January and adding a season-high four blocks. After seeing his minutes scaled back over the past week, this was a performance that could earn him some more trust moving forward.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Solid two-way play Sunday
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Valanciunas had 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks across 21 minutes during Sunday's 127-110 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Valanciunas' numbers will not jump out of the stat sheet, but he's one of the most reliable two-way big men in the league and is a double-double threat every time he steps on the court. He has five double-doubles over his last eight outings and is averaging 12.2 points with 9.7 rebounds in just 24.0 minutes per game since the start of February.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Minutes cut in rough outing
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Valanciunas notched four rebounds, two assists and one block over seven minutes during Wednesday's 113-106 victory over Dallas.
Valanciunas recorded five turnovers and picked up two early fouls Thursday, causing him to barely play the remainder of the game. New Orleans found much more success with Jaxson Hayes, who posted a plus-11 point differential. However, this is likely a one-off for Valanciunas. He averaged 12.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 29.4 minutes across his previous five appearances and hadn't played fewer than minutes since Jan. 28.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Posts double-double in return
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Valanciunas (calf) ended Monday's 123-108 loss to the Kings with 19 points (9-11 FG, 1-1 3Pt), 12 rebounds, three assists and one block across 32 minutes.
Valanciunas missed each of New Orleans' previous two games with a calf injury, but he was able to exceed his season average with 32 minutes Monday. The big man finished with his 33rd double-double of the campaign, four of which have come over his past five games. During that span, he's averaging 12.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 60.5 percent from the field.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Cleared to play
Rotowire
Valanciunas (calf) will play Monday against the Kings.
Valanciunas will return to action after missing his team's last two matchups due to a left calf injury. He was averaging 11.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in his last seven games prior to going down with the injury.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Questionable Monday
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Valanciunas (calf) is questionable for Monday's game against the Kings, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports.
Valanciunas has been dealing with a left calf contusion that has forced him to miss the last two matchups, but he fully participated in practice Sunday and will have a chance to return to game action a day later. However, the Pelicans plan to monitor him Monday before determining his final status.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Fully practices Sunday
Rotowire
Valanciunas (calf) was a full participant in Sunday's practice session, Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Valanciunas missed the last two games due to a left calf contusion, but his full participation in practice is encouraging. The team will monitor him ahead of Monday's game against Sacramento, but it's certainly possible he'll be able to return to game action.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Officially out Friday
Rotowire
Valanciunas (calf) has been ruled out Friday against the Warriors, Christian Clark of NOLA News reports.
The Pelicans are off until March 6 after Friday's game, but there is no guarantee Valanciunas is ready for that one since he was carrying a doubtful tag before this update. When Valanciunas sat out Feb. 27 against the Blazers, Willy Hernangomez drew the start and played 20 minutes, but Jaxson Hayes had more success off the bench despite seeing fewer minutes.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Doubtful for Friday
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Valanciunas (calf) is considered doubtful for Friday's matchup against Golden State, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports.
Valanciunas is still dealing with a left calf contusion and is on track to sit out again Friday. With Larry Nance (ankle) ruled out for a couple of weeks, Willy Hernangomez and Jaxson Hayes should continue to see increased roles. If Valanciunas can't play Friday, his next chance to see the floor will be Monday against the Kings.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Ruled out Wednesday
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Valanciunas (calf) will sit out Wednesday's matchup against the Trail Blazers, Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Valanciunas was initially tabbed questionable with a left calf contusion and will ultimately be held out of Wednesday's contest due to the issue. With Larry Nance (ankle) also out, Willy Hernangomez and Jaxson Hayes should handle the majority of the center minutes. Valanciunas' next chance to play will come Friday against Golden State.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Questionable Wednesday
Rotowire
Valanciunas (left calf contusion) is questionable Wednesday against the Blazers, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports.
