8 hours agoDallas Mavericks center
Dereck Lively II (neck) is doubtful for Tuesday's playoff meeting with Minnesota. The rookie to a knee from
Karl-Anthony Towns to the back of the head on Sunday night and didn't return, with the team reporting he suffered a sprained neck. It's a tough blow for Dallas, considering Lively averaged 11.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Numerous outlets have reported that he's already been ruled out, so DFS managers shouldn't expect to see him on the floor. As a result,
Daniel Gafford could spend more minutes in the middle. The Mavs could also give work to
Dwight Powell and
Maxi Kleber (shoulder), with the latter being listed as questionable heading into Tuesday evening.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
8 hours agoAccording to NBA insider Evan Sidery, the Warriors are anticipated to "actively shop" forward
Andrew Wiggins this offseason. The 29-year-old has nearly $85 million remaining on his current contract. However, with the emergence of
Jonathan Kuminga in 2023-24, the Warriors could move Wiggins to upgrade another area of need. He averaged a career-low 13.2 points last season, meaning his fantasy outlook isn't as bright as in previous years. But Wiggins is still young enough to turn things around, especially if he gets more looks at the basket with a new team.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Evan Sidery
8 hours agoAccording to NBA insider Evan Sidery, the Philadelphia 76ers could make a push to acquire Pelicans forward
Brandon Ingram this offseason. There are reports the Sixers are interested in
Paul George. But if George decides to remain in Los Angeles, Philadelphia views Ingram as a "plan B option." The 26-year-old is coming off a down season, averaging 20.8 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.1 boards. He also shot 35.5% from behind the arc. With that said, Ingram is always one of the best players on the floor. Yet, he can't stay healthy, so his fantasy stock is nearly at an all-time low.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Evan Sidery
8 hours agoAccording to NBA insider Evan Sidery, the Pelicans and Cavaliers are expected to "re-engage" in discussions surrounding guard
Darius Garland. The Cavs may want to break up the backcourt duo of Garland and
Donovan Mitchell. Of course, Cleveland would rather keep Mitchell on the roster. If that happens, Garland could be on his way to a new team. The 24-year-old averaged 18.0 points during the 2023-24 campaign, over three points fewer than the previous season. He also appeared in only 57 games due to injury. There's no denying Garland's upside. However, he isn't a reliable offensive contributor. His inability to stay healthy will also negatively impact his fantasy stock. But the 2019 No. 5 overall pick could benefit from a change of scenery and surpass fantasy expectations if he can figure out how to stay on the floor. The Pelicans could also use a stable presence at the one position.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Evan Sidery
11 hours agoIndiana Pacers guard
Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) won't play in Monday's pivotal matchup with the Boston Celtics. He injured his left hamstring in Game 2 and was ruled out for Game 3 on Friday night. While the team had him listed as questionable on the league's official injury report, most had assumed he wouldn't be available. With that said, Haliburton's status for the remainder of the series is a mystery. However, the Pacers would be eliminated from the postseason with a loss on Monday night, so his status might not matter as much after Game 4. Nonetheless, DFS managers should anticipate more production from
T.J. McConnell,
Andrew Nembhard,
Pascal Siakam, and
Myles Turner.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA On TNT
20 hours agoMinnesota Timberwolves forward
Kyle Anderson had a good 17-minute outing off the bench in Sunday's Game 3 loss to the Mavericks. He finished with 10 points, three assists, and two blocks, scoring eight of his points inside a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter to give Minnesota a 104-102 lead. Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, the team was able to add just three more points on the board in the final five minutes, losing 116-107. Minnesota has had an awful time in the series, losing all three games so far, but Anderson has done well in the matchup. He's shot 63.2 percent from the field to average 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 18.0 minutes.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
20 hours agoMinnesota Timberwolves forward/center
Karl-Anthony Towns had another night to forget in the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, finishing a 116-107 loss to Dallas with 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting. His ugly shooting performance included a 0-for-8 effort from three-point range. Towns has been very active from deep in the series, but he's nailed only three shots, with his 13.6 percent efficiency the worst in Conference Finals history among players with at least five attempts. Overall, Towns has shot 27.8 percent in the series to average 15 points. On Sunday, the Timberwolves big man at least managed to salvage some of his line with a game-high 11 rebounds, which gave him his seventh postseason double-double of the year. The Timberwolves need a massive improvement from Towns to extend their season beyond Tuesday's Game 4.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
20 hours agoMinnesota Timberwolves guard/forward
