2 days agoOklahoma City Thunder guard/forward
Josh Giddey led the second unit with 11 points in Wednesday's 104-92 loss to the Mavericks. Giddey has struggled in the series, and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault dropped him on the bench for Game 5 in favor of
Isaiah Joe. The move worked out well for Giddey, as he enjoyed his best outing of the series, adding three rebounds and two assists to his tally with 5-for-8 shooting across 12 minutes. However, with the team losing and now 3-2 behind in the series, Daigneault might be forced to make further adjustments. Joe had a quiet outing with six points. The lineup change also resulted in
Cason Wallace logging a playoff career-high 27 minutes off the bench. He couldn't get going either, shooting 1-for-7 to finish with three points.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoOklahoma City Thunder guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another 30-point effort in Wednesday's Game 5 loss to Dallas, reaching the plateau for the fourth consecutive game with 12-for-22 shooting. He was 2-for-4 with the three-ball and continued to make an impact all over the court. Gilgeous-Alexander's stat line included six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block. He's been highly productive at both ends in the series, but it looks like the Thunder need even more from Gilgeous-Alexander as the team faces elimination in Game 6 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoDallas Mavericks center
Dereck Lively II played a significant part in Wednesday's Game 5 victory over Oklahoma City with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort in 23 minutes off the bench. The rookie from Duke recorded his first career playoff double-double while adding one assist, one steal, and one block to his line. Lively II shot 3-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 at the charity stripe during a highly effective performance, which saw him finish with a game-high plus-22 rating. The 20-year-old has struggled to shoot well in the series, going 10-for-28, but Wednesday night should be a good confidence booster for him for the rest of the postseason. He's averaging 7.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 21.0 minutes during his first playoff campaign.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoDallas Mavericks point guard
Luka Doncic registered a 30-point triple-double as the team moved one win away from a Conference Finals spot with a 104-92 road victory against the Thunder Wednesday night. Doncic has been held back by multiple injuries in these playoffs, but it was smooth sailing for him on Wednesday, as the Mavericks superstar shot 12-for-22 from the field en route to a game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He had five three-point makes with 11 attempts and also registered one block. Doncic will go after his first career three-game postseason triple-double streak when Dallas tries to close out the series in Game 6 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoBoston Celtics guard
Derrick White was back in form in Game 5 against Cleveland on Wednesday, recording 18 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals in a 113-98 win. After being limited to only five points in Game 4, White had twice as many points in the first quarter alone on Wednesday. He was quiet for the rest of the game but still ended up with a good stat line, shooting 4-for-9 from deep and 7-for-17 overall. For some reason, White has struggled to post defensive stats in the postseason, but he continues to play a significant part in Boston's success. The 29-year-old averages 18.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists with 43.5 percent three-point shooting in the playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoBoston Celtics forward/center
Al Horford got his fingerprints all over Wednesday's 113-98 win over Cleveland, notching 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and three blocks with six makes from downtown. At 37 years old, Horford became the oldest player in league history to finish a playoff game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five triples His efforts in the postseason tend to be inconsistent, but Horford was certainly a man on a mission Wednesday night. He can now get his body some rest as Boston awaits its Conference Finals opponent from the Knicks-Pacers matchup.
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) is expected to return in the next series, pushing Horford back to the bench, but the savvy veteran should still find ways to impact games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoBoston Celtics forward
Jayson Tatum came very close to his second postseason triple-double as the C's closed out the Cavaliers on Wednesday with a 113-98 win. Tatum played his part on offense with a team-high 25 points and nine assists while grabbing 10 rebounds. He had a major impact at the other end as well, recording four of Boston's six steals. This was a pretty rough series for Tatum shooting-wise, but he finally got things to click in Game 5, hitting 9-for-16 from the field with a 3-for-7 effort from deep. He can now start preparing for already his fifth Conference Finals series in seven years.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers guard
Darius Garland struggled in Wednesday's loss to Boston.
