The Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Brook Lopez Feasts
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
There was just one game on the schedule Monday with the shorthanded Blazers taking on the Nets in Brooklyn, but there was no shortage of injury news across the NBA. Fantasy playoffs are coming to an end, but I’ll tackle all of the major stories below for those of you who are still fighting for your lives.
Editor’s Note: Play one-day fantasy basketball tonight! Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a $125,000 league for Tuesday’s NBA games. It’s just $2 to join and first place wins $10,000. Starts Tuesday at 7:30pm ET. Enter now!
Brooklyn 106, Portland 96- Brook Lopez torched his brother, Robin, on his way to 32 points, nine boards, one assist, one steal and one block on the night. He has managed to stay healthy for most of the season and is one of the main reasons why the Nets have won seven out of their last eight games. Brooklyn is currently sitting at seventh place in the Eastern Conference, meaning there is almost no chance that they risk resting any of their key players down the stretch.
Deron Williams continued to impress with an awesome line of 24 points, 10 assists, six boards and four 3-pointers, and there is no reason to think that he will slow down with the Nets eyeing the postseason. Joe Johnson faltered with six points on 1-of-10 shooting, and this comes on the heels of a 4-point performance vs. the Hawks on Saturday. Johnson has been pretty pathetic since the All-Star break, and I don’t consider him to be a must-own player.
Thaddeus Young shattered any doubts about his knee after playing 42 minutes in the win, and he ended up scoring 20 points with five boards, two assists, one block and one steal. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 points with five boards, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer in 31 minutes, but his role has been sporadic this season and it’s tough to rely on him outside of deeper leagues.
As for Portland, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Kaman didn’t make the trip in order to get some extra rest, but head coach Terry Stotts already said that he wasn’t planning on sitting them out beyond Monday. Damian Lillard shouldered a heavier burden on offense Tuesday, dropping 36 points with four boards, two assists, one block and six 3-pointers. He wasn’t shy with 26 attempts from the field, but that number is obviously going to plummet once Aldridge is back in uniform.
C.J. McCollum drew the start on the wing and finished with 15 points, six boards, two assists, one steal and a 3-pointer in 34 minutes, and he has been making his case for more playing time for a while now. McCollum has averaged 13.8 points, 3.4 boards, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 3-pointers in around 25 minutes per game over his last five, so he is worth a look in most leagues considering the Blazers have three more games this week. Meyers Leonard played great with 17 points, 15 boards, four assists, two steals and one 3-pointer, but he only deserves a look whenever Aldridge sits out.
Injury News
Paul Millsap is going to miss the next two games due to a mild shoulder sprain, and the Hawks may hold him out longer since they have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Mike Muscala started the second half against the Nets on Saturday when Millsap went down, and it looks like he could be the primary beneficiary moving forward. Muscala scored 18 points with 10 boards the last time the Hawks rested their starters, so he does have some upside.
Greg Monroe is expected to return to the starting lineup on Wednesday vs. the Celtics, and it’s a great sign that his knee is feeling better considering the Pistons have fallen out of the playoff race. He will likely be eased into the rotation, but he is going to be a double-double threat every time he touches the floor and he shouldn’t be sitting on the waiver wire. Anthony Tolliver will move to the bench and is safe to drop in most leagues.
Bismack Biyombo is expected to play on Tuesday vs. the Heat despite dealing with a broken nose, and the Hornets could desperately use him with Al Jefferson on the sidelines with knee soreness. There have been some reports that Big Al could be shut down, and the Hornets have no reason to risk his health in what is starting to look like a lost season. Biyombo has averaged 9.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on 57.1 percent shooting in his last three games, so there is plenty of appeal here.
Kyle Lowry (back spasms) went through a limited practice on Monday, but it’s still unclear if he will try to play against the Hornets on Wednesday. Lowry has made it pretty clear that he won’t go if he isn’t 100 percent, but the Raptors are going to need him to establish some rhythm before the playoffs. If he remains out, Greivis Vasquez will continue to start, but Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan will benefit the most.
