Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Westbrook does it again
The Cavs clinched No. 1 in the East with a season sweep of the Hawks, the Celtics helped Atlanta with a loss of their own, Russell Westbrook triple-doubled again, another Curry went nuts, an unknown Ennis did the same, Dallas clinched a playoff berth, and the Rockets passed the Jazz for the last spot in the West on a busy Monday. Follow me on Twitter!
Cavaliers 109, Hawks 94 – LeBron James hit 13-of-16 shots and filled the stat sheet with 34 points and Kyrie Irving added 35 points and four 3-pointers in a win that clinched the No. 1 seed in the East for the Cavs. Expect the Cavs to rest guys against the Pistons on Wednesday, as they literally have nothing left to play for. Tristan Thompson started and had nine points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a block, while Kevin Love double-doubled with 10 points and 14 rebounds on 2-of-8 shooting.
The Hawks needed to win this game, but still cling to a ½ game lead over the Heat for the No. 3 seed. The Hawks finish the season at Washington on Wednesday in a must-win situation, and the Heat still have two games left. They are @ Detroit on Tuesday and @ Boston on Wednesday, so the No. 3 seed is clearly still up for grabs. Paul Millsap had an off night with nine points on 3-of-14 shooting, while Kent Bazemore (23 points), Al Horford (20 & 11 double-double) and Jeff Teague (21 points, 9 assists) all played well. You can start Hawks with confidence in DFS on Wednesday, and beware that Bazemore is hot right now.
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Magic 107, Bucks 98 – Ersan Ilyasova started and had 22 points, six boards, a steal, three blocks and two 3-pointers on 10-of-13 shooting, so maybe he’ll do it again in the Magic’s final game. Dewayne Dedmon started at center and went off for 17 points, eight boards, three steals and three blocks in just 19 minutes, Elfrid Payton double-doubled with 11 points and 11 assists, Mario Hezonja scored 19 with three 3-pointers, and Evan Fournier scored 13 points in a start. Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon (concussion) and Victor Oladipo (concussion) sat this one out, so the same players who did well last night have a decent shot at success on Wednesday at the Hornets.
Greg Monroe led the way with 23 points and a nice stat line for Milwaukee, Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker each scored 17 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 11 points and a full stat line in the loss. The Bucks have nothing to play for on Wednesday against the Pacers, so watch for updates on who is playing in that one. The good news is it’s a home game, so the Bucks may play their guys for the home crowd in the finale.
Hornets 114, Celtics 100 – The Hornets helped the Hawks by taking down Boston, but lost Nicolas Batum to a sprained ankle last night. He’ll be very iffy for the home finale against Orlando on Wednesday. The Hornets are the No. 6 seed and Boston dropped to No. 5 with the loss, but the two have identical records, so things still aren’t decided. Al Jefferson started at center and had 16 points and 11 boards on 8-of-11 shooting against his former team, Kemba Walker had 18 points and a full stat line, and Marvin Williams scored 16 with four 3-pointers in the win. Courtney Lee disappeared with five points in 33 minutes, while Jeremy Lin stepped up with 25 points, seven boards, five assists, five steals, a block and a 3-pointer in 39 minutes off the bench. With Batum very iffy for Wednesday, Lin looks like a fun fantasy option in the finale. And with Wednesday’s game having meaning, look for the starters and Lin to play well.
The Celtics host the Heat on Wednesday and will be hoping for a win and a Hawks loss at Washington. Starters Amir Johnson, Jae Crowder and Jared Sullinger were all pretty bad last night, while Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas each scored 17 for Boston. Kelly Olynyk double-doubled with 14 & 11 and several Celtics bench players (Marcus Smart, Evan Turner, R.J. Hunter) played well. My guess is the Celtics turn their starters loose for more minutes on Wednesday and try to get an important win that could mean home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but only Isaiah Thomas is completely trustworthy for the Celtics.
Wizards 120, Nets 111 – The Wizards had seven players hit double digits in scoring, led by Ramon Sessions with 21 points and 12 assists. He looks like a must-start in Wednesday’s finale against the Hawks. Marcus Thornton started for Bradley Beal (pelvis) and had 19 points, eight boards and two 3-pointers, Marcin Gortat had 11 & 7, and Otto Porter Jr. scored 10 points in just 18 minutes. Kelly Oubre scored 14 off the bench, J.J. Hickson scored 15 and Garrett Temple added 11 points off the pine for the Wizards. It sounds like John Wall (knee) and Beal are done for the season, so give Thornton a look in DFS play, as well as Sessions.
Shane Larkin and Bojan Bogdanovic each scored 20 points and Chris McCullough had 12 points, five boards, two blocks and a 3-pointer in a rare start for the Nets. Bogdanovic and Sean Kilpatrick (17 points, full stat line) got into a shouting match while leaving the court in the first half, but it looks like they worked it out. Markel Brown was very quiet, but it looks like Larkin, Bogdanovic and Kilpatrick should all be safe plays on Wednesday against the Raptors. Henry Sims started at center and had eight points, eight boards, a steal and two blocks on 2-of-9 shooting.