Donovan Mitchell (calf) and
Jarrett Allen (rib) weren't available for Game 4 on Monday, resulting in Garland dropping 30 points. However, despite the pair being out again, he took a step back in Game 5, amassing 11 points and shooting 4-for-17 from the field. While Garland added nine assists and two steals, DFS participants expected more. The 24-year-old finished the regular season by averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.7 boards, a drop from the 2022-23 campaign. Nonetheless, with Mitchell potentially on the move, Garland may become the No. 1 option for the offense next season. Of course, he'll need to stay healthy for a potential increase in production to make a difference for fantasy managers.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers forward/center
Evan Mobley finished with a game-high 33 points in Wednesday's loss to the Boston Celtics. He added seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal. With
Jarrett Allen (rib) and
Donovan Mitchell (calf) both sidelined, Mobley stepped up to deliver his best game of the postseason. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as the Cavs' loss on Wednesday meant an end to their playoff run. The 22-year-old ended the regular season by averaging 15.7 points, 1.4 blocks, and a career-high 9.4 rebounds. However, he was limited to just 50 games due to various injuries. Without question, Mobley has plenty of untapped potential, so he'll remain a hot commodity for fantasy managers heading into the 2024-25 campaign. He needs to get more consistent on the scoring end. But that should come in time.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoMinnesota Timberwolves guard
Mike Conley (calf) is questionable for Thursday's matchup with the Nuggets. Like others around the National Basketball Association, the veteran is battling a Soleus Strain. He wasn't available for Game 5, resulting in
Nickeil Alexander-Walker entering the starting lineup and finishing with 14 points, five assists, and two steals. The Timberwolves are a loss away from elimination, so Conley will do all he can to get out there. However, if he does suit up, he likely won't be fully healthy, which isn't ideal for his DFS potential. But if Conley isn't out there, Alexander-Walker has value potential for DFS participants.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoDenver Nuggets guard
Jamal Murray (calf) is questionable for Thursday's postseason contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Murray has been dealing with a strained left calf for weeks but has played through it, so he'll likely be on the court for Game 6. He got off to a rough start in the series with the Timberwolves. But he's turned things around, recently amassing 16 points in Tuesday's win. Although others have played better in this series, DFS managers can't ignore Murray's upside.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers point guard
Craig Porter Jr. (ankle) will remain on the shelf Wednesday versus Boston. He has been downgraded from doubtful to out. After featuring in 51 games during the regular season, Porter Jr. has not seen any action in the playoffs due to a sprained left ankle. With
Donovan Mitchell (calf) and
Caris LeVert (knee) also out,
Darius Garland and
Max Strus are set to carry huge workloads on the Cavaliers' backcourt Wednesday as the team tries to stave off elimination.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers center
Jarrett Allen (rib) will not make his comeback in Game 5 against the Celtics on Wednesday. The big guy has been downgraded from questionable to out. Allen will be absent for an eighth consecutive game. His injury has given
Isaac Okoro an opportunity to run with the starters, but he's been very unproductive fantasy-wise. Okoro has had back-to-back two-point outings.
Tristan Thompson and
Marcus Morris Sr. have also benefited from Allen's absence, but they haven't been great for fantasy production either.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Schudel
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers guard/forward
Caris LeVert (knee) will not play against Boston on Wednesday. The team has downgraded him from questionable to out ahead of tip-off. LeVert was
Donovan Mitchell's (calf) replacement in the starting lineup in Game 5.
Dean Wade, who averaged 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 32 stars during the regular season, will be the next man up.
Sam Merrill should also play a much larger role in the rotation.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Schudel
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers guard
Donovan Mitchell (calf) has been officially ruled out for Wednesday's clash with the Celtics. The Cleveland star misses a second consecutive game, and the team finds itself in a very tough situation on Wednesday, with
Caris LeVert (knee) also joining
Jarrett Allen on the sidelines.
Dean Wade will move to the starting lineup, which will boost his fantasy value. However, the 27-year-old hasn't been a very productive per-minute performer in his career.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Schudel
RADIO
