Dallas Mavericks vs. Detroit Pistons
Mavs Notes:
- With Luka Doncic sitting one out, Dallas’ offense flowed through Tim Hardaway Jr., and boy did he have himself a night. Hardaway dropped a career-best 42 points on just 23 shots, drilling six of his 10 triple tries and sinking all 10 of his attempts from the stripe. THJ (57 percent owned in Yahoo!) is as streaky as they come, but if Doncic misses any more time the opportunity will be there for oodles of points and treys.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 42 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 13-23 | 10-10 |
- Trey Burke has been hot lately, averaging 14.0 PPG and 2.3 SPG over his past three games. The diminutive guard came off the bench Thursday for 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting with a three, a steal, and a block. Burke (two percent owned in Yahoo!) is a deep streaming option for Dallas’ weekend back-to-back set if word breaks that Luka will be out.
Pistons Notes:
- Detroit started their lineup of the future against the Mavs, and the future looks pretty bright for Isaiah Stewart. Beef Stew went for 20 and 10 with three blocks and even stretched the floor for a pair of treys on five (!) attempts. He’s been on a tear lately, whether he’s been the starter or not, and rates as the No. 21 overall player in Yahoo! over the past 14 days. How is he only rostered in 57 percent of leagues?
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 20 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9-14 | 0-0 |
- Frank Jackson‘s minutes haven’t been reliable, but his production correlates strongly to them. He’s now scored 13 or more points all nine times this month when receiving at least 20 minutes after scoring 20 in 27 minutes last night. If it’s a night where the Pistons are sitting their vets, Jackson (two percent owned in Yahoo!) is a nice pickup for some scoring punch.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers
Nets Notes:
- It’s not often you see wing players achieve a 20-20 game, but the Nets have been at the forefront of using their wings like bigs (hi, Bruce Brown!), so Alize Johnson managed the feat against Indiana. The mid-season call-up did it off the pine too, amassing 20 points and 21 boards in 32 minutes, chipping in three assists and two blocks as well. Johnson (two percent owned in Yahoo!) had compiled 21 points and 22 rebounds total over the past three weeks, so there’s no need to rush out and pick him up.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 20 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7-12 | 6-6 |
Pacers Notes:
- Every season there’s that one unknown guy who comes out of nowhere to swing a fantasy championship—well this year it’s (double checks Basketball-Reference page) Oshae Brissett! This man has been a beast over his past six games, averaging 15.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.5 3PTM, 1.2 SPG, and 2.0 BPG. Even factoring two games in which he did nothing before kicking off this run, he’s been a top-30 player over the past 14 days, and No. 13 overall over the past seven. If you’re in your championship matchup he’s probably already been scooped up (up to 47 percent owned in Yahoo!), but check to see just in case.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 14 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4-10 | 4-4 |
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets
Bucks Notes:
- Bryn Forbes exploded for a career-high 30 points off the bench, hitting 11 of his 17 shots (including six threes). Forbes is a dynamite shooter who puts the ball in the net when he gets a chance. With the two-time reigning MVP limping off in this one and the Bucks in a back-to-back set, another chance could be coming tomorrow night. Keep him in mind if you need treys (two percent owned in Yahoo!).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 30 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 11-17 | 2-2 |
Rockets Notes:
- Whoa, when did James Harden come back to Houston?? Oh wait, that’s Kevin Porter Jr., who posted a very Harden-esque line of 50 points, 11 dimes, and nine triples in the 41 best minutes of his life. He rewarded fantasy managers who held him while he was out with a performance that may have clinched those managers a title.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 50 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 16-26 | 9-11 |
- D.J. Wilson produced 15 points and 12 boards in a revenge game against his former team. Wilson has had two big games sandwiching a dud, so he’s on the streaming radar for Houston’s back-to-back weekend set, but unless either Christian Wood or Kelly Olynyk are sitting out, there are more reliable options out there than Wilson (one percent owned in Yahoo!).
Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Warriors Notes:
- Kent Bazemore returned to the lineup for the Warriors on Thursday and posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three swipes, two treys, and a rejection. Bazemore (10 percent owned in Yahoo!) had been getting minutes lately and was immediately back to playing 35 in his return, so he looks like a nice streaming option for Golden State’s next game against the defenseless Rockets.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 10 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3-9 | 2-4 |
Wolves Notes:
- Minnesota has been so irrelevant for the majority of the season that at times I forget that my guy Ricky Rubio starts for them. But the veteran point guard busted out of a slump with 26 points (including five triples) on just 13 shots against the Dubs. Even if someone in your league dropped him (55 percent owned in Yahoo!), with the Wolves playing just one time over the next six days he’s not worth a pickup if your league extends into at least next week.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 26 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7-13 | 7-7 |
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Pelicans Notes:
- James Johnson saw 21 minutes of action in this one, producing 12 points and a couple of steals. He’s a flier for those looking for a lottery ticket of defensive stats with across-the-board upside. The bad news is he and Naji Marshall (eight points, seven boards in 23 minutes) limit each other’s value. Both are likely to produce pedestrian lines when in the lineup together.
Thunder Notes:
- I don’t even know what to say—anyone in the OKC rotation is a dice roll at this point. May the odds be ever in your favor!
Toronto Raptors vs. Denver Nuggets
Raptors Notes:
- Khem Birch has found his footing with his native club. The Raptors’ new center has been on a roll lately and had his best offensive game of his Toronto run with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including canning both of his triple tries. Birch tossed in eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a swat to boot. His ownership has skyrocketed to 43 percent in Yahoo!, but in case he’s still available in your league, he’s pretty much a must-own for Toronto’s weekend back-to-back.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 20 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8-10 | 2-4 |
- Malachi Flynn got the spot start for Fred VanVleet and made the most of it with 16 points, six boards, and four helpers in 32 minutes. He’s been awesome lately when given a healthy dose of playing time, and with at least one of VanVleet and Kyle Lowry missing action on a regular basis, Flynn (22 percent owned in Yahoo!) is worth a pickup—at least for that aforementioned back-to-back set.
Nuggets Notes:
- P.J. Dozier has been the biggest beneficiary of Denver’s backcourt injuries. Dozier doesn’t always put up monster lines (he’s scored more than 10 points once over his past seven outings) but has some upside in harder-to-get categories. He’s averaging just about a 1/1/1 in 3PTM/STL/BLK over that span. Still just 30 percent owned in Yahoo!, he’s worth a look if you have a streaming spot available.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4-11 | 1-1 |
