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While much of the nation was once again captivated by Saint Peter’s, which became the first 15-seed in Men’s NCAA tournament history to reach the Elite Eight, there was NBA basketball being played. Seven games were on the slate, and there was no shortage of injury news both before and during those matchups. Detroit and Golden State announced that players have been ruled out for the remainder of the season, while the Warriors and Timberwolves lost rotation contributors during their respective games.
Hornets 107, Jazz 101
Already without Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) and Danuel House (knee), the Jazz had another rotation player ruled out prior to Friday’s game. Hassan Whiteside (foot) did not play, opening up playing time behind starting center Rudy Gobert (11/19/1/0/1 in 37 minutes). Eric Paschall took on that responsibility, playing ten minutes and finishing with 11 points, two rebounds, one steal, and one 3-pointer. Paschall didn’t miss a shot, going 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line, but that won’t be enough to make him a player worth streaming if your fantasy league is still active. If anything, Whiteside’s absence simply means a heavier workload for Gobert, as opposed to opening the door for another reserve to provide fantasy value. Donovan Mitchell (26/3/7/1 with four 3-pointers) and Jordan Clarkson (19/3/4/0/1 with two 3-pointers) led the way offensively for the Jazz.
Charlotte had no injuries that would impact their rotation entering Friday’s game. P.J. Washington (6/1/5/2/2) shot 2-of-10 from the field and would have offered little in the way of fantasy value if not for the two steals and two blocks. Washington is still rostered in 71% of Yahoo leagues, with the percentage being that high due largely to the fact that he’s a starter. Miles Bridges (26/11/4/0/1 with four 3-pointers), Terry Rozier (25/4/1/1 with five 3-pointers), and LaMelo Ball (21/4/5/2 with two 3-pointers) were Charlotte’s only double-digit scorers on the night. Mason Plumlee (1/11/4 in 16 minutes) is basically in play as a fantasy option if you need rebounding, and that’s it. Montrezl Harrell (9/4/3) played 19 minutes off the bench, and we’re at a point where standard league managers need to think long and hard about dropping him.
Wizards 100, Pistons 97
Remember how confusing the Wizards’ center rotation was last season? Well, the point guard position appears to be in a similar spot this time around. Not only did Raul Neto not start Friday’s win in Detroit, but he also didn’t even play. And it wasn’t Ish Smith in the starting lineup, either. Tomas Satoransky was Wes Unseld Jr.’s pick to start, and in 29 minutes he accounted for six points, three rebounds, six assists, and two steals. The assists and steals you’ll definitely take, but there wasn’t much else to write home about. As for Smith, he played 19 minutes off the bench and tallied six points, three rebounds, six assists, and one blocked shot. Who should fantasy managers rely on at this point? None of them.
Kristaps Porzingis (30/10/3/2/2 with three 3-pointers) had his best game as a Wizard, and the same can be said for Deni Avdija (21/10/4/0/1 with three 3-pointers). Avdija’s rostered in just 18% of Yahoo leagues, and he’s definitely worth picking up if your league will be active beyond this weekend. Washington hosts the Warriors on Sunday, and they’ll play four games next week.
As for the Pistons, it was announced before the game that Hamidou Diallo (finger) would miss the remainder of the season. His absence clears up the perimeter rotation slightly, which is good news for Killian Hayes. The second-year guard played 29 minutes off the bench, tallying 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, three blocks, and two 3-pointers. Cory Joseph (6/3/1/1 with one 3-pointer) remains the starter next to Cade Cunningham (22/7/9/0/1), and the setup seems to be working for Hayes. For the remainder of this season, at least, it may be better for Hayes from a fantasy standpoint if he continues to play the majority of his minutes without Cunningham on the floor.
Hawks 121, Warriors 110
Prior to their game in Atlanta, the Warriors announced that James Wiseman (knee) will not play this season. During his most recent G League stint, the second-year center had to deal with swelling in his knee, so the Warriors are shutting him down. That leaves Draymond Green (4/5/3 in 24 minutes) and Kevon Looney (8/8/3 in 24 minutes) as the center options available to Steve Kerr. Green started in the middle Friday night, with Looney moving to the bench. Also starting was Jonathan Kuminga, who didn’t offer much in his 14 minutes and finished with four points and four rebounds.
The positives for Golden State: Klay Thompson (37/7/3/0/1 with nine 3-pointers) went off and played a season-high 40 minutes, Jordan Poole (24/4/10 with four 3-pointers) extended his 20-point streak to 12 games, and Gary Payton II (14/6/2/2) was productive in his 30 minutes off the bench. Golden State visits the Wizards on Sunday, and they’ll play four games next week. With two back-to-backs on the horizon, players such as Green and Thompson could be in line for a rest day, which opens the door for the likes of GPII and Kuminga.
