For the second week in a row, every team is playing three or four games. It seems like every team has at least a couple of players dealing with injuries, and at this point in the fantasy playoffs, you can’t really afford to keep anyone on your roster who is going to miss multiple games. That being said, there are plenty of players with good matchups this week if you need to add some help from waivers.
Atlanta Hawks (@UTA, @SAC, @GS, @HOU): The Hawks have two nice matchups in the middle of their road trip, but of course, they are back-to-back. Even a rested Atlanta team will likely struggle at Utah and Houston. You probably have to play Taurean Prince and Dennis Schroder and John Collins is still an upside play, but I wouldn’t expect great things this week.
Boston Celtics (OKC, @POR, @SAC): Greg Monroe has perked up of late with Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown out. The Celtics really need his scoring right now, and if he keeps playing 20+ minutes per game, he is a fringe fantasy play.
Brooklyn Nets (MEM, CHA, @TOR, CLE): This is a pretty ho-hum schedule, with a day off between each game. If you have ridden any Nets this far, you should stick with them for one more week.
Charlotte Hornets (@PHI, @BKN, MEM, @DAL): Nicolas Batum left Saturday’s game with a left Achilles injury made all the more sad because it felt so inevitable. Batum had been playing great over the last month, and finally looked healthy for the first time all season. If Batum misses much time, Jeremy Lamb would be a must-add for fantasy.
Chicago Bulls (@NY, DEN, MIL, @DET): The Bulls lose an hour flying to Detroit for their fifth game in eight days, but the schedule looks good otherwise. None of these teams ranks better than 17th in defensive rating since the All-Star Break, with the Knicks and Nuggets ranking 30th and 28th, respectively.
Cleveland Cavaliers (MIL, TOR, PHO, @BKN): The Cavs don’t believe Larry Nance Jr.’s hamstring injury is serious, and Cleveland desperately needs him back, considering LeBron James has played at least 40 minutes in each of the games Nance has missed. Nance still needs to be owned, even if he is ultimately unable to return Monday against Milwaukee.
Dallas Mavericks (@NOR, UTA, CHA): Dennis Smith Jr. has been ruled out for Tuesday against the Pelicans, and even if he plays Thursday against the Jazz, he isn’t a great fantasy play. J.J. Barea is dealing with a left rib muscle strain, which could mean 40+ minutes for Yogi Ferrell.
Denver Nuggets (@MIA, @CHI, @WAS): Gary Harris is expected to miss at least this entire week, and if you are still in the fantasy playoffs, you probably can’t afford to wait for him to return. Paul Millsap has played at least 30 minutes in each of his last two games, and that will probably continue for at least as long as Harris is out.
Detroit Pistons (@SAC, @PHO, @HOU, CHI): This is a strong schedule for the Pistons, even if the first two games are back-to-back. Reggie Jackson has a chance to return this week as well, and he would be a must-add as soon as his return is announced.
Golden State Warriors (@SA, ATL, UTA): The Warriors’ depth is being tested with Kevin Durant and Omri Casspi joining Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry with injuries. It may be tempting to pick up Quinn Cook or Nick Young, but the only game you can really feel good about using them in this week is against Atlanta.
Houston Rockets (@POR, DET, NOR, ATL): Houston’s last two games this week are back-to-back, and you have to wonder if Mike D’Antoni will sit Chris Paul or James Harden (or both) at home against Atlanta. Even if that is the case, you still have to play them, along with Clint Capela and Eric Gordon.
Indiana Pacers (LAL, @NO, LAC, MIA): Domantas Sabonis has missed Indiana’s last two games with an ankle injury. He is droppable even if he returns early in the week. Indiana’s four matchups are all just okay, but getting a day off between each game helps.
Los Angeles Clippers (@MIN, @MIL, @IND, @TOR): The Clippers face Milwaukee on a back-to-back for their fifth game in seven days. Their schedule only gets marginally easier after that, as Indiana and Toronto rank third and seventh in defensive rating since the All-Star Break. This could be a terrible week for a streaky shooter like Austin Rivers.
Los Angeles Lakers (@IND, @NOR, @MEM): Brandon Ingram was cleared for non-contact basketball activities Friday, and while he likely has a long way to go before he is cleared, he needs to be on your radar if he was dropped in your league. Now that Kyle Kuzma is back healthy, he should remain playable for fantasy until Ingram returns.
Memphis Grizzlies (@BKN, @PHI, @CHA, LAL): The Grizzlies are going to give Tyreke Evans another injury if he keeps leading them to wins. Evans had at least 20 points, three rebounds, seven assists and two steals in each of his games since returning from a rib injury. He should continue to put up gaudy numbers for as long as the Grizzlies play him.