Rajon Rondo (knee) and Chandler Parsons (knee) have a good chance of practicing Tuesday, and this confirms that their injuries were never expected to be serious. Keep an eye out for an update after Tuesday’s practice.
Brandon Knight’s ankle might force him to miss the rest of the season, and he reportedly only has an outside chance to play in the season finale. This means that Knight can be dropped just about everywhere now, while Marcus Morris and T.J. Warren’s roles should both be safe moving forward.
Gorgui Dieng (concussion) isn’t going to travel with the Wolves on their upcoming four-game road trip, and it looks like he may not be able to return this season. The Wolves have already shut down Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic, and they obviously tend to be very cautious with their players. Justin Hamilton is locked in as the starting center and is a must-start player the rest of the way. I wonder if head coach Flip Saunders still believes he isn’t tanking…
Rudy Gay (concussion) is officially questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. the Wolves, and it would appear that he is very close to clearing the last stage of the league’s concussion protocol. The Kings don’t really have any incentive to rush him back, so Gay’s owners should have a backup plan ready. Omri Casspi will benefit the most if Gay continues to miss time.
The Miami Heat are in shambles, and that’s really the only way I can put it. Dwayne Wade (knee), Goran Dragic (back), Mario Chalmers (leg), Udonis Haslem (illness), Henry Walker (undisclosed) and Tyler Johnson (illness) are all listed as probable for Tuesday’s game vs. the Hornets, while Hassan Whiteside (hand), Chris Andersen (foot) and Luol Deng (knee) are all questionable. Michael Beasley (knee) is doubtful, but I don’t see any scenario in which he plays. The Heat are probably going to shift their focus to the draft lottery, so this injury report will probably get even more chaotic later in the week. Based on previous games, the Heat will probably consider every player a game-time call just for the fun of it.
For fantasy advice, click here to follow me on Twitter!
There was just one game on the schedule Monday with the shorthanded Blazers taking on the Nets in Brooklyn, but there was no shortage of injury news across the NBA. Fantasy playoffs are coming to an end, but I’ll tackle all of the major stories below for those of you who are still fighting for your lives.
Editor’s Note: Play one-day fantasy basketball tonight! Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a $125,000 league for Tuesday’s NBA games. It’s just $2 to join and first place wins $10,000. Starts Tuesday at 7:30pm ET. Enter now!
Brooklyn 106, Portland 96- Brook Lopez torched his brother, Robin, on his way to 32 points, nine boards, one assist, one steal and one block on the night. He has managed to stay healthy for most of the season and is one of the main reasons why the Nets have won seven out of their last eight games. Brooklyn is currently sitting at seventh place in the Eastern Conference, meaning there is almost no chance that they risk resting any of their key players down the stretch.
Deron Williams continued to impress with an awesome line of 24 points, 10 assists, six boards and four 3-pointers, and there is no reason to think that he will slow down with the Nets eyeing the postseason. Joe Johnson faltered with six points on 1-of-10 shooting, and this comes on the heels of a 4-point performance vs. the Hawks on Saturday. Johnson has been pretty pathetic since the All-Star break, and I don’t consider him to be a must-own player.
Thaddeus Young shattered any doubts about his knee after playing 42 minutes in the win, and he ended up scoring 20 points with five boards, two assists, one block and one steal. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 points with five boards, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer in 31 minutes, but his role has been sporadic this season and it’s tough to rely on him outside of deeper leagues.
As for Portland, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Kaman didn’t make the trip in order to get some extra rest, but head coach Terry Stotts already said that he wasn’t planning on sitting them out beyond Monday. Damian Lillard shouldered a heavier burden on offense Tuesday, dropping 36 points with four boards, two assists, one block and six 3-pointers. He wasn’t shy with 26 attempts from the field, but that number is obviously going to plummet once Aldridge is back in uniform.