This is a tough blow for New Orleans as they already have several key players injured. If Valanciunas is unable to play, both Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez would make for intriguing streaming options.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Quiet double-double in loss
Rotowire
Valanciunas closed with 12 points (4-8 FG, 4-6 FT), 12 rebounds and two assists over 29 minutes during Thursday's 115-110 loss to the Raptors.
Valanciunas recorded his second straight double-double, although it came with very little fanfare. In what has been a rough season to date, Valanciunas currently sits outside the top 120 in nine-category formats, a far cry from his last three campaigns in which he finished as a top 50 player. He remains a viable asset but only offers upside in rebounds and field goal percentage.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Efficient, but quiet night
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Valanciunas closed Monday's 103-100 victory over the Thunder with 14 points (5-6 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds and two assists across 25 minutes.
Valanciunas missed only one shot Monday, but he got only six looks. The seven-footer simply wasn't involved in the offense, as Brandon Ingram carried the load. On Valanciunas' limited second-half touches, the Thunder showed a double team in the post. His final statline was still solid with 14 points and eight rebounds, despite the low usage. Valanciunas gives fantasy managers good rebound numbers and decent point production, but he has just one steal and eight blocks in the last 20 games.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Double-double in Tuesday's win
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Valanciunas accumulated 16 points (8-10 FG), 14 rebounds, one assist and one block over 26 minutes during Tuesday's 116-107 victory over Atlanta.
After sitting out New Orleans' last game Sunday against Sacramento due to a minor quadriceps issue, Valanciunas was back on the court and delivering his third straight double-double and 29th of the season, tying him with Milwaukee's Bobby Portis for sixth in the league. Since the beginning of January, Valanciunas is averaging 16.7 points, 10.7 boards and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Available to play Tuesday
Rotowire
Valanciunas (quad) is available to play against the Hawks on Tuesday.
This is a relief for fantasy managers, as Valanciunas' MRI came back clean and he only ended up missing a single game. His minutes have been pretty low with 21.8 per game over his last four appearances, but he's been productive with averages of 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in that span.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Probable for Tuesday
Rotowire
Valanciunas (quad) is probable for Tuesday's game against the Hawks.
Valanciunas sat out the second game of a back-to-back Sunday with some minor soreness in his quad, but it looks like he'll be back in action Tuesday night, which will likely return Larry Nance to the second unit. Willy Hernangomez could drop from the rotation entirely.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Out Sunday
Rotowire
Valanciunas (quad) has been ruled out for Sunday's game versus Sacramento, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.
The good news is that the MRI on Valanciunas' injured quad came back clean, so it sounds like his absence from Sunday's game on the second leg of a back-to-back is mostly precautionary. Expect more run for guys like Larry Nance, Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez with Valanciunas watching from the sidelines.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Listed as doubtful
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Valanciunas is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Kings due to right quadriceps soreness, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports.
Valanciunas appeared to sustain a knee injury during Saturday's win over the Lakers, but he's being listed with a quad injury ahead of Sunday's contest. The talented big man will likely miss at least one game due to the issue, but the extent of his expected absence should become clear when his MRI results return. If he's sidelined, Larry Nance, Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez are candidates for increased roles in New Orleans' frontcourt.
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Pelicans' Jonas Valanciunas: Set for MRI on Sunday
Rotowire
Pelicans head coach Willie Green said Valanciunas will undergo an MRI on Sunday to determine the full extent of the right knee injury he sustained in Saturday's 131-126 win over the Lakers, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports. Valanciunas finished the contest with 18 points (9-13 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 14 rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes.
New Orleans is likely to provide an update on the extent of Valanciunas' knee injury once the results of the MRI are made available Sunday. Even if the MRI rules out any long-term issue, Valanciunas will be hard pressed to gain clearance for Sunday's contest against the Kings. Initial reports on Valanciunas' knee injury appear promising, with Lopez noting that the big man didn't require a brace for his knee and wasn't using crutches while moving about the locker room following the game. Larry Nance, Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez will be tasked with covering most of the minutes at center if Valanciunas is sidelined for Sunday's game and beyond.
