RotoBaller NBA Recap: Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic lead Heat over Warriors

February 28, 2019

Daniel Benjamin highlights three fantasy basketball takeaways from the NBA's February 27th slate. This recap focuses on Bogdan Bogdanovic, Trae Young, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon.

There was a lot of great NBA action on Wednesday. With the majority of the Association's teams playing and only two of the 11 games on the docket that could be called "marquee" matchups, there was a very good chance that the night could have been a complete dud. However, that was far from being the case with only one of the contests being decided by double-digits.

Moreover, the margin of victory in seven of the games was just six points with the difference in three of those contests being just one bucket. Seven of the games were essentially decided in the fourth quarter and two games needed an extra five minutes to declare a winner, including the Kings-Bucks slugfest where Sacramento overcame a 13-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to force the extra period. Milwaukee ultimately won the shootout 141-140 despite Giannis Antetokounmpo only contributing 17 points in 24 minutes.

While the Bucks-Kings game was perhaps the "Game of the Night," Dwyane Wade most definitely earned the honors of "the shot of the night." After getting off to a slow start, the Warriors outscored the Heat 66 to 49 in the second half and Kevin Durant knocked down one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining to give the Dubs a 125-123 lead. But Wade had the last word. Following a blocked shot by Jordan Bell, the 37-year-old banked home a three-pointer off of one foot at the buzzer from the top of the key to give Miami the victory. Wade finished the night with 25 points along with seven rebounds and three assists while Goran Dragic chipped in a team-high 27 points as well as three rebounds. The two veteran guards, who came off the bench, combined to make 18 of 27 shots from the field and nine of 15 attempts from beyond the arc. The rest of the article will examine the top-three fantasy takeaways from February 27's slate of games.

Bogdan Bogdanovic turns in a season-best performance

Bogdanovic arguably had the best game of his career in the loss to the Bucks. The second-year pro tallied 28 points on 10-for-22 shooting from the floor, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed eight rebounds, doled out eight assists, blocked one shot and came up with two steals. It was his first 20-point game since January 21st.

The 26-year-old set career highs in points, field goals made and field goal attempts. He also tied his season high in three-pointers and rebounds.

Bogdanovic, who has started the last four games, has struggled shooting the ball while playing with the first unit this season. The Serbian national has scored in double-figures in three of those four games. He also has compiled six rebounds and six assists in each of the last two outings. In 12 starts, Bogdanovic is averaging 14.7 points along with five rebounds, five assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.9 three-pointers while shooting 39.5 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent on three-pointers.

The former first-round selection should be owned in all fantasy leagues. With Bogdanovic likely to remain in the team's starting lineup for the foreseeable future and Marvin Bagley (knee) expected to miss some time, he could see his role expand.

Trae Young has become a borderline top-10 fantasy guard

The 6-foot-2 rookie point guard has taken advantage of his recent increase in usage. Young closed out February in style, tying a career high with 36 points to go along with 10 assists and eight caroms in the Hawks 131-123 come-from-behind overtime victory over Minnesota. It was his seventh double-double of the month and 16th straight double-figure scoring effort overall.  He was 9-for-22 from the field, 2-for-5 from long distance, and a season-best 16-for-17 from the charity stripe.

Young compiled 41.2 fantasy points a game in February, which was the 22nd most in the league and 11th most among guards, according to NBA.com. He averaged 23.3 points, 9.3 assists, 3.2 triples, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 turnovers for the month. All of those numbers are a season-best. The 20-year-old, who has attempted at least 10 free throws in two of his last three contests, shot 41 percent from the field as well as a career-best 43.7 percent from long range.

Consistency is still an issue, but fantasy owners have to be happy with the Oklahoma product's development.

Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon shoots Bucks to victory

Bledsoe and Brogdon were terrific down the stretch as the Bucks, who top the Association with 47 wins, fought off a pesky Kings' squad.  Both players scored five points and knocked down a three-pointer in the extra session, although it was Brogdon's triple with 16.8 seconds left that propelled the Bucks to victory as the trey put them up 137-134. He then sealed the deal with a pair of free throws with a tad more than three seconds remaining.

Bledsoe led the way for the Bucks with 26 points, 13 assists and 12 caroms for his first triple-double in a little more than two years (Feb.15, 2017). It was his first 20-point game since Feb. 6 and the third time he has compiled at least 10 assists or rebounds in the past 28 days. The 26-year-old had a strong month, producing 15.1 points along with 5.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds, two treys,  and 1.2 steals.

Meanwhile, Brogdon chipped in 25 points as well as five rebounds and two assists. The 26-year-old has scored in double-figures in 15 straight contests, which includes topping the 20-point mark in each of the last two outings. He had his best month of the season in February, totaling 17.5 points along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

With Khris Middleton struggling to find some rhythm and “The Greek Freak” resting for much of the game, the Bucks starting backcourt was on fire against the Kings. The duo combined to knock down 20 of 31 shots and eight of 13 tries from long distance.