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While Kyrie Irving‘s home debut for the Nets this season may have been the biggest story heading into the day, the performance of other stars ended up overshadowing it as a few stars across the league showed out on this seven game Sunday. Let’s get into it!
Knicks 104, Pistons 102
Julius Randle returned from a three game absence with a quad injury. If Randle has been one thing over the past two seasons, it’s durable, so missing three games was surprising. He only missed one game last season and only missed two games earlier this year because of COVID-19. He finished with a solid 20/7/5 line with two steals, two triples, and a below average shooting percentage, which is a pretty typical performance for him this season.
Mitchell Robinson returned to the starting lineup and got right back to work with nine rebounds and five blocks in 29 minutes.
Despite his return to the bench, Obi Toppin was still able to produce 10 points, a steal, and a block. Hopefully Tom Thibodeau will continue to allow him to see playing time since the Knicks postseason hopes are pretty faint.
Jericho Sims was also productive despite coming off the bench. He collected eight rebounds and added a steal and a block. His scoring upside is limited whether he’s starting or not, but he can usually be relied on for rebounds and a block. With Robinson hitting free agency this summer, Sims could end up being a solid fantasy asset next season.
Alec Burks with the game sealing stop on Cade Cunningham. pic.twitter.com/Isn1OuDMhb
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) March 27, 2022
Marvin Bagley finished with 27 points and seven rebounds on 11-of-14 shooting. According to StatMuse, this is the first time in his career that he’s scored at least 25 points in back-to-back games. He seems to have found a home in Detroit, however, that could change quickly next season depending on how the draft lottery goes.
Cade Cunningham finished with 18 points, seven assists, two steals, and one block. He scored his 1,000th career point in this game. He’s recorded at least seven assists and a block in six consecutive games now. He didn’t grab a rebound in this game, but he’s shown his potential as a top tier 9-cat asset this season.
Isaiah Stewart recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He also shot 2-of-3 from deep after only hitting four triples this season before this game.
Braxton Key, a rookie out of Virginia, scored nine points and added two steals and a block in just his fourth NBA game. Can’t say you can rely on him as a fantasy asset in the future, but the points and steals were a career high for him.
Celtics 134, Timberwolves 112
Grant Williams has averaged 11 points, 4.4 rebounds, and nearly two triples as a starter this season, so this was a little underwhelming for him. However, with Al Horford (personal) unlikely to travel to Toronto for Monday’s game and Robert Williams now dealing with a left knee sprain, both Daniel Theis and Grant Williams should be in line for big minutes at least against the Raptors. They should both be considered excellent DFS/streaming options once it’s confirmed that one or both of Horford/Williams won’t play Monday.
After struggling for a large portion of March, Derrick White has posted three straight lines that will make fantasy managers happy. He’s an excellent spot start option when Marcus Smart or Jaylen Brown is out, but he’s shown he can be effective coming off the bench, which was in question after his move to Boston. Ride the hot streak while you can.
Jayson Tatum continued his insane month with this performance in a dominant win over the Timberwolves. He’s now averaging a line of 33.7/6.8/4.8 on 53.9/46.6/91% shooting splits in March. While the MVP race will likely come down to Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, the Celtics are now the top seed in the East and Tatum has been playing out of his mind. It’s likely too late for Tatum to receive real consideration, but fantasy managers are thrilled with this tear he’s been on. There’s no reason to think he won’t maintain it.
Similar to Tatum, Brown has been on a tear lately, scoring at least 20 points in his last six games. However, he hasn’t recorded a double-double since January, so this was a nice bonus. It’s been the play of the entire team that has the Celtics sitting atop the Eastern conference standings, but all of their starters have provided excellent numbers for fantasy managers lately, which has everyone happy.
With Al Horford out of the lineup for personal reasons, Williams had no problem posting a quick double-double despite the limited action. He actually hasn’t posted many double-doubles lately because of how often Boston is blowing their opponents out, so it was nice that he was able to before injuring his knee. If he ends up missing some games, Grant Williams and Daniel Theis should benefit from some extra minutes, as Horford is not expected to make the trip to Toronto tomorrow. Ime Udoka said after the game that Williams was in pain and will get his knee scanned on Monday, so hopefully we’ll know more after that, but it’s not looking promising.
Despite leaving the court briefly, Karl-Anthony Towns was on the floor the majority of the game. He just didn’t play as well as he has been, which tends to happen when you play Boston. He should be fine moving forward, as he won’t only grab four rebounds very often. Towns is still in contention for a spot on an All-NBA team, so hopefully he tries to solidify his case over the last couple weeks.
Jaylen Nowell saw some extra playing time with Malik Beasley sidelined with an ankle injury. He made the most of his time, providing an offensive boost off the bench. He’s proven himself to be a capable scorer when he’s given the opportunity. If Beasley misses more time, Nowell seems to be a solid option as a replacement.
Anthony Edwards took a little while to get going but ended up finishing with solid numbers. He added in a steal, and he’s averaged 1.5 steals per game this month. Edwards’ scoring has been inconsistent the past two months, so it’s always nice when he can score this month, though you wish you could see it more often. He’s only shot 20 or more shots in a game once this month. Though the Celtics aren’t an easy matchup, Ant Man showed his scoring ability, so hopefully he can keep it up as they continue their road trip in Toronto on Wednesday.
