Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Records double-double
    Towns finished Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 10 points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds and five assists across 29 minutes.

    Advice: Towns had a couple of clutch buckets in the early stages of the game, but for the most part, he took a backseat in the scoring column as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels carried Minnesota offensively in this win. The Timberwolves need Towns to be at his best if they want to have a shot at winning a complicated Game 7 on the road, and for that to happen, he'll need to be even more aggressive on the offensive end of the court, an area in which he hasn't been consistent throughout the series. Towns has reached the 20-point mark in four of the six games he's played in the semis, and the Timberwolves have gone 3-1 in those contests. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:02 pm
     
  • Efficient off bench in Game 5
    Lively totaled 11 points (3-4 FG, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 23 minutes during Wednesday's 104-92 win over the Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Lively has been playing off the bench due to the solid play of Daniel Gafford down low, but the rookie out of Duke made his presence felt on both ends of the court Wednesday. Aside from missing just one shot from the field, Lively was active defensively and recorded the first playoff double-double of his career. Lively is averaging 7.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in the postseason, and while he looked very good in this pivotal win, he's not expected to move to a starting role ahead of Game 6 on Saturday. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:04 am
     
  • Dereck Lively II records 11/10/1/1/1 stat line
    Dereck Lively II shot 3-of-3 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in Wednesday’s 104-92 win over the Thunder, accounting for 11 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one blocked shot in 23 minutes.

    Advice: Dallas received 48 minutes of solid basketball from its rotation centers, with Lively recording a double-double off the bench and Daniel Gafford (9/7/1/0/1 in 25 minutes) shooting 4-of-4 from the field. Oklahoma City has continued to foul Lively intentionally during crunch time, and the rookie delivered in Game 5. He shot 5-of-6 from the foul line in Game 5 and is now 14-of-21 (66.7%) over the last three games. That percentage isn’t great, but it is much higher than Lively’s number during the regular season (50.6%). Dallas leads the series three games to two and will look to close out the Thunder on Saturday. Rotoworld Wednesday, 9:14 pm
     
  • Marcus Morris goes off for 25 points in Game 5
    Marcus Morris Sr. shot 10-of-13 from the field and 0-of-1 from the foul line in Wednesday’s loss to the Celtics, accumulating 25 points, three rebounds, and five 3-pointers in 33 minutes.

    Advice: With Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert sidelined, the Cavaliers needed additional scoring from someone. Enter Morris, who went off for a season-high 25 points. To say this was a departure from the norm for the veteran center would be an understatement; he scored 30 points total during the regular season and reached double figures once during the postseason (Game 5 against Orlando). Morris will be a free agent this summer, and his days as a reliable fantasy option are in the rear-view mirror. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:00 pm
     
  • Owns glass in Game 5 double-double
    Horford accumulated 22 points (8-15 FG, 6-13 3Pt), 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and one steal in 35 minutes during Wednesday's 113-98 win over the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Horford dominated the boards in a series-clinching win Wednesday, leading all players in the contest in rebounds to go along with a handful of assists, a team-high trio of blocks and ending as one of two Celtics with 20 or more points in a double-double performance. Horford reached double figures in rebounds for the first time this postseason, also crossing the 20-point mark for the first time. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 7:00 pm
     
  • Shines off bench in Game 5 loss
    Morris finished with 25 points (10-13 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 0-1 FT), three rebounds and two steals over 33 minutes during Wednesday's 113-98 loss to Boston in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Morris provided the shorthanded Cavaliers with a much-needed boost off the bench in Game 5, leading all bench players in scoring while connecting on a team-high handful of threes in a bench-leading minute total. Morris recorded his best outing of the postseason Wednesday, surpassing double figures in scoring for the second time in these playoffs. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 6:52 pm
     
  • Al Horford makes history with stellar Game 5
    Al Horford finished Wednesday’s 113-98 win over Cleveland with 22 points (8-of-15 FGs), 15 rebounds, five assists, one steal, three blocks, and six 3-pointers in 35 minutes.

    Advice: While Cleveland may have attempted to target Horford in the two-man game this series, the 37-year-old pivot made them pay in Game 5. He became the oldest player in NBA history to tally at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five 3-pointers in a playoff game, passing LeBron James. Horford has been influential this season, especially with Kristaps Porzingis (calf) sidelined. That will remain the case in the conference finals, whether the Celtics draw New York or Indiana. Rotoworld Wednesday, 6:41 pm
     
  • Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) scores team-high 23 PTS
    Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee soreness) amassed 23 points (10-of-19 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers in 38 minutes in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets.

    Advice: Already playing without Mike Conley (Achilles), the Timberwolves experienced an injury scare with Towns during the first half of Tuesday’s game. He appeared to bang his knee on the leg of Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who lost his balance while closing out on the Timberwolves big. Towns did have to exit the game, but only briefly, as he returned after spending a few minutes on the exercise bike. The 23 points are the most KAT has scored in a game since Game 2 (27 points). However, his minus-17 rating was the worst among the Timberwolves who saw action on Tuesday. Towns will need to be better in Game 6 on Thursday if Minnesota is to force a Game 7. Rotoworld Tuesday, 10:46 pm
     
  • Briefly exits Tuesday
    Towns left Tuesday's game versus the Nuggets with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter due to an apparent left knee injury but checked back in with 1:23 left in the first quarter.

    Advice: Towns appeared to aggravate the left knee that he had surgically repaired in March after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope inadvertently tripped him, Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports. However, Towns missed less than a minute of game action and should be available to finish Tuesday's contest. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 8:11 pm