Miami Heat (DEN, NY, @OKC, @IND): Kelly Olynyk’s minutes haven’t increased dramatically with Hassan Whiteside out, but his production has. He is averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists over the last week. Bam Adebayo isn’t scoring much, but he is averaging 11.0 rebounds over the last week, as well.
Milwaukee Bucks (@CLE, LAC, @CHI, SA): Jabari Parker is still averaging just 21.3 minutes per game, and at this point, there is no reason to believe that will change until the playoffs. That being said, he could be a sneaky DFS play once the playoffs roll around.
Minnesota Timberwolves (LAC, @NY, @PHI): Jimmy Butler was expected to return in late March or Early April, and while it doesn’t sound like he will return this week, he might not be too far away. Whenever he does return, Nemanja Bjelica will turn into a pumpkin.
New Orleans Pelicans (DAL, IND, LAL, @HOU): The Pelicans have a rare back-to-back-to-back, as a result of their Feb. 7 game that was postponed against the Pacers due to a leaky roof. All three games are at home, but this could be a disaster for a team that was already dangerously thin.
New York Knicks (CHI, @MIA, MIN, @WAS): Michael Beasley is averaging 15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists over the last week. He good play this season has never lasted for more than a week or two, but he should at least be considered since all of the Knicks opponents this week rank in the bottom half of the league in opponent’s points per game since the All-Star Break.
Oklahoma City Thunder (@BOS, MIA, POR): Corey Brewer has played at least 28 minutes in each of the Thunder’s last five games, and he is averaging 14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 blocks and 2.6 steals over that span. Oklahoma City doesn’t have anyone to threaten his minutes, and he should keep getting open looks as the fifth option.
Orlando Magic (TOR, PHI, PHO): Aaron Gordon seems likely to return Tuesday against Toronto, but anything is possible while he continues to deal with a concussion. Jonathon Simmons needs to be owned while Gordon and Evan Fournier are out, and D.J. Augustin should probably be owned as well.
Philadelphia 76ers (CHA, MEM, @ORL, MIN): Robert Covington was pretty terrible in January and February, but he is averaging 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in March. Keep him in mind if you need help this week.
Phoenix Suns (DET, @CLE, @ORL): Devin Booker missed Saturday’s game with a sprained hand, and T.J. Warren left that game with a sprained left knee. If they are out for any length of time, Elfrid Payton probably needs to be owned, along with Josh Jackson and Dragan Bender.
Portland Trailblazers (HOU, BOS, @OKC): Jusuf Nurkic has struggled to stay out of foul trouble the last two weeks, and that could continue against three teams in the top half of the league in opponent’s personal fouls since the All-Star Break. Houston and Boston rank fourth and seventh in opponent’s points since the All-Star Break as well.
San Antonio Spurs (GS, WAS, UTA, @MIL): Kawhi Leonard still hasn’t resumed practicing with the team, so it seems extremely unlikely he would return before the Utah game Friday. Until then, LaMarcus Aldridge remains the only Spur you can trust for fantasy.
Sacramento Kings (DET, ATL, BOS): The Kings have two days off between each game this week. That could actually be a bad thing for fantasy, since Sacramento won’t have a good reason to bench Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Kousta Koufos or Garrett Temple. So long as all of the Kings’ rotation players are healthy, none of them are playable for fantasy.
Toronto Raptors (@ORL, @CLE, BKN, LAC): Toronto has four games against teams in the bottom half of the NBA in defensive efficiency since the All-Star Break. Their first two games of the week are back-to-back, but the real concern here is that they are five games ahead of the Celtics for the top spot in the East. They have already started resting players, and you can probably only count on three games each from Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan this week.
Utah Jazz (ATL, @DAL, @SA, @GS): The two games in Texas are back-to-back, and while this schedule starts off easy, the last two games should be anything but. That being said, you are still playing Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles this week.
Washington Wizards (@SA, DEN, NY): A road game against San Antonio is never fun for fantasy, but home games against the Nuggets and Knicks should yield a ton of points. If Tomas Satoransky and Markieff Morris are available in your league, you should add them this week.
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Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 34 points (11-of-13 FGs, 11-of-11 FTs), four rebounds, eight assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Aside from Game 4 against Memphis, SGA hasn’t been his typical uber-efficient self during the playoffs so far. Well, that changed in Game 2, which contributed to a dominant win for Oklahoma City. This was his fourth straight 30-point game, and that helped OKC bounce back from a two-point loss in Game 1. He only played 30 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter, but SGA did plenty of damage when he was on the floor. The series will now shift to Denver, and OKC will need to win a road game to retake homecourt advantage in this series. Game 3 will be on Friday.