Larry

Sanders

Sanders “tweaked” his ankle during Tuesday’s Game 2 loss but downplayed the severity after the game. Sanders said Wednesday he’s “too excited” to even think about missing Game 3 back in Milwaukee. We expect him to be just fine in time for Thursday night.

Gooden is a semi-surprise here because he was expected to play, but given the opponent we shouldn’t be all that surprised, really. Owners will want to key in on Gooden’s ability to play during the upcoming four-game week as a real indicator of his value, noting that the Bucks have a three-game week after that. Ekpe Upoh will start and becomes a guy to watch very close and is a speculative stash. Mike Dunleavy is a lock to play big minutes, and one of Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston, and Larry Sanders will likely surprise us tonight.

He’s been getting some minutes at center, but as long as Drew Gooden and Ekpe Udoh are healthy, Sanders won’t get enough run to make a fantasy difference.

Sanders was trash-talking with several Pacers players and eventually got the quick hook. He added four points, four boards, and two assists, and has averaged 1.0 steals and 2.5 blocks over the last two games. The Bucks’ loss might have been the nail in the coffin for their playoff hopes, so Sanders could theoretically be an asset for those seeking defense if Scott Skiles packs it in.

Ekpe Udoh left the game with a sore knee, so it’s possible that Sanders could start at Boston on Thursday. And after this monster line, he is probably worth a pickup in most leagues.

He should start again in Thursday’s finale, but we’d rather roll the dice on Larry Sanders for fantasy purposes.

Mbah a Moute has been banged up recently and his absence will lend about 20-30 minutes to the frontcourt, but it’s anybody’s guess who will soak it up. Ersan Ilyasova, Drew Gooden, Jon Leuer, Tobias Harris, and Larry Sanders are all candidates.

We’d be remiss to say that Sanders is in Scott Skiles’ good graces, but showing some fight during his altercation on Thursday might actually give the wooden coach a soft spot for him. He has big defensive stat capabilities and two games to go, so the play is to not sleep on him while properly evaluating his risk. If we get the warm and fuzzies out of Milwaukee, be ready to move.

Gooden was getting a second opinion and was realistically never a candidate to play on Wednesday. There has been no update on his condition and the Bucks will continue to lean on Larry Sanders and Jon Leuer inside, but Ersan Ilyasova is the biggest beneficiary from a fantasy standpoint.

This line shows how loose and fast this game was played, and while it exemplifies some of the interest we would have in Sanders under the right situation -- we’re not buying it at all in terms of his current fantasy value.