Anthony Edwards posted a team-high 26 points in Sunday's Game 3 loss against Dallas, shooting 11-for-24 from the field with no makes from downtown. It was another inefficient scoring performance from the Timberwolves star, although Edwards played better compared to the previous games and was even close to triple-double numbers. The 22-year-old picked up nine rebounds with nine assists and two turnovers. Edwards has been limited to only 38.6 percent shooting in the Western Conference Finals, and the Timberwolves are in big trouble following three losses.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
20 hours agoMinnesota Timberwolves point guard
Mike Conley had a 16-point outing with 4-for-7 shooting from deep in Sunday's 116-107 loss to Dallas. Conley scored each of the team's first five points and had a good shooting night with a 6-for-11 effort from the field despite an early trip to the locker room. The veteran continues to play through a calf problem, which forced him to miss one game in the previous series. Across 31 minutes of action, Conley added one rebound, four assists, and one steal to his line while committing only one turnover, although he had a game-worst minus-16 rating. Following a six-point dud in Game 1, Conley has enjoyed two productive outings, but the team needs even more from him, as
Anthony Edwards and
Karl-Anthony Towns are slumping.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
20 hours agoDallas Mavericks forward
Derrick Jones Jr. demonstrated perfect three-point shooting in Sunday's Game 3 win over the Timberwolves, hitting 3-for-3 from deep to finish with 11 points. These are his first made threes in the series after Jones Jr. went 0-for-5 in the first two games. On Sunday, he also recorded a pair of rebounds and assists while producing a game-best plus-15 rating in 33 minutes on the floor. Jones Jr. has been a solid two-way contributor for the Mavericks during their playoff run, but he's been quiet in the matchup against Minnesota as
Kyrie Irving and
Luka Doncic have taken over. Through three games, Jones Jr. has averaged 7.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
20 hours agoDallas Mavericks point guard
Luka Doncic had his third consecutive 30-point game against Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, contributing 33 points on 10-for-20 shooting in a 116-107 win. Half of his makes came with 11 attempts from three-point range, while Doncic was 8-for-10 with his free throws. He put together a full line, finishing with seven rebounds, five assists, five steals, and one block.
Khris Middleton was previously the only player in NBA playoffs history to record at least 30 points with five made triples, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Doncic reportedly continues to carry several health issues, but you wouldn't say so based on his performances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
21 hours agoDallas Mavericks guard
Kyrie Irving scored a very efficient 33 points as the team grabbed a 3-0 lead against Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals with a 116-107 victory on Sunday. After enjoying a strong finish in Game 2, Irving got off to a good start and ran the show for Dallas alongside
Luka Doncic, who also posted 33 points. Irving shot 12-for-20 from the field with a 3-for-6 record from deep and recorded three rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 42 minutes. With him shooting well over 50 percent and averaging 27.7 points in the series, the Mavericks are well-placed to close out the Timberwolves quickly.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoDallas Mavericks center
Dereck Lively II (neck) won't return to Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals versus Minnesota. The 20-year-old has been huge for Dallas during this series, averaging 11.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists heading into Sunday night. But he left early in the contest after taking a knee from
Karl-Anthony Towns to the back of his head, so he'll finish the night having logged only nine minutes. Lively's presence in the middle is needed for a Dallas team that has to deal with Towns and
Rudy Gobert. With that said, the neck sprain Lively suffered will likely put him on the injury report for Game 4. If he can't go,
Daniel Gafford could see more minutes in the middle, although
P.J. Washington and
Dwight Powell could also get work at the five.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Grant Afseth
1 day agoIndiana Pacers guard
Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) is questionable for Monday's postseason showdown with the Celtics. He tweaked his left hamstring in Game 2 and didn't return. Haliburton also carried the same injury designation heading into Game 3. However, the 24-year-old wasn't out there. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Indiana will "err on the side of caution" regarding Haliburton's health while adding that there is a growing possibility he won't return for the rest of this series. If that's the case,
Andrew Nembhard, coming off a 32-point, nine-assist showing in Game 3, will continue to see plenty of interest from DFS managers. The same applies to
Pascal Siakam,
T.J. McConnell, and
Myles Turner.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 day agoDallas Mavericks guard
Luka Doncic (knee, ankle) will play on Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had a triple-double in Game 2, doing so despite battling lingering knee and ankle soreness. While Doncic's shooting numbers haven't been the best throughout the postseason, he remains a top DFS option for Game 3.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Melissa Rohlin
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