Many weird plays and occasions can happen in the NBA and give the impression that they have never happened before, but I have to admit I can not remember another instance of the inbounds play controversy in the Mavericks/Warriors game last week.
The ref makes an out-of-bounds call in favor of the Warriors and then points to the Mavs bench, indicating the timeout coach Kidd called. Kevon Looney is immediately confused and asks for clarifications, which he gets but those apparently never get to the Mavericks bench and they all line up at the other basket, resulting in an easy Warriors layup.
The worst thing, though, is that it was eventually a close game with the Mavericks losing by 2 points. That has to sting and it has also generated controversy both from Luka Doncic and the Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban. Another instance that will go down in the NBA history as one of the most weird occasions that happened in game, where no rules were broken however.
Regarding last week’s suggestions, Kris Dunn was underwhelming, particularly in the steals department with 0 steals in 3 games, while both Royce O’Neale and Josh Richardson were serviceable streamers and their spots can be freely used this week for additional streaming.
Buy
Delon Wright: Injuries in Washington have provided opportunity for Delon Wright throughout the season and the end of it is not different, as both Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal are out. When he gets close to 30 minutes he is a reliable source of assists and steals, which are rare commodities from the waiver wire. He has indeed played more than 30 minutes in each of his last three games and the Wizards need all the playmaking they can get, so he can be a good streaming option (26% owned). Another target due to the above injuries is also Deni Avdija, who is getting above 34 minutes per game lately and can be a multi-category contributor, so give him a look as well (44% owned).
Portland bench: Portland has thrown in the white towel and will no longer pursuit a place in the play-ins, as they report nearly all of their starting 5 as doubtful for their next game. That means they will likely continue the trend of being blown out, but it also means ample of opportunity for their younger and reserve players. Your targets will be influenced by the needs of your team and matchup but their order for me are Shaedon Sharpe (53% owned), who is averaging 16 points, 2.3 triples and 1.1 steals in the last two weeks, followed by Drew Eubanks (28% owned), who is always useful when Jusuf Nurkic sits and finally Keon Johnson (3% owned), who is picking up more and more minutes, and that trend should continue as the season reaches its close.
Isaiah Jackson: The Pacers are also short of a goal in the remaining games and have no incentive to continue playing Myles Turner. That means Isaiah Jackson immediately moves into streaming territory, as he is a prime contributor in big man stats, whenever Turner is sidelined. It’s worth checking Indiana’s next injury report, before committing on Jackson, but if I had to bet I would say they won’t activate Turner so you can go ahead and stream Jackson with confidence (24% owned).
