1 month agoBoston Celtics guard/forward
Jaylen Brown had the hot hand in Tuesday's Game 1 against the Cavaliers, leading his team with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting in a 120-95 win. The three-time All-Star started a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and erupted for 15 first-quarter points. He finished 4-for-6 from downtown and completed his line with six rebounds, two assists, and one block. Brown has been shooting the ball very well in the postseason but has been a bit quiet so far, averaging 24.3 points. However, it looks like he's ready to hit top gear, with the stakes getting higher.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoDallas Mavericks center
Daniel Gafford had an impressive opening to the second-round series against Oklahoma City on Tuesday, posting a double-double and swatting away five shots in a 117-95 loss. Dallas struggled throughout the contest, but Gafford enjoyed his best postseason outing of the year. He scored 16 points with 5-for-12 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 record at the line and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. The Thunder lack size and have struggled on the glass all year, making this a very favorable matchup for Gafford, who has now scored in double figures in back-to-back games while bagging 17 rebounds.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoDallas Mavericks point guard
Luka Doncic had a tough time making an impact in Tuesday's Game 1 loss to Oklahoma City. He was limited to 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting, nailed only one of his eight attempts from three-point range, and even struggled at the line, going 6-for-10. Doncic's night of misery included five turnovers to go along with six rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Lu Dort did a great job defensively against Doncic, but the Slovenian star also seemed to have been bothered by his sprained right knee, which has kept him on the injury report lately. It will be extremely difficult for Dallas to match the Thunder if Doncic isn't at full flow.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoOklahoma City Thunder guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came extremely close to his first career postseason triple-double as the team opened the second-round series on Tuesday against Dallas with a dominant 117-95 win. The Thunder star led all scorers with 29 points on 8-for-19 shooting and had nine rebounds and nine assists. Gilgeous-Alexander hit 2-for-4 from downtown and 11-for-13 at the charity stripe while helping out on the defensive end with one steal and two blocks. This was a monster effort from Gilgeous-Alexander as he outplayed Dallas' star-studded backcourt. Through five games, he's averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.4 steals in the playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoNew York Knicks center
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) has likely played his final game of the 2024 postseason. He has sustained a stress injury to his left ankle and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks. The news comes after Robinson was ruled out for Wednesday's Game 2 against Indiana. Robinson had surgery on the same ankle in December and missed 50 games. He returned to action for the final stretch of the regular season. The 26-year-old was also out for one game during the Knicks' first-round series against Philadelphia.
Isaiah Hartenstein is now set to play a huge role down the middle for New York, with
Precious Achiuwa getting a handful of minutes off the bench.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoDenver Nuggets point guard
Jamal Murray will be available for Friday's Game 3 against Minnesota. He was in danger of getting suspended after tossing two objects -- a towel and a heating pad -- toward an official in Game 2. Murray was fined $100,000 for the incident. The Canadian star has been battling a calf injury lately and had a poor game on Monday with eight points. His shooting numbers have been lacking in the postseason, but Murray has still averaged strong numbers by getting 20.4 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoIndiana Pacers point guard
Tyrese Haliburton (back) is considered questionable for Wednesday's Game 2 against the Knicks. He's carried the designation for quite some time due to back spasms but hasn't yet missed any postseason action. Haliburton had a rough one in the series opener on Monday, recording only six points in 36 minutes. Backup point guard
T.J. McConnell has produced a pair of strong efforts and figures to maintain a prominent role in the rotation, with Haliburton not at 100 percent and off his game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 month agoNew York Knicks center
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) will skip Wednesday's Game 2 against Indiana. The team has ruled Robinson out for left ankle injury management purposes. The seven-footer had surgery on his left ankle during the regular season and appeared to re-injure the ankle at the start of the playoffs. Robinson was limited to only two points and two rebounds in 12 minutes in the series opener against the Pacers on Monday. He will be out for a second time this postseason.
Precious Achiuwa will get an opportunity to stake a claim in the rotation without Robinson, but he likely won't see a lot of action, with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau putting a lot of trust in his starters.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 month agoMinnesota Timberwolves center
Rudy Gobert has been voted the 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The French giant receives the award for a record-tying fourth time. He joins Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the only four-time winners. Gobert finished sixth in blocks this season with 2.1 swats per game and limited the opposition to 45.2 percent effective field goal percentage, helping the Timberwolves register the league's best defensive rating during the regular season. He was fourth in the league with 9.2 defensive rebounds per game and second in rebounding overall with 12.9 boards.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoCleveland Cavaliers center
Jarrett Allen (rib) will not play against Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday. He's forced to sit out a fourth consecutive game with a rib contusion.
Isaac Okoro makes another start, with
Evan Mobley in the center position. With Allen sidelined, Mobley has bagged a couple of nice double-doubles in recent games. Okoro has received a boost in playing time but doesn't stand out in any areas and hasn't got a lot to offer to DFS managers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chris Fedor
1 month agoCleveland Cavaliers forward
Dean Wade (knee) has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals versus the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Wade hasn't been available since March 8th due to a right knee strain. However, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Wade is getting closer to returning to the Cavs lineup. This past regular season, the 27-year-old suited up for 54 games averaging 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 blocks in 20.5 minutes per contest.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Chris Fedor
1 month agoDenver Nuggets point guard
Jamal Murray threw a heat pack on the court in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. According to league insider Marc Stein, the NBA's official league office will review the incident for possible disciplinary action before Game 3 in Minneapolis on Friday. Murray struggled in Game 2, registering eight points, 13 rebounds, two assists, one block, and two steals during 30 minutes on the court.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Marc Stein
1 month agoLos Angeles Lakers forward
Christian Wood has exercised his $3 million player option for the 2024-2025 season, per Michael Scotto of USA Today. Wood played in 50 games and averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 17.4 minutes per contest. The 28-year-old's role with the Lakers for next season is difficult to predict since he was sparingly used in the team's rotation this past year.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Michael Scotto
1 month agoDenver Nuggets power forward
Aaron Gordon was the team's top scorer in Monday's horror show against Minnesota, finishing a 106-80 loss with 20 points. After posting only nine points in Game 1, Gordon got off to a red-hot start and hit multiple three-pointers en route to 13 first-quarter points. He finished 3-for-5 from behind the arc and shot 8-for-14 overall. Gordon's line included four rebounds, two assists, and one steal. The Nuggets will hope for similar production in Game 3, having seen Gordon blow hot and cold this postseason. The high-flying forward has produced multiple 20-point outings but averages only 14.0 points with 8.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoDenver Nuggets center
Nikola Jokic produced a 16-16-8 line in Monday's heavy defeat to Minnesota. The Nuggets were awful throughout the contest, but Jokic still found a way to fill the box score. He finished with 5-for-13 shooting, hitting all six attempts from the charity stripe. In 39 minutes of action, Jokic also produced one block. With Denver now in a 2-0 hole against the Timberwolves, we should see Jokic try to go the extra mile to make the series competitive. He's averaging 24.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 8.5 assists in the matchup but has the potential to do a lot more, having so far hit only 42 percent of his efforts from the floor.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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