C.J. McCollum drew the start on the wing and finished with 15 points, six boards, two assists, one steal and a 3-pointer in 34 minutes, and he has been making his case for more playing time for a while now. McCollum has averaged 13.8 points, 3.4 boards, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 3-pointers in around 25 minutes per game over his last five, so he is worth a look in most leagues considering the Blazers have three more games this week. Meyers Leonard played great with 17 points, 15 boards, four assists, two steals and one 3-pointer, but he only deserves a look whenever Aldridge sits out.
Injury News
Paul Millsap is going to miss the next two games due to a mild shoulder sprain, and the Hawks may hold him out longer since they have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Mike Muscala started the second half against the Nets on Saturday when Millsap went down, and it looks like he could be the primary beneficiary moving forward. Muscala scored 18 points with 10 boards the last time the Hawks rested their starters, so he does have some upside.
Greg Monroe is expected to return to the starting lineup on Wednesday vs. the Celtics, and it’s a great sign that his knee is feeling better considering the Pistons have fallen out of the playoff race. He will likely be eased into the rotation, but he is going to be a double-double threat every time he touches the floor and he shouldn’t be sitting on the waiver wire. Anthony Tolliver will move to the bench and is safe to drop in most leagues.
Bismack Biyombo is expected to play on Tuesday vs. the Heat despite dealing with a broken nose, and the Hornets could desperately use him with Al Jefferson on the sidelines with knee soreness. There have been some reports that Big Al could be shut down, and the Hornets have no reason to risk his health in what is starting to look like a lost season. Biyombo has averaged 9.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on 57.1 percent shooting in his last three games, so there is plenty of appeal here.
Kyle Lowry (back spasms) went through a limited practice on Monday, but it’s still unclear if he will try to play against the Hornets on Wednesday. Lowry has made it pretty clear that he won’t go if he isn’t 100 percent, but the Raptors are going to need him to establish some rhythm before the playoffs. If he remains out, Greivis Vasquez will continue to start, but Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan will benefit the most.
Rajon Rondo (knee) and Chandler Parsons (knee) have a good chance of practicing Tuesday, and this confirms that their injuries were never expected to be serious. Keep an eye out for an update after Tuesday’s practice.
Brandon Knight’s ankle might force him to miss the rest of the season, and he reportedly only has an outside chance to play in the season finale. This means that Knight can be dropped just about everywhere now, while Marcus Morris and T.J. Warren’s roles should both be safe moving forward.
Gorgui Dieng (concussion) isn’t going to travel with the Wolves on their upcoming four-game road trip, and it looks like he may not be able to return this season. The Wolves have already shut down Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic, and they obviously tend to be very cautious with their players. Justin Hamilton is locked in as the starting center and is a must-start player the rest of the way. I wonder if head coach Flip Saunders still believes he isn’t tanking…
Rudy Gay (concussion) is officially questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. the Wolves, and it would appear that he is very close to clearing the last stage of the league’s concussion protocol. The Kings don’t really have any incentive to rush him back, so Gay’s owners should have a backup plan ready. Omri Casspi will benefit the most if Gay continues to miss time.
The Miami Heat are in shambles, and that’s really the only way I can put it. Dwayne Wade (knee), Goran Dragic (back), Mario Chalmers (leg), Udonis Haslem (illness), Henry Walker (undisclosed) and Tyler Johnson (illness) are all listed as probable for Tuesday’s game vs. the Hornets, while Hassan Whiteside (hand), Chris Andersen (foot) and Luol Deng (knee) are all questionable. Michael Beasley (knee) is doubtful, but I don’t see any scenario in which he plays. The Heat are probably going to shift their focus to the draft lottery, so this injury report will probably get even more chaotic later in the week. Based on previous games, the Heat will probably consider every player a game-time call just for the fun of it.
For fantasy advice, click here to follow me on Twitter!
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