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  • Josh Giddey limited to 11 minutes in Game 2 loss
    Josh Giddey played 11 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the Mavericks, accounting for eight points (3-of-6 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs) and two rebounds.

    Advice: If the first two games of this series are any indication, this may not be the series for Giddey. After logging 17 minutes in Tuesday’s Game 1 victory, he played 11 in Game 2, with Aaron Wiggins starting the third quarter. Wiggins, who finished with nine points, two rebounds, one block, and one 3-pointer, can serve as another floor spacer to open up driving lanes for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Giddey, whom Mavericks center Daniel Gafford sometimes defended, does not possess that ability. Don’t be surprised if Giddey continues to lose minutes to Wiggins and Cason Wallace (six points, three rebounds, one assist, and two steals in 21 minutes) moving forward. Rotoworld Thursday, 9:38 pm
     
  • Nikola Jokic wins third career MVP award
    Nikola Jokic was named winner of the KIA NBA Most Valuable Player award.

    Advice: Jokic winning the award, the third of his career, is unsurprising. The 7-footer from Serbia has won the award three times in the last four seasons, finishing second the one time he did not (2023). During the regular season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 1.1 3-pointers per game, recording 25 triple-doubles. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas’ Luka Doncic rounded out the top three in the voting. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished fourth, with Jalen Brunson coming in fifth. Rotoworld Wednesday, 4:39 pm
     
  • Exercises player option
    Wood exercised his $3 million player option for the 2024-25 season Tuesday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

    Advice: Wood was a sporadic part of the rotation in Los Angeles this season, appearing in 50 games with averages of 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.4 minutes. There could potentially be a lot of changes for the Lakers this offseason depending on whether or not LeBron James picks up his player option, so it's difficult to project Wood's role for next season at the moment. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 9:22 am
     
  • Nears triple-double in Game 2 loss
    Jokic amassed 16 points (5-13 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 16 rebounds, eight assists and one block across 39 minutes during Monday's 106-80 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Jokic can change a game by himself at any point of a contest and is dominant enough to carry Denver to victory on a regular basis, but he hasn't been able to do it in the first two games of the current series. The two-time MVP winner is averaging 27.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game through seven playoff contests. While he remains an absolute stud in fantasy regardless of what happens with the Nuggets as a team, he needs his teammates to take a step forward to avoid an early exit in their quest to win back-to-back NBA titles. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 5:50 am
     
  • Nikola Jokic records 16/16/8/0/1 line in Game 2
    Nikola Jokic finished Monday’s 106-80 loss to the Timberwolves with 16 points (5-of-13 FGs, 6-of-6 FTs), 16 rebounds, eight assists, and one blocked shot in 39 minutes.

    Advice: Jamal Murray (calf) isn’t playing at full strength, and Minnesota was playing without Rudy Gobert on Monday. With the Nuggets having dropped Game 1, they needed an elite performance from Jokic. While he did finish two assists shy of a triple-double, they did not get that from the Joker. He committed four turnovers, but the shooting (5-of-13 FGs) was especially concerning. Minnesota had some success during Game 1 using Karl-Anthony Towns or Naz Reid on Jokic, with Gobert serving as the “free safety.” The Timberwolves could not do that in Game 2, but they successfully defended Jokic straight up. He and the Nuggets have some things to address ahead of Friday’s Game 3. Rotoworld May 6, 9:48 pm
     
  • Explodes for 38 points Sunday
    Banchero had 38 points (10-28 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 15-18 FT), 16 rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals in 42 minutes during Sunday's 106-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

    Advice: Banchero did everything in his power to keep the Magic alive in the playoffs, but even though his stat line was magnificent, the struggles of Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner were too much for Orlando to overcome, meaning Banchero couldn't carry the team to the next round on his own. Despite the early playoff exit, the series against the Cavaliers fully established Banchero as one of the league's up-and-coming superstars. He averaged 27.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals across 37.4 minutes per game. Rotowire.com May 6, 5:25 am