Boston

Celtics

After making eight consecutive starts early in the season, Minott’s playing time has decreased in recent games. His absence will not significantly affect fantasy basketball, especially with Jordan Walsh being available.

The Celtics had a 21-point lead at halftime after Pritchard hit one of his classic buzzer-beating three-pointers at the end of the second quarter. Most of the rest of his points came on pull-up shots in the lane. Pritchard has provided sixth-round per game value this season. The Celtics will be back on the floor Wednesday against the Nuggets.

It was a tale of two halves for Simons on Monday. He had no points in the first half, but dropped 27 points with eight three-pointers in the second half of the win over the Bulls. The 26-year-old shooting guard is averaging 13.1 points per game this year, but he’s scored at least 20 points in two of his last four games. Still, his scoring has fallen off since averaging 19.3 points per game last year. Simons isn’t going to be fantasy relevant without more consistent scoring.

Brown’s magnum opus featured an extremely efficient shooting performance as he knocked down 18-of-26 attempts, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, finishing at nearly 70 percent from the floor. It was his second 50-point effort, matching his previous career-high mark set back on January 2, 2022. The 29-year-old franchise cornerstone combined with teammate Derrick White for 24 first-quarter points as Boston erupted for a season-high 42 points in the opening stanza and simply never looked back. It was a sublime all-around performance as Brown also locked up Clippers star Kawhi Leonard on the defensive end of the floor. He’s scored at least 29 points in 11 of his last 12 games since December 2. Unreal. The Celtics return home next week for a four-game slate that includes matchups against the Bulls, Nuggets, Raptors and Spurs.

Jaylen Brown’s 50-point explosion will grab most of the headlines in this one-sided affair, but White remains the unheralded straw that stirs the metaphorical drink on both ends of the floor. The 31-year-old guard, who ranks second in the league in “stocks” (steals and blocks), added three more to the ledger while defending Clippers superstars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, who were held to fewer than 25 points each. He’s topped 20 points in eight of his last 14 games since December 2.

The lone change to the Celtics’ starting lineup is Hauser, who replaces Jordan Walsh after hitting five three-pointers in Thursday’s win over the Kings. While Walsh is the superior defender, Hauser’s three-point production gives him a solid chance of offering value in category leagues.