Wednesday night in the NBA featured a lot of fun, exciting games, though none were better than the late ones. The Jazz beat the Pistons in overtime, with regulation ending with four 3-pointers in the final 32 seconds. The Kings beat Orlando in double overtime, with Paolo Banchero forcing the second with a late layup. The Hawks nearly blew a 21-point lead to the Thunder, but Isaiah Joe wasn’t able to knock down the game-tying triple.
We also had dominant performances from players like Luka Doncic (41 points, 30 at halftime), Banchero (43 points), Domantas Sabonis (22/23/12), Tyrese Haliburton (31/12) and many, many more that made a huge impact for fantasy managers.
Remember, there are only two games on Thursday, so adjust your waivers accordingly. The Spurs and Bucks face off in the early game, and the Nuggets and Warriors will play in the late one. Players that may not be enticing fantasy options will be worth streaming to get that extra bit of production.
Aside from that, here are the players that are worth adding after Wednesday’s games:
Alec Burks- 7% rostered in Yahoo leagues
It seemed like a fluke at first, but Burks has been playing really well off the bench for the Pistons. Over his last five games, he is averaging 18.2 points and 3.4 triples per game. He set new season-highs on Wednesday with 27 points and five 3-pointers in 34 minutes during their overtime loss. He has seen minutes with more consistency than Jaden Ivey recently, despite coming off the bench.
Bol Bol- 2%
I’ve been skeptical about Bol for a while, but he has played really well over the last two games. While playing less than 20 minutes in each, he is averaging 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 triples. Even when Kevin Durant returns, Bol should remain in the rotation. He hasn’t blocked a shot in either of their last two games, but he is more than capable, so those should come.
Eric Gordon- 30%
EG has been solid all year, though most of his good games have come when at least one of their big three have been injured. That was the case again on Wednesday, as he posted a 16/5/1 line with three 3-pointers. Aside from a dud against Orlando on New Year’s Eve, Gordon has scored in double figures and hit multiple triples in five of his last six games.
Simone Fontecchio- 15%
Over the last three games, Fontecchio has averaged 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.3 triples. He has provided third round value during that stretch and played big minutes during their three game win streak. As long as he is in the starting unit, he should be a solid option.
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Nikola Jovic- 1%
The Heat were without Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith on Wednesday, and Jovic took Jamal Cain’s place in the starting lineup. Jovic contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and three 3-pointers across 28 minutes. If Martin and Highsmith remain out on Friday against the Suns, Jovic should remain in the starting lineup.
Max Christie- 1%
Christie has played a large role over their last two games with D’Angelo Russell sidelined with a groin injury. That has allowed him to average 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.5 triples per game over their last two. If D’Lo remains out against Memphis on Friday, Christie should play a large role off the bench once again.
Caleb Houstan, Chuma Okeke, Trevelin Queen- less than 1%
Wednesday was filled with horrible injury luck for the Magic. Cole Anthony was ruled out before the game, with Franz Wagner and Gary Harris exiting early. Paolo Banchero briefly exited as well, but he was able to return to finish out the game. That forced Houstan (15/2/1/4, four 3-pointers), Okeke (11/7/3, three 3-pointers) and Queen (5/2/6/2/1) to play big minutes off the bench. They all played well, and if the Magic remain this banged up in Denver on Friday, all three should play large roles once again. Queen did exit just before the game ended after taking a hard hit on a screen from Domantas Sabonis that resulted in him bleeding. It’s unclear if that will force him to miss time, but he did play with a lot of energy on Friday, which allowed him to contribute hustle stats without scoring much.
