For some of us fantasy basketball players, this week doesn’t matter much. We’ve locked up our playoff spots and are just waiting for them to begin. For others, these last few games are critical to seeding. If you own Karl-Anthony Towns, you’ve most likely locked up a playoff spot by now, because he’s been a beast all year. If that’s your situation, you probably just wanted the game last night between the T-Wolves and the Wizards to come to an end, but it went into OT and KAT hurt his knee in the waning moments of the game. Although it doesn’t seem to be serious, he is still headed for an MRI and the Wolves could play it safe with him given their place in the standings. This is obviously bad news if your playoffs start next week and you don’t have a first-round bye. Towns played exceptionally well prior to the injury going 4-40-16-2-2-1-1 on 15-of-25 shooting and 6-for-6 from the line. More will be known in the coming days regarding his knee, but this would be the worst possible timing, as he’s been cruising all year.
On a lighter note, here’s what else went down last night in the NBA:
Jeff Teague– 1-7-1-8-1-0-1 on 2-of-14 shooting and 2-for-2 FTs. His scoring is way down from the last few seasons, but he’s averaging a career-high 8.1 assists. Staying on the court is his main problem.
Taj Gibson– 15-13-0-0-0-0 on 6-of-11 shooting and 3-of-4 FTs. He could see a positive boost in value if KAT misses time, but as this line shows, he’s pretty much a points and boards-only guy with the occasional block.
Derrick Rose– 29-3-3-1-0-2 on 13-of-23 shooting and 3-for-4 from the line. Rose’s resurgence is really more of a better real-life story than fantasy story, as he really only offers points and a few assists.
Bobby Portis– 3-21-12-1-0-1-3 on 9-of-18 shooting. It’s Bobby’s World! The move to Washington has been very kind to Portis and Washington has the highly coveted 4-4-4 playoff schedule.
Trevor Ariza– 7-27-3-4-1-0-1 on 8-of-13 shooting and 4-for-4 FTs. I’m a big Ariza guy and I missed the boat on him this year because I doubted his role on Phoenix. I am a stupid, stupid man. JK, I’m a genius. Keep reading. Please.
Bradley Beal– 2-36-10-9-1-1-3 on 13-of-25 shooting and 8-of-11 FTs. The Beal Deal! If you’ve got him on your team, you’re in a great position to win your league.
Tomas Satoransky– 9-3-11-1-0-2 on 4-of-9 shooting and 1-for-1 from the stripe. He’s been getting big minutes because Washington doesn’t really have a backup point guard. That was Satoransky’s job and I guess it still is. He’s also the starting point guard. He’s both the starter and the back-up.
Jabari Parker– 3-15-8-3-1-1-5 on 6-of-9 shooting. His fantasy game is kind of whack, but if you need points and FG%, he’s not a terrible option as long as you can sacrifice TOs and FT%. Basically, by owning him you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul.
De’Aaron Fox– 2-30-5-8-1-0-3 on 11-of-17 shooting and 6-of-8 FTs. The FTs are his main bugaboo, but he’s having a great sophomore season. The Kings also have a great playoff schedule, so kudos if you have him on your squad.
Harrison Barnes– 1-11-8-0-1-0-0 on 3-of-9 shooting and 4-for-4 from the line in 37 minutes. There are nights when Harrison couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, but he’s been putting up good stat lines since Marvin Bagley went down.
Nemanja Bjelica– 2-13-10-2-2-2-0 on 5-of-13 shooting and 1-for-1 FTs in 29 minutes off the bench. The rainbow line out of nowhere! He’s gotten 29 and 30 minutes in his last two games, so he could be worth a short-term pick up. I could see adding him mid-week for when the Kings play three games in four days.
Dennis Smith Jr.- 2-18-5-5-0-0-1 on 7-of-19 shooting and 2-for-3 from the line. Maybe he’ll break out like De’Aaron Fox next year, but for now, he’s only shown flashes of brilliance with the Knicks.
DeAndre Jordan– 14-15-1-0-1-1 on 6-of-9 shooting. Started and played 26 minutes. The Knicks seem to be losing whether they play him or not, so I don’t see the Knicks resting him too much down the stretch.
Mitchell Robinson– 8-9-0-1-3-1 on 2-of-4 shooting and 4-for-4 from the line. Here’s to you Mitchell Robinson! I could see him being drafted crazy-high next year. He’s Rudy Gobert-esque, but possibly with more blocks. He’s already averaging more in 10 fewer minutes per game. Unreal.
Allonzo Trier– 10-3-0-1-0-1 on 3-of-10 shooting and 4-of-8 from the line. He was a hot pickup after the 29-point outburst two games ago, but if he’s not scoring big he’s not offering much else. The FTs are usually much better than last night would lead you to believe.
Rodions Kurucs– 4-16-6-1-1-0-1 on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-for-2 from the line. Got the start, but only played 21 minutes. He’s definitely worth a look if you need 3’s and points. His peripherals are very nice as well.
Jarrett Allen– 20-12-2-1-1-1 on 5-of-6 shooting and 10-of-16 from the line. He hasn’t made the huge jump a lot of us expected from his rookie season to his second year, but he has been fairly consistent. This was his first 20 point game since January 16th. The FTs have regressed and he hasn’t developed much of an offensive game besides dunking. I’d still be pretty high on him for next year though.