.@KarlTowns barrels through the defense for a monster throwdown! 💪
— NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) March 28, 2022
Watch the NBA on NBA League Pass
👉 https://t.co/BuSAn3gRcn#NBA75 pic.twitter.com/uqJc1yLrYm
Wizards 123, Warriors 115
Corey Kispert scored a career-high 25 points with six triples in the win over the Warriors. His value this season has been mostly dependent on him hitting triples, so it makes sense that he scored his career-high in the same game that he hit his career-high in triples. This follows two games of scoring single digits, so we’ll have to see how he builds off this one.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor to post a 22/4/3/1/2 line. He’ll likely miss a shot in their next game, but a game like this is so clutch on a Sunday night in the fantasy playoffs.
Kristaps Porzingis missed enough shots for both himself and KCP, as he shot 6-of-21 from the floor. He still posted a line of 23/9/6/1/1, and he hasn’t been shooting this poorly overall, so he shouldn’t have a problem bouncing back in the next game.
Rui Hachimura continues to start in place of the injured Kyle Kuzma, but Deni Avdija has proven to be the superior fantasy asset. Avdija posted a 14/7/4 line with three triples in this game and is rostered in just 27% of Yahoo! leagues.
Jordan Poole has been getting the most shots for the Warriors with Stephen Curry sidelined and that continued in this game. Unfortunately, the shots didn’t go in the same way they have been. He shot 8-for-25 from the floor and a dreadful 1-for-10 from deep. He’s still getting plenty of shots and added three steals in this game. Hopefully he bounces back next game.
Klay Thompson has been pouring it in from deep lately, hitting 14 triples over the past two games. Steve Kerr said that Klay, Draymond Green, and Otto Porter will “most likely” not play on Monday against the Grizzlies to rest, so that should allow guys like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Kevon Looney, Damion Lee, and Gary Payton II to get plenty of extra minutes.
Porter was very effective in this game, recording his third double-double in four games. While he deserves the rest, hopefully he’ll be able to produce similar numbers the next time he plays.
Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points in this game and should be in line for plenty of shots against Memphis. Poole and Wiggins should carry the offensive load in that game.
Still thinking about this Jordan Poole move 😲 pic.twitter.com/PJ8rLph14E
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 28, 2022
Suns 114, 76ers 104
Devin Booker has been vocal lately about deserving to be in the MVP conversation. So in a matchup against a current MVP candidate and a former MVP, it was important for him to show out. He did just that, even if Embiid did end up scoring one more point than him. While Book may not truly be receiving MVP consideration, his added motivation is helping out fantasy managers greatly. Considering the Suns have locked up the best record in the league, they could limit his minutes going forward, so it was nice to get this production out of him.
For Chris Paul to miss over a month at his age and then finish with 27 assists in his first two games back is unfair. Could anyone else in the league do that? While the Suns could start playing him less because they’ve locked in the best record in the league, his production over the past two games is insane.
For the third time in four games, Deandre Ayton’s minutes were limited because he was in foul trouble. It hasn’t reflected much in his production, but he could probably be even better if he was in the game a few extra minutes. Hopefully he can fix that moving forward, but either way, he’s been very effective lately and kept it up with another double-double.
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Joel Embiid continued his MVP campaign with his fourth straight double-double and his third straight game with multiple blocks. Despite the loss, he was as dominant as he usually is. He did briefly leave the court after rolling his ankle in the third quarter, but he returned during the fourth. Hopefully it won’t end up bothering him as they’re fighting for playoff positioning. If he’s on the court, he’ll be dominant. If he’s not, look elsewhere for a replacement.
Tobias Harris has really found a groove lately, shooting over 50% from the floor in four straight games. Despite early struggles in a new role, Harris appears to be very comfortable as a third option. He’ll provide rebounds and points with some triples and few turnovers consistently. If you’re looking for more than that, you’ll need to look elsewhere. However, he should be consistent with this production as the season winds down.
James Harden said in the postgame press conference that he needs to be more aggressive because he can’t only be shooting 11 shots. While that’s true, he wasn’t good at all in this game. He still almost recorded a triple-double, and his turnovers were low, which was good. But he didn’t score anywhere near where he should be and didn’t have the impact on the floor that they pay him to have. He’ll have an opportunity to bounce back at home on Tuesday against Milwaukee.
So earlier in the game the Suns switched Booker onto Embiid at the free throw. Harden waved him off to go 1-v-1 on Ayton. That time he drew a foul. This time he tried it again but turned it over after spending most of the clock trying to take Ayton again. pic.twitter.com/kbicmBEpB3
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) March 27, 2022
Pelicans 116, Lakers 108
Brandon Ingram returned from a 10-game absence with a hamstring injury and looked like he never left as the Pelicans passed the Lakers in the Western conference standings. BI posted a 26/7/5 line in just 26 minutes of play and hit over half of his shots.
Jonas Valanciunas and C.J. McCollum were both initially listed as questionable for this game but ended up starting. JV finished with a 19/12/3/1/1 line, while McCollum scored 18 points with four boards and six assists.