Atlanta was without Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee), with his absence placing an even greater burden on the starting five. There are no reserves worthy of consideration in any fantasy/DFS competition, especially with Danilo Gallinari (25/5/3 with two 3-pointers) still starting in place of the injured John Collins (foot). Gallo did aggravate the elbow injury that he suffered a few games back, but the good news is that Atlanta doesn’t play again until Monday night against Indiana. Clint Capela (19/13/1/1/1) bounced back from one of his worst performances of the season, while Trae Young (33/4/15/2 with four 3-pointers) also recorded a double-double. Kevin Huerter (20/6/2/1 with five 3-pointers) exited briefly due to injury, but was able to return, ultimately playing 37 minutes.
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Knicks 111, Heat 103
Miami had a number of its key rotation players listed on the pregame injury report, but many of them ultimately played. That’s what made this result so shocking, as the Knicks erased a 17-point deficit and outscored the Heat by a 38-15 margin in the fourth quarter. Immanuel Quickley (23/2/3/2 with three 3-pointers) scored 20 in the final frame, making the most of his 24 minutes. Starting point guard Alec Burks also played 24 minutes, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers. As long as Quickley hits the mid-20s (at minimum) in minutes, that should work for the remainder of the season.
With Julius Randle (quad) ruled out and Mitchell Robinson dealing with a sore back, Obi Toppin (15 points, eight rebounds, and two 3-pointers) and Jericho Sims (6/7/2/0/1) remained in the starting lineup. Toppin, who should be streamed whenever Randle sits, played 26 minutes and Sims 28. Robinson played 19 minutes off the bench, tallying 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal, so there’s still some value to be had there. Sims won’t be worth streaming unless Robinson and Taj Gibson (five points, three rebounds, one block, and one 3-pointer) are ruled out.
Jimmy Butler (ankle), Duncan Robinson (Achilles), P.J. Tucker (knee), and Caleb Martin (knee) were all made available for this one, while Tyler Herro (knee) was ruled out for the Heat. Herro’s absence did boost Max Strus’ (11/1/3 with three 3-pointers in 30 minutes) fantasy prospects, but not to the level that many managers/DFS players would have hoped. Butler (20/7/7/1/1 with one 3-pointer) and Bam Adebayo (17/9/1/1/1) recorded full lines, while Kyle Lowry (17/4/3/1 with three 3-pointers) also hit double figures. Miami hosts the Nets Saturday night, so fantasy managers/DFS players need to prepare for the possibility that a few of the team’s key players will sit.
Timberwolves 116, Mavericks 95
Fantasy managers whose leagues will be active next week may be a bit nervous in light of what happened in Dallas’ loss Friday night. Luka Doncic (24/10/8/1 with five 3-pointers) picked up his 15th technical foul of the season, leaving him one away from an automatic one-game suspension. The Mavericks host Utah on Sunday and will play four games next week. With Doncic back in action after missing Wednesday’s win over the Rockets, Spencer Dinwiddie (11/2/4/0/1 with one 3-pointer) returned to the bench. He can still offer value as a reserve, but Dinwiddie obviously takes a hit in that scenario. Also of note was Sterling Brown landing in health and safety protocols. This doesn’t impact the Mavericks’ rotation, and the same goes for fantasy basketball, but it does leave the team with one less available option on the perimeter.
Minnesota was once against without Jaden McDaniels (ankle), but Karl-Anthony Towns (forearm) was available after originally being listed as questionable. He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 30 minutes, with the blowout getting him some extra rest late in the game. McDaniels’ absence has freed up additional opportunities for Taurean Prince, who tallied 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, and two 3-pointers in 22 minutes. He isn’t worth streaming, as Jarred Vanderbilt (12/6/0/1) will continue to be the top option at the power forward position.
D’Angelo Russell (15/5/8 with one 3-pointer) continues to struggle with his shot, going 6-of-16 from the field. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said before the game that they needed to get Russell going again, and maybe the matchup had something to do with his not being able to get untracked on Friday. Things won’t get easier on Sunday, as Minnesota will visit Boston. Jordan McLaughlin (16/5/3 with three 3-pointers) played well in 20 minutes off the bench but isn’t worth utilizing in any fantasy format unless Russell is sidelined. Anthony Edwards (12/6/4/1) had a tough night shooting the ball, but he is averaging 20.4 points per game over his last five so there isn’t much need for concern here.
