Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics
Suns Notes:
- Bad time for Devin Booker to slump, right in the midst of fantasy playoffs. While Booker has hit clutch baskets and the Suns have mostly been winning, Thursday night marked the fourth time in his past six outings he was held under 20 points— mustering just 15, with no threes and five turnovers against just two assists. In this stretch, Book has shot just 37.5 percent from the field and a woeful 17.9 percent from deep, averaging under one made triple per game. Hopefully, he hasn’t shot your team out of a fantasy chip.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6-13 | 3-4 |
Celtics Notes:
- Jayson Tatum has also cooled off recently, with back-to-back 3-for-17 shooting performances after an incredible stretch of basketball. Tatum at least has contributed in other categories, most notably rebounds. He’s gone for double-digit boards in six of his past eight, including 11 last night.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 15 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3-17 | 8-8 |
- Jabari Parker has entered Boston’s rotation but isn’t worth paying attention to. He’s functioning basically a backup center, just cleaning up around the rim on offense. He’s yet to make a trey, last night was the first time he’s recorded an assist, and the defensive stats are still scarce. Fantasy players want Luke Kornet and his tasty treys/blocks combo back in the lineup.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Orlando Magic
Pelicans Notes:
- Naji Marshall had been getting some buzz lately, looking good with increased playing time. I’d like to see him continue to get minutes, but with the Pelicans mostly back to full strength there just isn’t enough playing time to go around for Marshall. He finished with just two points in a game New Orleans scored 135, shooting 1-of-4 in 17 minutes. No need to hang onto him in your playoff matchup (15 percent owned in Yahoo!).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1-4 | 0-0 |
Magic Notes:
- Mo Bamba got the spot start with Wendell Carter Jr. sidelined, and he took full advantage of his 28 minutes, piling up 17 points, 12 boards, and a pair of treys and rejections. Be ready to pounce on Bamba (22 percent owned in Yahoo!) if Carter misses another game.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6-15 | 3-3 |
- It’s probably too late to pick up Cole Anthony, who’s up to 48 percent owned in Yahoo!, but he’s been a reliable source of points and assists lately. The rookie scored 14 against the Pels, with three assists to zero turnovers.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Sixers Notes:
- If you need to make up some ground in the defensive cats, Matisse Thybulle is your lottery ticket. While his minutes took a slight dip with Tobias Harris returning to action, Thybulle (12 percent owned in Yahoo!) still got his steal and block, marking the sixth time in his last seven contests he’s recorded at least one of each. He’s averaging 1.9 SPG and 1.6 BPG over that span.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2-3 | 0-0 |
- George Hill has started playing for Philly, and even got the start on Thursday, but isn’t worth picking up. The veteran point guard finished with six points, zero assists, and zero threes in 21 minutes. His value will only decrease when Ben Simmons gets back.
Bucks Notes:
- After seeing his minutes drop sharply the last couple of games, Bobby Portis was back to his usual allotment at 23, and boy did he make the most of them. Portis canned nine of his 11 shots—including all five of his triple tries—for 23 points. He also added five rebounds, a steal, and three swats. He was dropped in a lot of places following his recent duds (down to 43 percent owned in Yahoo!), so scout your waiver wire to see if Portis is available.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 23 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9-11 | 0-0 |
Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs
Pistons Notes:
- The Pistons have taken to resting key veterans on almost an every-other-game basis, opening the door for some unlikely fantasy value. When you see a mass rest day coming, Frank Jackson can be a sneaky streamer. Jackson (three percent owned in Yahoo!) has gotten at least 20 minutes six times in the past two weeks. He’s scored in double digits in all of them, including 14 last night on 50 percent shooting with a couple of threes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6-12 | 0-0 |
Spurs Notes:
- With the Spurs resting several of their high-usage regulars, the door opened for Lonnie Walker IV to start and get a chance to show what he can do. Walker responded with 18 points (hitting four of his five triple tries), three assists, and a steal in 33 minutes. Walker (six percent owned in Yahoo!) has some upside for points, threes, and steals, but is far too inconsistent in his typical niche role, so don’t rush out to scoop him up.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6-13 | 2-4 |
Charlotte Hornets vs. Chicago Bulls
Hornets Notes:
- Jalen McDaniels came into Thursday night’s action averaging nearly 14 PPG over his previous eight contests but mustered only three points on 1-of-8 shooting against the Bulls. Don’t let the off night deter you, though. McDaniels (36 percent owned) still has a very high upside for points, threes, and stocks while most of Charlotte’s best players remain sidelined.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1-8 | 0-0 |
Bulls Notes:
- Chicago has shaken up their lineups as of late, and that has put Garrett Temple back on the streaming radar as a three-point specialist. Temple (two percent owned in Yahoo!) drained three of them last night for nine points, while also handing out four assists. He’s averaging 2.0 3PTM over his last four games.
- Tomas Satoransky has gone back to a bench role, but he’s still worthy of inclusion on your roster if you need cheap assists. Sato dished out seven of them on Thursday in 21 minutes, to go along with 10 points and three swipes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 10 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4-10 | 1-2 |
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Lakers Notes:
- Anthony Davis owners are in a tricky situation. He’s off the injured list but will be very slowly ramped up by the Lakers. He only played the first half (which was the plan all along) and looked very rusty in his return, scoring just four points of 2-for-10 shooting, and missing both of his freebies. Not what you want out of your first-round pick, especially at the business end of a fantasy season. As crazy as it sounds, you might have to cut AD to take home the crown (as a last resort, to be clear!).
- Call him Kentavious Scaldwell-Pope (anyone?), my guy was so hot! KCP exploded for a season-high 29 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. He’s been on fire lately, with 69 (nice) points and a Steph-Curry-esque 16 treys over his last 3 outings. Roll the dice on him as a three-point specialist and you may be rewarded if he stays scorching (19 percent owned in Yahoo!).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 29 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9-17 | 5-5 |
Mavericks Notes:
- Willie Cauley-Stein reminded the world he’s still in the league. After being decidedly out of the Mavs rotation for the past couple of months, WCS saw 31 minutes and was a team-high plus-18 on the court. Fantasy-wise, he scored 11 points, grabbed eight boards, and blocked two shots. With Kristaps Porzingis sustaining an injury and Maxi Kleber also out of the lineup, WCS (two percent owned in Yahoo!) could be a strong pickup for big man stats in the short term.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 11 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4-7 | 3-6 |
