Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Detroit Pistons
Wolves Notes:
- I forgot Taurean Prince was on the T’Wolves, but the man has been a comet lately. Last night he matched his season-high (which was set in the previous game) with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-6 from downtown. He tacked on six boards and a steal to round out his evening. He’s scored in double figures in four straight, and he’s absolutely shot the lights out over that span, converting 66 percent of his field goals and a ridiculous 68 percent of his threes. The shooting will obviously regress, but he does enough in rebounds and steals (6.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG over his past four) to make him a streaming target while he’s scorching (10 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 23 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 8-13 | 2-2 |
- Patrick Beverley is back, and as annoying as he is to watch, he’s always been an underrated fantasy asset. His numbers don’t blow you away, but he chips in across the board, especially in useful categories like assists, threes, steals, and even blocks. Against Detroit, he scored 11 points while grabbing six boards, dishing out seven assists, hitting a pair of triples, and recording two steals. With D’Angelo Russell on the shelf, Beverley should get a slight boost in playmaking chances, but even at full strength, he’s a nice player to round out your team with (30 percent rostered).
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Pistons Notes:
- Frank Jackson picked up the scoring slack in Cade Cunningham’s absence. Jackson went off for 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, with five treys and three assists in 27 minutes off the bench. He’s a pure gunner who’s pretty much just a points specialist. Jackson has scored in double digits in each of his five appearances since returning to the lineup, averaging 16.2 PPG over that stretch. However, he does virtually nothing else, averaging 0.8 APG, 0.2 SPG, and 0.2 BPG in those five contests. I’d leave him on the wire (three percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8-14 | 4-5 |
Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs
Heat Notes:
- Maybe it’s because of all the missed games up and down the roster, but P.J. Tucker is finding more opportunities to score than he has in many seasons. And he’s taking advantage. He receded back to five shots last night with Miami’s top offensive guns all out there for the first time in a long time, but he made three of them including a couple from distance to score eight points with five rebounds and two steals. Over the past 14 days, Tucker ahs averaged a robust 11.8 PPG and 2.0 3PTM on 53 percent shooting with 1.3 SPG. That efficiency has made him a top-75 player over that span. Now that the Heat seem to be relatively healthy that scoring will likely erode, but I won’t take his offense for granted going forward (19 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3-5 | 0-0 |
Spurs Notes:
- Thaddeus Young made a rare appearance for the Spurs last night, resurfacing as a starter to muster seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, with eight boards, three dimes, and two swipes. Young hasn’t been part of San Antonio’s rotation at all, but maybe he’ll be featured ahead of the trade deadline to entice some team to trade for him. In a more beneficial situation, Young could become fantasy relevant once again (22 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 7 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3-4 | 1-2 |
Phoenix Suns vs. Atlanta Hawks
Suns Notes:
- Even though he’s returned to the second unit, Cam Johnson retains pretty much the same value. He came off the bench and did his thing, scoring 13 points and hitting three triples in 29 minutes, while also hauling in eight rebounds and coming up with two steals. He’s a solid player who can help in a few categories without hurting you anywhere (52 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 13 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5-9 | 0-0 |
Hawks Notes:
- The aforementioned Johnson is someone I’d take over De’Andre Hunter, despite Hunter’s perceived status in the league and his surprisingly large offensive load on a Hawks team with a ton of scorers. Hunter can score—he had 13 last night on 4-for-7 from the floor in 21 foul-plagued minutes—but that’s kind of all he does. His two rebounds, one assist, and no D is on par with what he’s done for the season, which is probably why he ranks outside the top-250 (not a typo) on a per-game basis. I’d try to move him on name recognition, but I wouldn’t hesitate to cut him for a hit pickup either (55 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4-7 | 4-7 |
Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors
Bulls Notes:
- Ayo Dosunmu has become Chicago’s de facto point guard. The rookie handed out eight helpers last night to go with his 11 points. That actually drags his average over his past three outings down to 9.3 APG. He’s also producing 10.3 PPG, 1.7 3PTM, and 1.0 SPG in that time frame. Dosunmu is a must-own player at the moment. If he’s still available in your league, go get him (56 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 11 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5-12 | 0-0 |
- Javonte Green is providing surprising fantasy value. He’s a bruising perimeter player, who doesn’t really shoot threes, but gets to the line, scores decently, and racks up defensive stats. On Thursday, Green put up 13 points, shot 7-for-8 from the foul line, and grabbed six rebounds with three thefts and a rejection. He’s scored in double figures in four of his past five outings, averaging 12.0 PPG, 1.4 SPG, and 0.8 BPG. He’s worth a look if you need defense (18 percent rostered).
Raps Notes:
- The Raptors are playing their starting five into the ground, so it’s hard to mine value anywhere. But last night, the ultimate fantasy tease himself—Chris Boucher—had one of his tantalizing performances. Boucher notched a double-double with 16 and 10 in 25 minutes, with two steals and a block to boot. He’s such a hit-or-miss player this season with inconsistent minutes, that his 72 percent rostership cannot be justified. If this game can allow you to sell him for something of use, go for it, otherwise I’m fine cutting bait as well.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 16 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8-14 | 0-0 |
Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors
Kings Notes:
- Davion Mitchell has been the big beneficiary of De’Aaron Fox’s absence. He’s stepped into a starting role and blossomed offensively. Thursday was one of his best shooting displays, as he connected on 11 of his 17 field goals and three of his five triples to score a career-best 26 points, while also dropping eight dimes. Over his past five games, the defensively-inclined rook is averaging 19.4 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 2.8 3PTM. He needs to be picked up everywhere, especially if Fox gets dealt at the deadline (44 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 26 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11-17 | 1-3 |
Dubs Notes:
- Another rookie, Jonathan Kuminga, had his second consecutive strong showing off the bench for the Warriors. The G-League Ignite alum made all eight of his two-point field goals to score 18 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and picking up a steal before fouling out in 26 minutes. Though he’s scored 37 in his last two outings, the consistency and playing time aren’t there, as he totaled just nine in his previous three games. With the Warriors gearing up for a title push, Kuminga won’t get the reps needed to really flourish this season. Leave him on the wire (11 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8-10 | 2-4 |
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Lakers Notes:
- It’s time for everyone to get back aboard the Malik Monk train. It’s true, he’s pretty streaky, but the opportunity is there right now. With no LeBron James in the lineup, Monk is receiving a heavy workload on a nightly basis. And while that may result in a some clunkers, he’s also got the potential for really good games. Like last night, when he finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three treys, and zero miscues. Even when James returns, Monk should have a featured role in the offense. He’s LA’s third most dynamic scorer at this point (58 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 21 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8-19 | 2-4 |
Clips Notes:
- In back-to-back starts for the Clippers, Serge Ibaka has looked more spry than he has in a couple years. He was even getting to the rim off the bounce last night en route to 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, with eight boards, and two swats. That came on the heels of a 14 and 11 output. As long as he’s the starting five, he looks like a legit streamer (10 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 20 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9-15 | 2-3 |
