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Player Notes

  • Passive performance in loss
    Nesmith registered seven points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal across 27 minutes during Tuesday's 115-92 loss to the Bucks in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

    Advice: Nesmith salvaged a rough shooting night with modest across-the-board production. Despite playing a significant role, he has been unable to rediscover his form from earlier in the season. While the loss was far from ideal, the Pacers will now head home for Game 6 and attempt to wrap up the series again. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:29 pm
  • Ben Sheppard logs 24 minutes off bench in Game 5
    Ben Sheppard logged 24 minutes off the bench and finished with seven points (2-of-4 FGs, all 3PTs), three rebounds and one steal against the Bucks on Tuesday.

    Advice: Sheppard has played a pretty consistent role off the bench since January, and it has grown since March. Often times, teams will tighten their rotations for the playoffs, but Sheppard has still played a decent-sized role. He hasn’t done much other than hit a couple of 3-pointers, but Rick Carlisle clearly trusts him, which bodes well for his value long-term. The rookie likely wouldn’t be seeing as many minutes if Bennedict Mathurin was healthy, but it has been a great opportunity for him to prove that he belongs. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:28 pm
  • Obi Toppin chips in 12/6/4 line off bench
    Obi Toppin provided a boost off the bench with 12 points (3-of-7 FGs), six rebounds, four assists and two triples against Milwaukee on Tuesday.

    Advice: Toppin was once again a solid scoring option off the bench as he scored in double figures for the third straight game. However, his most notable moment from this game was getting into a scuffle with Patrick Beverley that resulted in a technical foul for Toppin. The Bucks had started the second quarter on a 12-2 run, and they were in complete control after the technical. Toppin will look to provide some buckets off the bench once again in Game 6 on Thursday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:24 pm
  • Jonathan Isaac logs 22 minutes off bench Tuesday
    Jonathan Isaac logged 22 minutes off the bench on Tuesday and finished with seven points (3-of-5 FGs), five rebounds and one triple against the Cavaliers.

    Advice: Isaac was part of Orlando’s closing lineup for this game after Gary Harris exited with a hamstring injury. Since Harris was ruled out at the end of the third quarter, it is unclear who will start in Game 6 if he remains sidelined. However, it is a safe bet that Isaac will take on extra minutes and be part of their closing lineup once again. He is one of the most impactful defensive players in the league, and if Harris isn’t out there to guard Donovan Mitchell, they’ll need Isaac on the floor. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:54 pm
  • Franz Wagner turns in 14/5/6/1/1 line in Game 5
    Franz Wagner posted a full line on Tuesday with 14 points (3-of-11 FGs), five rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block and one triple against the Cavaliers in Game 5.

    Advice: After being a hero in the Game 4 blowout win, Wagner wasn’t quite as effective in Game 5. However, he was still able to turn in a well-rounded stat line, which partially made up for the lack of scoring in DFS formats. Unfortunately, this type of performance isn’t going to be enough for them to win the series, and Wagner will have to get back on track in Game 6 in Orlando on Friday in order to force a Game 7 on Sunday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:43 pm
  • Darius Garland scores 17 points in first quarter
    Darius Garland lit up the Magic with 23 points (9-of-16 FGs), five rebounds, five assists and three triples on Tuesday.

    Advice: Garland got off to a scorching hot start in this game and scored 17 points in the first quarter to help the Cavs jump out to a 33-23 lead. Unfortunately, he didn’t do much scoring after that. This has been a poor series for Garland, so it was encouraging to see him get off to a strong start, and he ended up having his highest-scoring game of the series. We’ll see if he can carry any of this shooting down to Orlando for Game 5 on Friday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:24 pm
  • Donovan Mitchell leads Cavs with 28 points in win
    Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 28 points (9-of-23 FGs, 9-of-10 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one triple in a 104-103 win over the Magic in Game 5 on Tuesday.

    Advice: After two poor performances in Orlando, Mitchell vowed to play better moving forward. He did just that, and while he didn’t have his best shooting night, he was able to lead the team in scoring and ice the game with two a pair of late free throws. They’ll have a chance to close out the series in Orlando in Game 6 on Friday, but Mitchell will have to be much better than he was in Games 3 and 4. If he doesn’t they’ll be back in Cleveland on Sunday for Game 7. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:16 pm
  • Tobias Harris puts up 19/8 line in Game 5 win
    Tobias Harris provided a scoring boost on Tuesday with 19 points (7-of-11 FGs), eight rebounds, one assist, one block and three triples against the Knicks.

    Advice: Harris has struggled during this series, but this was his best performance through the first five games. He hit a pair of clutch free throws to give the 76ers a four-point lead in overtime, which contributed to his highest-scoring night of the series. He helped the 76ers stay alive, but they’ll need him to play like he did in this game moving forward if they want to pull off the comeback. Game 6 will be back in Philadelphia on Thursday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:38 pm
  • OG Anunoby puts up 17/6/0/2/1 line in Game 5
    OG Anunoby came up big late on Tuesday and finished with 17 points (7-of-12 FGs), six rebounds, two steals, one block and two triples in 50 minutes in Game 5 against the 76ers.

    Advice: Anunoby made some big plays late in the fourth quarter of this game, and if the result was different, his impact would have been one of the headlines from this game. Tyrese Maxey’s heroics overshadowed that, but Anunoby’s fit with this team has been flawless. He played 50 minutes in this game after logging 46 minutes in their last one, but that won’t change Tom Thibodeau’s gameplan. He’ll continue to rely on OG to make plays on the defensive end for most of Game 6 without much of a break. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:29 pm