Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Kyrie Irving limited to 14 points in Game 5 win
    Kyrie Irving finished Wednesday’s 123-93 win over the Clippers with 14 points (6-of-14 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), four rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one 3-pointer in 35 minutes.

    Advice: Irving caught fire in Sunday’s Game 4 defeat, shooting 14-of-25 from the field and 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. He cooled off considerably in Game 5, specifically from three (1-of-7), but still managed to shoot 5-of-7 from two. Luka Doncic snapped out of his self-proclaimed funk, and other Mavericks stepped up as they handed the Clippers their worst postseason defeat in franchise history. Dallas takes a 3-2 lead into Friday’s Game 6, and it’s fair to assume Irving will be better than he was on Wednesday. Rotoworld Today, 9:36 pm
     
  • James Harden offers little in Game 5 blowout loss
    James Harden played 33 minutes in Wednesday’s 123-93 loss to the Mavericks, accounting for seven points (2-of-12 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), four rebounds, seven assists, and one 3-pointer.

    Advice: After shining in Sunday’s Game 4 victory, Harden put up an absolute stinker in Game 5. He finished with more turnovers (four) than made field goals (two), failing to reach double figures in a postseason game for the first time since Game 7 of the 76ers’ second-round loss to the Celtics last season. We’ve seen Harden have great games before, and he’ll need to do the same in Game 6 on Friday if the Clippers are to extend their season. Rotoworld Today, 9:32 pm
     
  • Paul George goes quiet, finishes with 15 points
    Paul George shot 4-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in Wednesday’s Game 5 loss to the Mavericks, tallying 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes.

    Advice: Like James Harden, George struggled after scoring 33 points in the Clippers’ Game 4 win on Sunday. The good news for DFS managers is that he was productive as a rebounder, but the combination of poor shooting and turnovers (three) was too much to overcome. George will need to play better in Game 6 if the Clippers are to ensure that Wednesday’s stinker wasn’t their last as a tenant of Crypto.com Arena. Game 6 is on Friday night in Dallas. Rotoworld Today, 9:30 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 Today, 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 Today, 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 Today, 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 Today, 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 Today, 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 Today, 4:07 pm