Fantasy NBA Daily Notes: Al Horford commanded by Thunder to sit
Brown finished the loss to Boston with 21 points and a career-high 23 boards. Since being activated after the All-Star break, the young center has averaged 12.4 points and 12.3 rebounds while also posting a strong block rate in nine appearances for the Thunder.
Once a two-way player for the organization, Brown just signed a multi-year NBA contract and is likely to start for the Thunder at the five going forward. Rostered in just shy of 45% of ESPN leagues, Brown is a player to target in all formats now that Horford won’t be soaking up minutes at center.
Highlights
Saturday
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans: 38 points (13-20 FG), 5 rebounds, 6 assists
Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards: 19 points (8-20 FG), 19 rebounds, 10 assists
Sunday
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: 35 points (10-26 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Robert Covington, Portland Trail Blazers: 13 points (4-11 FG), 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks
Lowlights
Saturday
Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah Jazz: 3 points (1-7 FG), 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Josh Richardson, Dallas Mavericks: 4 points (1-11 FG), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 TO
Sunday
Otto Porter Jr., Orlando Magic: 5 points (2-7 FG), 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers: 6 points (2-10 FG), 7 rebounds, 0 assists
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Andre Drummond has ended up with the Lakers, which is likely one of the best possible destinations for his fantasy stock. With the potential to play around 28 MPG at center for the Lakers and with the depleted roster’s need for his immediate production, Drummond could be a double-double machine soon enough.
The other Staples Center residents have a young guard playing well, as Terance Mann scored 23 points off the bench on Saturday for the Clippers — his most in any game this season and second-best for his career. It’s worth watching to see if Mann can continue to score off the pine for the team in the wake of Lou Williams heading to Atlanta.
The Spurs have some productive young players as they flirt with playoff seeding. On Saturday, center Jakob Poeltl tied his career-high with 20 points on just nine shots. Already a great source for block production, Poeltl is becoming more helpful both on the glass and as an efficient post scorer.
With Orlando’s wave of trades now completed, guard Dwayne Bacon scored a career-high 26 points for a hollow Magic roster on Sunday evening. Bacon paced the team in both minutes and shots and could be a helpful streaming option for a team that didn’t get much back at the deadline.
Houston’s Kevin Porter Jr. was a game-best plus-29 in net rating in his 31 minutes of play during Saturday’s win over Minnesota. Porter produced his third 25-point game of the season. All other players at age 20 or younger in franchise history have a mere two 25-point games combined.
New York’s Alec Burks has been a positive contributor to several of the team’s recent wins. The Knicks have gone 4-2 during the last six games, with their two losses coming by a combined four points. Burks has averaged 21.3 points with strong rebounding and defensive rates during this stretch.
Lonzo Ball is listed as questionable to play for the Pelicans in Boston this evening. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has started in Ball’s place for the last four games.
The Nets will have Kyrie Irving in the lineup tonight in a great matchup with the Timberwolves. Kevin Durant, however, is likely to miss at least another week due to his hamstring injury.
Toronto didn’t have Kyle Lowry for last night’s loss to Portland. This was a late scratch due to a sore right foot. It’s something to monitor ahead of tonight’s matchup against Detroit.
Bradley Beal left Saturday’s win over the Pistons due to a hip contusion after taking a hard fall in the third quarter. He’s listed as questionable to play tonight against the visiting Pacers.
The Heat won’t have Victor Oladipo or Kendrick Nunn available tonight. Goran Dragic is listed as probable and is a nice streaming play, given the absence of two high-usage backcourt peers.
Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic returned to the court over the weekend after a 32-game absence due to a combination of wrist and calf injuries. Nurkic averaged 19.0 minutes in the two starts for the Blazers, both wins, and could be a fantasy force once he’s back to playing more each game.
Cleveland won’t have starting center Jarrett Allen for tonight’s matchup with the Jazz due to a concussion. Kevin Love remains sidelined by a calf injury. This signals a big line for Larry Nance Jr., who has seen a 6.5% jump in usage rate with both Allen and Love off the floor this season.
Tonight’s robust 11-game slate features some fun matchups, including Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox facing San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray in a battle of dynamic young star guards. The Kings have allowed the fifth-most DraftKings points per game to point guards this season, while the Spurs have ceded the sixth-most.