Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • He’s back: Luka Doncic scores 35 points in blowout
    Luka Doncic finished Wednesday’s Game 5 win over the Clippers with 35 points (14-of-26 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), seven rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 39 minutes.

    Advice: Having lamented after Game 4 that he wasn’t giving star teammate Kyrie Irving enough help, Doncic produced a masterclass despite still dealing with a sprained right knee. He shot 12-of-18 from two and dished out ten assists while only committing two turnovers as Dallas handed the Clippers their largest playoff defeat in franchise history. And as Doncic said in his postgame interview, the “job isn’t done,” as the Mavericks take a 3-2 series lead into Friday’s Game 6 in Dallas. Luka getting untracked to the level he did in Game 5 is an ominous development for the Clippers, even if he was just 2-of-8 from three. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:29 pm
     
  • Jaylen Brown finishes series with 25-point effort
    Jaylen Brown logged 26 minutes in Wednesday’s 118-184 win over the Heat, amassing 25 points (11-of-19 FGs, 2-of-5 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer.

    Advice: Brown recorded a solid point total, shooting well over 50% from the field, but efficiency remains problematic in other areas. In addition to committing five turnovers in the series decider, he shot 40% from the foul line. For the series, Brown was 9-of-20 (45%) from the charity stripe, which will not get it done against stronger opposition. Add in 16 turnovers in the five-game series, and Brown has some things to clean up before the second round begins. Boston will play Cleveland or Orlando, with the Cavs leading that series by three games to two. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:04 pm
     
  • Caleb Martin scores 10 points in Game 5 blowout
    Caleb Martin played 36 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Celtics, tallying 10 points (4-of-9 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), four rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer.

    Advice: Martin reached double figures in three of the series’ five games, including a 21-point performance in Miami’s Game 2 victory. But the inconsistency meant he wasn’t a reliable option for DFS players, mirroring his season-long fantasy value. Martin was a late-round pick, at best, in most fantasy leagues before the season began, and his production bore that out. He finished the regular season ranked outside the top 200 in 9-cat formats and offers a significantly lower fantasy ceiling than Jaime Jaquez Jr. There’s little reason to plan on selecting Martin in drafts next fall. Still, there will be times when he’s worth the streaming risk. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:00 pm
     
  • Tyler Herro scores inefficient 15 points in rout
    Tyler Herro shot 6-of-19 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line in Wednesday’s Game 5 loss to the Celtics, recording a line of 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one 3-pointer in 35 minutes.

    Advice: Miami was without Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. for Game 5, putting even more pressure on Herro to perform with the team’s season on the line. He struggled, as many guards do when dealing with Jrue Holiday. While he established new career-highs in points (20.8 per game), assists (4.5), and 3-pointers (3.1), injuries limited Herro’s fantasy value. Beginning the season with a Yahoo ADP of 68.9, he finished the regular season ranked just inside the top 90 in 9-cat, per-game value, according to Basketball Monster. If Herro can play 65-plus games, as he did during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, he’s capable of approaching top-60 fantasy value. He’ll be worth selecting in the 6th round of standard league drafts, depending on potential changes to the Heat roster. Rotoworld Yesterday, 6:57 pm
     
  • Derrick White scores 25 points with five triples
    Derrick White shot 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from the foul line in Wednesday’s win over the Heat, scoring 25 points with five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and five 3-pointers in 29 minutes.

    Advice: It didn’t take long for White, who scored 38 points in Game 4, and the Celtics to turn the series clincher into a laugher. Boston tallied 41 points in the first quarter and did not look back, earning themselves some valuable rest days ahead of the second round. Whether the opponent is Cleveland or Orlando (CLE leads 3-2 ahead of Friday’s Game 6), White will be a crucial figure due to his defensive prowess. And the final games of the Heat series showed what he’s capable of offensively, especially if opponents devote too much defensive attention to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Rotoworld Yesterday, 6:54 pm
     
  • Able to return after stitches
    Wright went to the locker room in the first quarter of Wednesday's Game 5 against the Celtics after taking an elbow to the face. However, he'll be available to return after receiving stitches, the Heat announced.

    Advice: Wright was elbowed in the chin as Jaylen Brown went up for a shot and ended up going back to the locker room after the play. He'll have stitches put on the inside of his lower lip/chin and will then return to the contest. Patty Mills and Duncan Robinson should see more minutes while Wright is absent. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 5:01 pm
     
  • Starting Game 5
    Wright will enter the starting lineup for Wednesday's Game 5 against Boston, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

    Advice: Wright will enter the first unit in place of Jaime Jaquez (hip) for just his second start of the season. The guard has been a sizeable part of the rotation throughout the first-round series, averaging 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 25.0 minutes per game, and should see an even larger workload Wednesday. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 4:07 pm
     
  • MIA starting Wright, Herro, Martin, Jovic, Adebayo
    Delon Wright, Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, and Bam Adebayo will start Wednesday’s game against the Celtics.

    Advice: Another injury has forced Miami to change its starting lineup, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. (hip) joining Terry Rozier (neck) and Jimmy Butler (knee) on the sideline. As a result, Wright moves into the starting lineup for Game 5 as the Heat look to keep their season alive. He’s worth a look in DFS tournaments due to his low price tag, but players should not expect too much production-wise. Rotoworld Yesterday, 4:05 pm
     
  • Damian Lillard (Achilles) doubtful Thursday
    Damian Lillard (right Achilles tendinitis) is listed as doubtful for Thursday’s meeting between the Bucks and Pacers.

    Advice: Lillard appears set to miss his second consecutive playoff game. Malik Beasley will likely fill in for the star point guard alongside Patrick Beverley. Rotoworld Yesterday, 2:46 pm