The Warriors needed overtime, but still continued their historic run to 73 wins. They have been a lot of fun to watch this season and are must watch basketball (if you’ve been hiding under a rock this season). It will probably be years, if ever, that any team comes this close to this historic of a streak. So enjoy it while you still can! Let’s just hope that the Warriors aren’t gassed when they inevitably play the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Stephen Curry led the way with 31 points, including 6 straight points in OT. He knocked down 5-10 from downtown and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Draymond Green (13/8/6), Harrison Barnes (15/11), and Klay Thompson (18/4 and 3 threes) all saw around 40 minutes, as the Warriors continue their race for 73. Don’t worry about any of these getting benched down the stretch.
The Jazz kept it close and forced overtime, but the Warriors are just too good and improved to 6-0 in OT. Rudy Gobert grabbed 18 boards and scored 11 points, while Rodney Hood went for 20/6 with 3 threes. Gordon Hayward had a poor shooting night (7-20 FG, 4-8 FT), but still scored his usual 20 points with 4 rebounds and 3 steals. You have to hand it to the Jazz; they have definitely exceeded all expectations this season and should be playing postseason basketball.
Now onto the other nightly notables:
Manu Ginobili – Despite coming off the bench, GInobili led the Spurs in scoring with 20 points. He knocked down 7 of 10 from the field and 5-6 from downtown. Sitting out the previous two games for rest, Ginobili should remain on the wire.
Kawhi Leonard – After missing the previous 3 games with a right quad contusion, Leonard returned to the lineup to post a 16/6/5/3/2 line. Unless the Spurs rest their starters more, Leonard should be inserted into starting lineups for the weekend.
Alexis Ajinca – Playing for the injury depleted Pelicans, Ajinca posted an 18/9 as their starting center. Omer Asik (2 points, 9 rebounds) started alongside Ajinca, but isn’t as offensively gifted. Either way, owners can probably do better.
J.J. Barea – Deron Williams sat again with an abdominal strain, giving Barea extra run off the bench. He responded with 26 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, knocking down 4 threes. Raymond Felton (11/3/2) is starting for Williams and is serviceable in fantasy, but Barea is the better fantasy play as long as Williams sits.
Carmelo Anthony – Melo is finishing the season strong. On Wednesday, he posted 31 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. He’s scored 20+ points in 14 of his last 15 games.
Derrick Williams – The only other Knick in double figures, Williams posted 15/8/2, as Kristaps Porzingis sat for a sore right shoulder. KP is day-to-day going forward so Williams could pick up another start this weekend.
Chris Paul – CP3 and the Clippers weren’t messing around, as they blew out the Timberwolves. Paul led the way with 20 points, 16 assists, and 8 rebounds.
J.J. Redick – Redick chipped in 17/3/3, despite only hitting 4-12 from downtown.
Karl-Anthony Towns – The runaway rookie of the year posted 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins – The Clippers completely shutdown the T-Wolves. Andrew Wiggins scored just 7 points and committed 6 turnovers, before leaving the game in the 3rd quarter with a lacerated chin. Wiggins is day-to-day, but should be fine for Friday’s game.
Jabari Parker – Parker posted a very fantasy friendly line of 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.
Khris Middleton – Middleton hit 10-16 from the field, on his way to a team high 26 points and 7 rebounds.
P.J. Tucker – After 4 straight games scoring under 10 points, Tucker exploded to post 20 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. The scoring won’t be there every night, but he does a little bit of everything to help fantasy owners.
Tyson Chandler and Alex Len – The Suns’ big men finally played well together. Chandler posted 13/13 with 3 assists and 2 blocks, while the younger Len dropped 17/15 with 5 assists and 2 blocks. It was a much better game for Chandler, after his 2-point return on Monday night. Both players can be trusted this weekend.
Nikola Jokic – Despite playing with some foul trouble, Jokic scored 9 points and 14 rebounds. The sky is the limit for this young big man, but we probably have to wait until next year to see him unleashed.
Emmanuel Mudiay – Mudiay may not have hit a buzzer beater three to win, but 17 points, 5 assists, and 3 threes will do.
Will Barton – Barton led the Nuggets to a win over the Griz, with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 threes off the bench.
Zach Randolph – Z-Bo turned back the clocks to score 26 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. He missed the previous 2 games with an ankle injury.
JaMychal Green – Coming off the bench, Green posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Matt Barnes – Barnes was awful shooting (6 points on 2-12 FG, 1-8 3PT), but made up for it with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Like P.J. Tucker, he’s seeing a lot of minutes and does a little bit of everything.
Jonas Valanciunas – Valanciunas just missed his 20th double-double of the season with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Kyle Lowry – Despite having his elbow drained earlier in the week and being limited at shootaround, Lowry still played 40 minutes on Wednesday. The elbow affected his shot (4-19 FG), but he managed to post 17 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan – He contributed 26 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, and 3 threes. You were already starting him anyways, but the 3 threes is just gravy, considering he doesn’t even average 1 per game.
Jeff Teague – The only starter in double figures, Teague hit 8-13 from the field for 18 points and 3 assists, as the Hawks fell to the Raptors.
Mike Scott – The Hawks were losing by a lot, giving Scott plenty of run off the bench. He responded with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 threes. Unless the starters are benched down the stretch, feel free to leave him on the wire.
Tim Hardaway Jr. – Hardaway also benefited from the extra run, posting a 15/3/3 line with 4 3-pointers.
DeMarcus Cousins – Run DMC did his usual thing with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. Can he be traded to a contender already?
Rajon Rondo – Rondo was ejected, but don’t worry it came with 6 seconds to go with the game already decided. Before departing, he scored 15 points and dished out 11 assists. Darren Collison joined Rondo in the double-double club with 13 points and 10 assists off the bench.
Omri Casspi – Off the bench Casspi, dropped 15 and 8.
John Wall – Wall got his double-double with 14 points and 13 assists, but needed a last second 3 and free throws to get it, despite the game being already decided. The Wizards season looks to be over so it’ll be interesting to see if Wall and teammate Bradley Beal (24/4/4) will be benched down the stretch.
Otto Porter Jr. – Porter posted his second 20-point game in March with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 threes.
Julius Randle – Randle hit the game winner and posted a double-double with 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists. It was his 5th double-double in the last 8 games, one of which was a triple-double. Hopefully this momentum carries into next season.
Roy Hibbert – Hibbert contributed 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. The 33 minutes were a season high, while it was only his second double figure scoring game in March. It’s unfortunate to see his career go downhill so fast the last couple seasons.
Jordan Clarkson – Clarkson led the Lakers in scoring with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 2 threes.
D’Angelo Russell – He bounced back from an awful 5-point night against the Jazz to score 16 points and 4 rebounds, but still shot 6-19. The “videotape heard around the world” may be a distraction the rest of the season, affecting his game mentally.
Luol Deng – A guy I feel I haven’t written about much this season, Deng played a team high 41 minutes in overtime to net 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 threes, and 3 blocks.
Dwyane Wade – Billed as the last game between Wade and Kobe Bryant (2 points in 9 minutes), Wade brought his A-game to finish with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. When Wade is ready to retire (hopefully it won’t be for a while), he’ll get a similar treatment to Kobe’s retirement tour.
Hassan Whiteside – Whiteside posted an insane 18/17/7 line off the bench for the Heat. Someone is getting paid this offseason.