Spencer Dinwiddie– 4-23-6-7-0-1-2 on 7-of-14 shooting and 5-of-8 from the line. The Nets were horrible from the line last night (33-of-54) and really let the Hawks hang around for the whole game. Dinwiddie has played very well since returning from injury. He should be useful down the stretch as the Nets battle for a playoff spot. It’s always good to have guys on these teams. I know a lot of people are excited about the Warriors five game week in the second round of fantasy playoffs, but I have a feeling some guys will be rested.
DeMarre Carroll– 2-13-5-0-2-0-3 on 4-of-8 shooting and 3-for-4 FTs. Carroll will get to the line about four times a game, but he’s only a 75% FT shooter so it’s kind of counterproductive from a fantasy standpoint, especially since he only shoots 39.5% from the field. I love him as a real-life player though, because he’s tough and is a smart player, but those aren’t fantasy categories.
Caris LeVert– 2-4-1-1-0-2 on 1-of-6 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench. He has been super inconsistent since returning from that gruesome leg injury. I think next year he could come at a decent discount though.
John Collins– 33-20-1-1-1-2 on 13-of-20 shooting and 7-of-9 FTs. Speaking of players making the jump from their rookie to sophomore season, Collins has nearly doubled his scoring average from last year. It’s nice to see him contribute some D stats as well, and last night might have been his best game as a pro.
Trae Young– 2-23-10-11-1-0-2 on 4-of-14 shooting and 13-of-16 FTs. Trae bay-bay! The FG% and TOs are a drain, but he’s having a fantastic end to his rookie campaign. This whole rookie class has been really good, with not many “busts”.
Kyrie Irving– 5-30-7-5-2-2-1 on 12-of-18 shooting and 1-for-1 from the line. I’m not sure where he’ll end up next year, but a long playoff run on the Celtics could sway him to stay. I would love if he came to the Knicks though. I’m so sick of every Boston team being good…
Marcus Smart– 4-16-2-5-2-0-3 on 6-of-8 shooting. ‘Wicked’ Smaht was no holds-bahhed last night.
Gordon Hayward– 1-15-2-2-0-1-2 on 6-of-8 shooting and 2-for-4 FTs. He has shown some fog on the mirror lately, so maybe he can finish strong and give fantasy owners hope for next season.
LeBron James– 1-30-10-12-0-0-3 on 13-of-23 shooting and 3-for-7 FTs. LeBum is still in playoff mode, but the Lakers are moving towards tank mode. I’m kidding about LeBron, obviously a 30-point triple-double is nothing to sneeze at, but I think he’s getting a harsh dose of reality that he can’t just bring along a bunch of his cronies and win in the West.
Moritz Wagner– 1-22-6-3-0-1-3 on 7-of-13 shooting and 7-for-7 FTs. Please Luke Walton, unleash the rookies and younger players. Mo-Wag is looking like a very tasty pick-up, but he comes with high risk. Keep him in mind as the Lakers play four games in six days next week.
Johnathan Williams– 18-10-1-0-1-0 on 9-of-16 shooting. He came off the bench and played 29 minutes and it makes sense for Walton to give him a look with the Lakers falling out of the playoff hunt.
Miles Bridges– 1-15-6-2-0-0-0 on 7-of-9 shooting. He’s been one rookie who hasn’t made an immediate impact for his team, but I definitely wouldn’t call him a bust yet.
Frank Kaminsky– 6-16-1-4-0-0-0 on 4-of-8 shooting and 4-for-4 FTs. He’s had four out of five nice shooting games and I could see adding him if you need 3’s from a big man.
Giannis Antetokounmpo– 2-26-13-6-0-1-5 on 7-of-11 shooting and 10-for-10 FTs. The FTs are a nice surprise and he’s slowly heating up from downtown. He’s such a monster…I couldn’t imagine having to guard this guy.
Brook Lopez– 1-25-8-2-2-0-2 on 7-of-11 shooting and 10-for-10 from the line. He is sitting comfortably in third round value territory. He’s the most lethal combination of 3’s and blocks in the league.
Nikola Mirotic– 5-18-6-3-2-0-1 on 6-of-10 shooting and 1-of-2 from the line. He had a clunker the game before this one, and another one two games prior. He’s still adjusting to his role on the Bucks, and he’s not getting huge minutes like he was on the Pels.
Tyler Johnson– 1-14-7-7-0-1-1 on 4-of-11 shooting and 5-of-6 FTs. Tyler was creating for his teammates last night. He’s usually more of a score-first PG. That’s three solid games in a row for him, so a dud is inevitably coming up.
Mikal Bridges– 1-12-6-3-0-1-1 on 4-of-6 shooting and 3-of-4 from the line. This was only his third double-digit scoring game since Feb. 8th, but he’s on fantasy teams for his steals.
CJ McCollum– 4-26-3-4-1-1-1 on 11-of-14 shooting. I think Lillard let CJ play Batman against the Suns. That’s what good leaders do.
Damian Lillard– 2-18-2-9-0-0-0 on 4-of-11 shooting and 8-of-9 from the stripe. This game was out of hand mid-way though the 3rd quarter, so Dame dialed back the aggression. The Blazers have some tough opponents coming up, so I’m expecting a big week from Lillard.
Enes Kanter– 12-8-1-0-1-1 on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-for-4 from the line. He hasn’t really been worth owning since arriving in Portland, but I’m sure he’s happy just to be playing at all.
Seth Curry– 3-22-2-0-1-0-2 on 6-of-11 shooting and 7-for-7 from the line. He’s in a good role for himself in real life, but he’s just not getting the minutes to be effective so he’s not worth an add.
