Los Angeles Lakers @ Los Angeles Clippers
O/U: 211
Spread: LAC -8.5
Injuries
Lakers
LeBron James - OUT
Dennis Schroder - OUT
Jared Dudley - OUT
Anthony Davis - PROB
Kyle Kuzma - PROB
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - PROB
Marc Gasol - PROB
Talen Horton-Tucker - QUEST
Clippers
Serge Ibaka - OUT
Amir Coffey - OUT
Jay Scrubb - OUT
MVP/CPT
Without LeBron James and Dennis Schroder on the floor this season, Davis has posted a robust 37.3% USG and averages 1.32 FP/min. Both leading the team. Davis hasn’t been putting up monster numbers since his return, but we know what he’s capable of and he’s still averaged 42.3 DKP/game over his last five.
George continues to look really good out there even with Kawhi Leonard back. George has a 26.4% USG and averages 1.22 FP/min with Leonard on the floor this year. He’s averaged 40 DKP/game against the Lakers this year and has put up 50+ DKP in six of his last 10 games. George may continue to lead the way for LAC while Kawhi Leonard battles back from injury.
Look, this isn’t generally a route we should interest ourselves in, but hear me out. There’s a lot of star power in this game between Leonard, George, Davis and Drummond and to fit a couple of them, we need to differentiate somewhere. Well, Jackson played 33 minutes even with the return of Pat Bev. That looks like it’ll continue for the time being and Jackson took 17 shots, scoring 18 points and 35.75 DKP to boot. Just a thought.
Mid Tier
Which version of Drummond are we going to get here? The one that had three double-doubles in four games coming into the Denver outing or the one that didn’t grab a single rebound in 22 minutes against the Nuggets? That’s why I can’t CPT him, but would take a stab in my lineup. He has upside despite only playing 22-26 minutes a night.
Marcus Morris Sr.
He shows flashes of how good he can be, but usually, when everyone is healthy, he doesn’t need too. He’s coming off 35 DKP last time out, which is the third time in five games he’s accomplished that feat. He’s scored 15+ actual points in nine-of-10 games overall.
Another Lakers player we’re just unsure about which guy is going to show up. Kuzma took 16 shots and scored 24 actual two games ago and then the very next night takes FOUR shots and puts up a complete dud. This isn’t an easy match-up likely being guarded by Kawhi Leonard and Marcus Morris , but with LeBron James and Dennis Schroder out, Kuzma is the Robin to Anthony Davis ’ Batman on the offensive end.
Value Tier
He’s not the most skilled offensive player in the world, but he hustles his ass off and that's what keeps him on the floor. He’s played 26 and 28 minutes the last two games and has averaged 22.5 DKP/game in those two. He’s going to continue to see run as LAL’s primary ball handlers in James and Schroder are out.
KCP isn’t exciting to use, but he gets the job done. He’s scored 10 actual in two straight and has put up an average of 23.75 DKP over that span. It’s a tough match-up against Paul George , but KCP will be on the court for a lot of the game and provides us with a safe floor in terms of fantasy production.
This one might feel a little personal to Cousins here after being released by the Lakers last year. He’s also just been more involved overall lately playing around 14 minutes per game, but putting up 17+ DKP. He’s only 3.6K and if Cousins were to be extended to 20 minutes here, man look out, he’ll be in every winning showdown lineup out there.
Player News
Kevin Huerter recorded 10 points (3-of-7 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), one rebound, one assist, two steals, one block and one three-pointer in 32 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat.
“Red Velvet” provided limited production in Wednesday’s defeat, which included a 1-of-4 night from beyond the arc. The three “stocks” were solid, but Chicago needed more from Huerter on a night when the team scored a season-low 90 points. After being traded to the Bulls in early February, Huerter was a 10th-round player in nine-cat formats, spending considerable time in the starting lineup. However, those starts were made possible by injuries to Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones. Huerter has one season remaining on his contract and should be in the rotation. However, a healthy Ball likely pushes him to the bench, especially if the Bulls re-sign Josh Giddey.
Matas Buzelis tallied nine points (4-of-9 FGs), six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one three-pointer in 34 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat.
On the fringes of the Bulls’ rotation for most of the first four-plus months of the season, Buzelis moved into the starting lineup after the Zach LaVine trade in February and retained that role. While the rookie’s fantasy value remained low, he had his moments in his first season with the Bulls. What Buzelis’ value will be next season depends on the moves made during the offseason, most notably Josh Giddey’s restricted free agency and who the Bulls select with their lottery pick. For now, Buzelis is worthy of a late-round flier at best.
Nikola Vucevic accumulated 16 points (6-of-13 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers in 38 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat.
Vucevic’s 2024-25 season ended on Wednesday, with the Bulls center recording his 46th double-double. One of the most surprising players in fantasy basketball, Vooch was a top-20 player in nine-cat formats while sitting just outside the top-30 in eight-cat. Vucevic has been a relatively safe option for most of his time in Chicago, hovering around the top-50. As good as this season was for him fantasy-wise, managers should not go into drafts expecting Vucevic to offer value in 2025-26 on par with this season.
Coby White accounted for 17 points (5-of-20 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), two rebounds, five assists, two steals and three three-pointers in 42 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat.
One of the league’s hottest players since the All-Star break, White had a rough night in Chicago’s season finale. In addition to shooting 25 percent from the field, he was responsible for a team-worst seven turnovers. The Heat harassed White throughout, one reason why Chicago finished with a season-low point total. White exceeded his Yahoo! ADP (85) in eight- and nine-cat formats for the season, performing one round better in the former. He’ll remain an offensive focal point for the Bulls in 2025-26, which makes him worthy of a middle-round pick in most league formats.
Josh Giddey logged 40 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, scoring 25 points (9-of-21 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs) with 10 rebounds, four assists, one block and two three-pointers.
Giddey’s first season in Chicago ended disappointingly, despite him recording a double-double. Unsurprisingly, being defended by Bam Adebayo to begin Wednesday’s game was problematic for the Bulls point guard, who was also dealing with a hand injury. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported before the game that Giddey has a torn muscle in his right (shooting) hand, something he’s dealt with for the past month. Losing on Wednesday means he can get that taken care of, and restricted free agency will be interesting. Giddey’s likely raised his value after this season; how much are the Bulls willing to play, especially after handing Lonzo Ball an extension a few months ago? Returning to Chicago would make Giddey a far more valuable player in fantasy basketball than he was with the Thunder.
Andrew Wiggins accumulated 20 points (8-of-20 FGs, 0-of-2 FTs), nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and four three-pointers in 35 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls.
Wiggins was impactful on both ends of the floor, supplementing Tyler Herro’s 38-point effort with 20 of his own while recording a complete stat line. Since joining the Heat, Wiggins shot nearly 46 percent from the field on 14.8 attempts per game, averaging 19.0 points. While those numbers are solid, the Heat will need more from him to extend their season. Miami visits Atlanta on Friday, with the winner advancing to face one-seed Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs.