Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

Player Notes

  • Limited role Saturday
    Giddey closed Saturday's 117-116 loss to Dallas in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals with two points (1-3 FG, 0-2 3Pt), four rebounds and one assist in 10 minutes.

    Advice: Giddey played just 10 minutes in the loss, ending what has been a disappointing season for the young Australian. Having started the majority of the season, he was moved to the bench in recent games. In fact, he played fewer than 15 minutes in five straight contests to end the campaign, placing some doubt over what his role could look like in 2024-25. Rotowire.com Saturday, 8:58 pm
    Josh GiddeyOKC - SG,SF,PF
    Player Note
  • Luguentz Dort records 11/3/1/3 line in Game 6 loss
    Luguentz Dort shot 3-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line in Saturday’s 117-116 loss to the Mavericks, amassing 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, three steals, and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes.

    Advice: After shooting 52.2% from three in Oklahoma City’s first-round sweep of New Orleans, Dort reverted to form against the Mavericks. He shot 31.7% from distance against Dallas, averaging 6.8 attempts per game. Dort was slightly worse from the field overall, shooting 31.1% while averaging 10.5 points per game. Providing offense after defending Luka Doncic certainly isn’t easy, but Oklahoma City will need continued growth from Dort as they look to contend in the West. Until that happens, he will continue to have a limited fantasy ceiling. Rotoworld Saturday, 8:54 pm
  • Isaiah Joe hits three 3-pointers, scores 11 points
    Isaiah Joe played 29 minutes in Saturday’s Game 6 loss to the Mavericks, tallying 11 points (4-of-7 FGs), three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers.

    Advice: Despite struggling in Game 5, Joe remained in the starting lineup for Game 6. He rebounded, shooting 3-of-4 from three and reaching double figures. Joe hasn’t been much more than a fantasy streamer during the regular season in Oklahoma City, but he, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins are worth watching this summer. Josh Giddey, who went from starter to playing limited minutes, is extension eligible, and this could be viewed as an opportunity to move him this summer. If so, Joe, Wallace, or Wiggins could be in play as a late-round option, depending on the potential return. Rotoworld Saturday, 8:43 pm
    Isaiah JoeOKC - PG,SG
    Player Note
  • Jalen Williams posts 22/9/8/2/1 line on Saturday
    Jalen Williams accumulated 22 points (8-of-16 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals, one block, and three 3-pointers in 37 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Mavericks.

    Advice: Oklahoma City’s season ended on Saturday, as they were on the wrong end of a one-point loss in Game 6. Williams had a productive night, shooting 50% from the field and scoring 22 points with a full stat line. However, his overall efficiency as a scorer took a hit compared to how he played in Oklahoma City’s first-round sweep of New Orleans. JDub shot 42.9% from the field against Dallas after making nearly 53% of his attempts against the Pelicans. Overall, this season was very good for Williams, who provided top 50 per-game value in 8- and 9-cat formats. After beginning this season with a Yahoo ADP of 65.7, JDub should be a 4th-round player at worst in drafts this fall. Rotoworld Saturday, 8:34 pm
    Jalen WilliamsOKC - SG,SF,PF
    Player Note
  • Kyrie Irving extends closeout record to 14-0
    Kyrie Irving finished Saturday’s 117-116 win over the Thunder with 22 points (9-of-23 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, and four 3-pointers in 42 minutes.

    Advice: As in the series’ first five games, Irving picked up the production after halftime on Saturday. He made seven of his nine field goals in the second half, finishing as one of three Mavericks with at least 22 points. The win pushed Irving’s record in closeout games to 14-0, the best mark in NBA postseason history. The chemistry between him and Luka Doncic has been strong, and the supporting cast has come into its own. Dallas advances to the Western Conference Finals, where they will play Denver or Minnesota. Rotoworld Saturday, 8:01 pm
  • Moves to bench
    Alexander-Walker will move to the bench for Thursday's Game 6 versus Denver.

    Advice: This is an expected move with Mike Conley back from his injury. Alexander-Walker fared well in his spot start in Game 5, producing 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 39 minutes. Rotowire.com Thursday, 5:04 pm
  • Max Strus hits three 3-pointers in Game 5 loss
    Max Strus scored 12 points (3-of-10 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs) with seven rebounds, nine assists, and three 3-pointers in 44 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Celtics.

    Advice: Strus didn’t have a good night shooting the basketball, but the overall line was solid for DFS players who may have slotted him into their lineups. The nine assists were a postseason high for the Cavaliers wing, who was asked to take on additional offensive responsibilities with Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert unavailable. Based on his Yahoo ADP, Strus was expected to provide late-round value this season, and that’s precisely what he did. Starting 70 games during the regular season, Strus established career-high averages in points (12.2), rebounds (4.8), assists (4.0), steals (0.9), and blocks (0.4). The best way for Strus to threaten top 100 status would be to improve the field-goal percentage, as he shot just 41.8% in 2023-24. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:21 pm
    Max StrusCLE - SG,SF
    Player Note
  • Darius Garland struggles in season-ending defeat
    Darius Garland accounted for 11 points (4-of-17 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), nine assists, and two steals in 43 minutes in Wednesday’s 113-98 loss to the Celtics.

    Advice: Boston eliminated Cleveland in five games, an unsurprising outcome given the Cavaliers’ many injuries. What was incredibly disappointing about Game 5 was Garland’s performance. After scoring 30 points and dishing out seven assists in Game 4, he shot 4-of-17 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. As with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, injuries were a significant factor for Garland, as he was limited to 57 regular-season games. While his value in 8-cat formats wasn’t far from his Yahoo ADP (40.3), he failed to crack the top 100 in 9-cat. Selecting Garland within the top 50 of standard league drafts wouldn’t be a bad idea, but fantasy managers can’t be blamed if they decide to look elsewhere next fall. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:10 pm
  • Nears 20 points in Game 5 victory
    White closed with 18 points (7-17 FG, 4-9 3Pt), five rebounds, six assists and two blocks in 36 minutes during Wednesday's 113-98 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: White had a strong outing from deep in Wednesday's series-clinching win, connecting on a quartet of threes. White stepped up for Boston in the series, tallying at least 18 points in two of the five contests. White could be a key factor once again for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals as an additional option offensively behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 7:04 pm