Daily notes for Wednesday: Giannis lights up Pacers for 50
Trae Young scored 41 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Atlanta Hawks. He also dished out nine assists. It was Young’s 21st career 40-point game. Now he is one of eight players in league history with that number of 40-point games before turning 24. The Hawks are currently the No. 10 seed and making a run for the playoffs, so Young should finish strong for fantasy managers.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 39 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics: 29 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block
Terance Mann, LA Clippers: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block
In a late-scratch for Ja Morant, Tyus Jones scored a career-high 27 points and collected eight assists for the Memphis Grizzlies against the New Orleans Pelicans. Jones will be on the streaming radar once again if Morant is out against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. C.J. McCollum led the Pelicans with 30 points.
Miles Bridges had 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Charlotte Hornets against the Timberwolves. In the overtime loss, Bridges almost had a triple-double. Still, Bridges recorded a double-double for the 10th time this season.
Buddy Hield scored a season-high 36 points against the Bucks for the Pacers. He’s provided fantasy managers with fifth-round value over the last week. Hield is worth scooping up if he’s still available in your league.
As the Boston Celtics steamrolled the Philadelphia 76ers, Jayson Tatum scored 28 points, amassed 12 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and four triples. The Celtics have won nine straight games and have been dominating teams.
As the Miami Heat were adamant not to let Luka Doncic defeat them on his own, he only managed 21 points for the Dallas Mavericks while shooting a dismal 26.3% from the field. Doncic also had 10 rebounds, six assists, and a block. Despite his performance, Doncic has been a top-15 player in category formats over the last two weeks. Maxi Kleber, who is available in 98% of ESPN leagues, scored 19 points, pulled down six rebounds, and had five blocks. Kleber should be rostered in most leagues with Kristaps Porzingis no longer in Dallas.
While Jimmy Butler deals with a lingering shoulder injury, he has provided fantasy managers with third-round value over the last two weeks. The Heat forward scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Mavericks.
In a game against the Hawks, Darius Garland scored 30 points and collected eight assists. Over his last four games, he has averaged 27 points and 5.5 assists. The arrival of Caris LeVert should not negatively impact Garland’s stats for the remainder of the season.
Rudy Gobert has a calf injury and is questionable to play against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Utah Jazz center is unlikely to play before the All-Star break, though. Therefore, Hassan Whiteside is on the streaming radar. He’s available in 60% of ESPN leagues.
For the Lakes, LeBron James is questionable with a knee injury, while Anthony Davis is probable with a wrist injury. Carmelo Anthony has already been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Klay Thompson and Otto Porter Jr. are expected to play against the Denver Nuggets in the Golden State Warriors game. This lowers the ceiling of Jonathan Kuminga and Jordan Poole from a fantasy perspective.
Fred VanVleet is questionable for the Toronto Raptors game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a knee injury. From a DFS perspective, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. would benefit.
Dennis Smith Jr. (elbow) and Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) have already been ruled out with their respective injuries which will provide Anfernee Simons with even more usage. In three consecutive games, he has scored at least 29 points and recorded five assists. RJ Barrett (ankle) and Nerlens Noel (foot) are out for the New York Knicks against the Brooklyn Nets due to their respective injuries. As a result, Mitchell Robinson and Obi Toppin are good value plays for DFS.
On Wednesday, the Washington Wizards will take on the Indiana Pacers and will be dealing with a number of injuries. Kristaps Porzingis (knee) has already been ruled out along with Daniel Gafford (conditioning) while Rui Hachimura is questionable with an ankle injury. Kyle Kuzma is poised for a monster workload, while Thomas Bryant can be considered a DFS value. Chris Duarte has already been ruled out with a foot injury for the Pacers, while Malcolm Brogdon is questionable with an Achilles injury.
Marcus Smart suffered an ankle injury on Tuesday night for the Celtics and is questionable for Wednesday’s contest against the Detroit Pistons.
With a foot injury, John Collins has already been ruled out of Wednesday’s game between the Hawks and the Orlando Magic. The main beneficiaries would be Clint Capela and Danilo Gallinari. Both players had uninspiring stat lines on Tuesday.
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There are 11 games scheduled for Wednesday night. The Washington Wizards take on the Indiana Pacers in a matchup that has the potential to be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate. Both teams rank near the bottom of the league defensively when you analyze points allowed per 100 possessions played (per Cleaning The Glass).
You should start your Wizards and Pacers players on Wednesday night who are seeing consistent minutes. Kuzma, Deni Avdija, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Smith and Hield are players that immediately came to mind.
Bones Hyland, Denver Nuggets: Over his last four games, Hyland has averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 24 minutes. Hyland is a great play in DFS with Monte Morris questionable with a concussion for Wednesday night’s game against the Warriors.
Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs: Following the trade of Derrick White to the Celtics, Vassell moved into the starting lineup. In his first two games, he tallied 34 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, a block, and two steals. Vassell only had five points, an assist, and a steal against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Wednesday night, he’ll bounce back against the Oklahoma Thunder.