Everyone knows Herbert Jones is an elite level defender, even as a rookie. In this game, he recorded a career-high six steals to go along with 16 points. He now has 20 steals over his past seven games.
Trey Murphy was huge for the Pelicans off the bench and was a huge part of their 23-point comeback. He finished with 21 points and four triples.
Jaxson Hayes started but only played 18 minutes. This was likely to combat the Lakers’ smaller lineup, as well as a dislocated finger that he played through, so he should be fine moving forward.
Jose Alvarado didn’t have a great game in this game, but he earned a four year extension that was announced after the game. The rookie out of Georgia Tech has been a huge part of the Pelicans’ recent success.
Another Laker loss where LeBron James dominates. What’s new? The King has been insane all season and continued that tonight. He posted a 39/9/5 line with seven triples. His production doesn’t even feel special, because he’s been that good. It’s the rest of the team that hasn’t been. Unfortunately, LeBron twisted his ankle in the second quarter. He ended up playing through it, but he said after the game that it felt “horrible”. We’ll see if he’s on the injury report Tuesday.
There were a few bright spots for LA in this game. Russell Westbrook finished with a line of 18/7/6 with two triples and only three turnovers while shooting over 50% from the field. He’s been so much better since the loss to the Timberwolves. It just hasn’t translated into wins.
Malik Monk finished with 23 points, six assists, and two triples. He’s now scored 23 in back to back games. He’s been inconsistent this year, but when he’s on, he’s been a very solid source of triples.
Dwight Howard almost had a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, but no other Lakers produced much of anything.
Hornets 119, Nets 110
LaMelo Ball helped the Hornets pass the Nets in the East standings as Charlotte came away with their seventh victory over their past eight games. Ball finished with a 33/7/9 line with three steals and seven triples. He’s showing why he deserves to be a first round pick in fantasy hoops next season. He’s been a top-5 value over the past two weeks.
Miles Bridges didn’t shoot the ball great, but he did finish with 24 points, eight rebounds, and three triples. Bridges has provided second round value over the past two weeks.
P.J. Washington recorded his third double-double of the season with an 18/11/5 line. This was arguably his best game of the season as far as fantasy production, so hopefully he can build off this game.
Over the past month, Terry Rozier has been the best fantasy asset on the Hornets, providing first round value. He’s slowed down lately, but he finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in this game.
Hornets take down the Nets in Kyrie's first game at home
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 28, 2022
LaMelo went off: 33 PTS | 7 threes | 7 REB | 9 AST pic.twitter.com/jhoHZybsp0
Kyrie Irving’s first home game of the season didn’t go as well as he likely expected. He finished with his second double-double of the season on a 16/11 line, but he shot 6-of-22 from the floor and just 1-of-9 from deep. This shouldn’t be a theme for home games for Irving, and he should be just fine moving forward.
Kevin Durant flirted with a triple-double, finishing with a 27/8/7 line. He didn’t shoot the ball great either in this game.
Andre Drummond had a massive game, finishing with 20 points and 17 rebounds, which tied his season-high in points. LaMarcus Aldridge was cleared to play in this game, but ended up receiving a DNP- Coach’s Decision. We’ll see if the Nets ease him back in or if he’s lost his spot in the rotation.
Mavericks 114, Jazz 100
Luka Doncic got back on track after back to back games scoring less than 30 points. Only three turnovers is good for him, and considering he’s shooting nearly 40% from deep this month, the poor free throw numbers are still baffling. Still, he’s one of the best players in the league and would be more heavily considered for MVP if he didn’t start off slowly. He’s now averaging 29.2/9/7/1.2/0.7 with four triples per game in March. That’s unfair. He’ll look to keep it going against the Lakers on Tuesday.
Reggie Bullock’s value has been dependent on him hitting triples, which he hasn’t done consistently lately. He hit seven in this one, but he went 0-for-6 in their last game. He hit six a few games ago, but went 2-for-16 over the two previous games. When he’s on, he provides a ton of value in that category. When he’s off, he provides no value whatsoever. Luckily, he was on in this game.
Jalen Brunson paired his season-high tying 10 rebounds with a solid line. He’s been very good this season, but his rebounds and assists have gone down over the past few months. This type of production isn’t something that Brunson will do consistently as long as Luka is in the lineup, but it’s a nice bonus when he’s able to add it.
Luka UNREAL to beat the buzzer 😱 pic.twitter.com/8S1QJBvC7h
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 28, 2022
Donovan Mitchell does not like playing in Dallas. Per StatMuse, over his last three games in Dallas, Mitchell is averaging 15 points on 15-of-55 shooting, including 3-for-21 from deep. He scored 12 points in this one. If the playoffs started today, Utah would be playing in Dallas for their first game.
Without Rudy Gobert (leg) and Hassan Whiteside (foot) in the lineup, Eric Paschall and Juancho Hernangomez got the start. Paschall scored 10 points, while Hernangomez finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
Rudy Gay ended up being the best fill-in at the five, as he finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. If Gobert and Whiteside miss more time, Gay seems to best the best streaming option.