Malik Beasley played just 12 minutes due to a sprained left ankle, which meant more run for Jaylen Nowell. He played 16 minutes, scoring three points (1-of-5 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs) and dishing out two assists. Nowell’s fantasy value isn’t great due to the logjam on the perimeter, but he would be worth a look in deeper leagues if Beasley has to miss additional game time.
Rockets 125, Trail Blazers 106
Chauncey Billups made a change at point guard Friday night, going back to Brandon Williams as his starter after Kris Dunn filled that role in Wednesday’s loss to the Spurs. Williams had a terrible night, shooting 1-of-10 from the field and tallying two points, two rebounds, two assists, and one block in 24 minutes. Dunn played 19 minutes off the bench and was far better, accumulating 12 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Regardless of who starts Saturday’s rematch, Dunn is the better fantasy option by a significant margin. Because even if his shot isn’t falling (he was 3-of-5 from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line), fantasy managers are going to get assists and defensive stats.
Trendon Watford (19/5/6/1) and Drew Eubanks (18/6/1) continue to be fantasy assets during the silly season, while CJ Elleby (14/7/3 with one 3-pointer) benefits from the absences of Josh Hart (knee) and Justise Winslow (calf). Hart has missed Portland’s last two games, so there’s no guarantee that he will be available Saturday night. Winslow did play on Wednesday, so it’s likely that he’ll be a go in the rematch. Keon Johnson (10/3/1/1) replaced Winslow in the starting lineup, playing 22 minutes, while Ben McLemore (15 points, two rebounds, one block, and two 3-pointers) played 27 off the bench.
Houston had its preferred starting lineup, with Jalen Green (23 points, three rebounds, and five 3-pointers) continuing to shine. He’s been a top-100 player in 9-cat formats over the last month, ranking behind only Christian Wood (10/11/5/1/1 with three 3-pointers) among Rockets players. Jae’Sean Tate (17/4/1/2 with three 3-pointers), Kevin Porter Jr. (13/2/7/1/1 with three 3-pointers), KJ Martin Jr. (16/2/1/1 with one 3-pointer), Josh Christopher (14/4/2/2 with two 3-pointers), and Dennis Schroder (14/2/3/3/1 with two 3-pointers) also made the most of this matchup, with Martin and Christopher being players to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday’s action.
Eric Gordon (5/2/1 with one 3-pointer) could get the night off, which would free up minutes for players such as Martin, Christopher, and Garrison Mathews. Hopefully, Alperen Sengun can get more time as well, as he was largely ineffective in 21 minutes off the bench. The rookie finished with four points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and six turnovers.
76ers 122, Clippers 97
James Harden (29/15/7/2/1 with four 3-pointers) and Joel Embiid (27/10/2/1/2 with two 3-pointers) posting double-doubles come as no surprise, and they led the way in Philadelphia’s rout of the Clippers. What was surprising was the offensive output of Matisse Thybulle, who scored 13 points (5-of-6 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs) to go along with one rebound, three steals, and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes. While he has hit double figures in three of his last five games, it’s worth noting that Thybulle scored a total of nine points in the two contests played prior to Friday.
The offensive inconsistency makes Thybulle (41% rostered) a difficult player to roster in standard leagues, even with the defensive production. With Philadelphia visiting Phoenix on Sunday, it’s likely that Thybulle will have a difficult time duplicating this scoring effort. Tobias Harris (12/2/2/1 with two 3-pointers) and Tyrese Maxey (11/5/1/2/2 with two 3-pointers) were relatively quiet on offense, but the latter did come through with four “stocks.”
Outside of Amir Coffey (21/4/3/1/1 with three 3-pointers) and Isaiah Hartenstein (16/9/4/1 with one 3-pointer), this was a brutal night for the home team. Reggie Jackson (11/3/0/1) shot 4-of-13 from the field, while Marcus Morris (2/3/1/0/1) played so poorly that he was limited to 15 minutes. Terance Mann started the second half for the Clippers, and he would record a line of 12 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 23 minutes.
Rostered in 46% of Yahoo leagues, Mann has been an 8th-round player in 9-cat over the last two weeks. With L.A. off until Tuesday, there’s no need to even consider picking him up. The same can be said for Hartenstein, whose injured ankle continues to improve. The backup center, who sprained his ankle in December and has been a top-75 player over the last two weeks, said after the game that he’s at about 95%. Robert Covington (8/5/2/1/3 with two 3-pointers) was unable to extend his double-digit point streak to three games, but he shot the ball well and recorded a full stat line. He’ll be worthy of a look next week, as the Clippers will play four games, especially if Tyronn Lue looks to allocate some of the minutes that have been going to Morris elsewhere.
