• 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 Yesterday, 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 Yesterday, 9:32 pm
  • 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
  • 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