The Bulls came into Toronto having beat the Raptors in 11 straight games. It took overtime, but the Raptors snapped the losing streak behind DeMar DeRozan’s 42 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. Double D shot 17-38 and helped erase a 16-point deficit in the 4th quarter to secure the win.
DeRozan battled all game against Jimmy Butler, who also went off for 37/10/6. Despite these two all-stars’ phenomenal performances, the game was overshadowed by the fight between Serge Ibaka (16 and 6) and Robin Lopez (12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks):
Usually Lopez only fights mascots, but took exception to Ibaka’s shove in the back. Fortunately the guys were separated rather quickly, but the league will obviously review the fight and make a decision later on whether either player will be suspended any games. Personally, I’d expect both guys to miss at least one game, but hopefully it’s just a fine and they return for their teams’ next game.
Cory Joseph – Continuing to play for the injured Kyle Lowry (wrist), Joseph helped DeRozan with the scoring, chipping in 19 of his own.
P.J. Tucker – Tucker has lost most of his value since his trade to the Raptors, but took advantage of the extra period to post 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 threes off the bench in 33 minutes.
Paul Zipser – Zipser came out of nowhere to post an all-around line of 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 2 threes. He’s starting, but I wouldn’t go rush to the waiver wire for him.
Rajon Rondo – Rondo collected 8 dimes and surpassed 6,000 career assists in the loss. In addition to the assists, Rondo also added 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 threes, and 4 steals. He’s starting and has shown the ability to fill the box score, but he’s far from the guy that helped the Celtics win a championship. But at least he gets an invite to the 2008-anniversary celebration. The same can’t be said of Ray Allen.
DeMarcus Cousins – What a monster stat line for DMC: 41 points, 17 rebounds, 5 threes, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. He had quite a few 40-point double-doubles for the Kings, but this is the first of what is hopefully many as a Pelican.
Anthony Davis – Cousins’ fellow big man also double-doubled with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Marc Gasol – Gasol didn’t quite have his shot going (5-13 FG, 0-3 3PT), but that is to be expected when you play against two of the best bigs in the league. Despite the poor shooting, he still contributed across with the board with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Mike Conley – Conley posted 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 threes for the Grizzlies.
Hassan Whiteside – Whiteside left the game early after hurting his hand on the backboard during a block attempt. Before departing, Whiteside posted a monster double-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. It was a blowout so hopefully the Heat were just being cautious and the injury doesn’t keep him out of the lineup.
Goran Dragic – The Dragon slayed his old team to a tune of 16/4/2 with 2 steals and 2 threes.
Tyler Johnson – With the blowout, the Heat received a lot of contributions from their bench, but it was Johnson who really shined. He posted 17/6/4 and 5 steals and 2 threes off the bench. After a rough patch in early March, he’s back to posting across the board numbers. Hopefully you stayed the course during the rough patch.
Marquese Chriss – Chriss rose up for the Suns, scoring a team high 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 threes. He’s hot right now and could be a difference maker off the waiver wire for playoff teams.
Alex Len – Len posted another double-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Seems that the hip injury that sidelined him for 2 games is behind him.
Brook Lopez – While his brother was fighting Ibaka, it was BroLo (29 and 7) who delivered the knockout:
Spencer Dinwiddie – With Jeremy Lin (ankle) sidelined, Dinwiddie was inserted into the starting lineup and took advantage with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Lin is day-to-day, so Dinwiddie’s fantasy contributions will only last as long as Lin is shelved.
Tobias Harris – Harris tied the game at 96 on a tip-in, before Lopez’ eventual game winner. He finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks, as the Pistons fight for a playoff spot.
Andre Drummond – AD posted a double-double with 13/17 and 2 blocks.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – You down with KCP, yeah, you know me. 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 threes for the up-and-down shooting guard.
Ish Smith – Smith continues to warrant consideration over Reggie Jackson (7/2/2 line), despite coming off the bench. Smith posted 16/7/4 and 3 steals in 28 minutes. He was also a +10 for the game, which might encourage Stan Van Gundy to keep finding him minutes.
DeAndre Jordan – Jordan notched a fourth straight double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Chris Paul – Paul added 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 threes, before retiring to the bench to the watch the remainder of the game with his son.
J.J. Redick – Redick only needed 9 shots and 18 minutes to post 24 points (7-9 FG, 4-5 3PT, 6-6 FT), 3 rebounds, and 4 threes.
Austin Rivers – The Doc’s son posted an 18/4/4 off the bench in the blowout.
Julius Randle – Randle did a little of everything in the battle of Los Angeles with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal/block/three each
Brandon Ingram – Despite the blowout, Ingram received 40 minutes, in back-to-back games. He rewarded owners with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 threes. He’s now gone 9 straight games with double figure points and is locked in for minutes for the rest of the season.
Ivica Zubac – Zubbie also has a double-figure streak going, scoring 10+ in 6 of the last 7. He finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal/block each against the Clippers.
D’Angelo Russell – Coming off his 40-point night against the Cavs, Russell came back down to earth to post 18 points, 5 assists, 3 threes, and 3 steals.
Thomas Robinson – Robinson needed only 10 minutes of clock to post 16 points on 7-8 shooting and grab 6 rebounds. Don’t read into this though.
Stephen Curry – Battling against his brother Seth, Stephen got the better of him both statistically (no surprise) and as a team (again, no surprise). Steph finished with 17 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 threes. Seth Curry, meanwhile, added 10/3/4 for the Mavericks.
Klay Thompson – Steph’s Spalsh brother registered 23/3/3/3 and 5 threes.
Ian Clark – Clark enjoyed the blowout win with 18 points and 4 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench.
Dirk Nowitzki – Father Time continues to play well in the second half of the season, finishing with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 three.
Nerlens Noel – The former Sixer recorded 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block off the bench.
LaMarcus Aldridge – Aldridge dominated the T’Wolves with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals/blocks each.
Kawhi Leonard – 22 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block
Andrew Wiggins – He shot just 5-15 from the field, but made up for it by hitting 12-14 from the charity stripe to post a 22/4/4 line. Watch out for your head:
Karl-Anthony Towns – KAT dogged the Spurs for 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Shabazz Muhammad – Muhammad enjoyed the 2nd quarter, scoring 16 of his 18 in the quarter to finish with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 threes If you need rebounds and points, look to stream Muhammad for the playoffs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – The Greek Freak 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks
Khris Middleton – Middleton smoked the Blazers for 26/3/3/3 and 3 threes. He’s picking off where he left off last season and will be a coveted player in next year’s drafts.
Jusuf Nurkic – Boy, are Nurkic and fantasy owners happy that he was traded to the Blazers. Averaging a double-double for the month, Nurkic posted 11 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks versus the Bucks.
Damian Lillard – Lillard broke some ankles on his way to 31 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.
C.J. McCollum – McCollum consistently produces and Tuesday was no exception, with a 21/2/2 line in the loss.
