Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

Player Notes

  • Fills stat sheet in Thursday's win
    Brown accumulated 22 points (7-12 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 6-11 FT), six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and three steals over 37 minutes during Thursday's 107-89 victory over the Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

    Advice: Brown led the Celtics in scoring in the comfortable win, but he did more than just that, as he also left his mark on the defensive end and grabbed headlines with a posterizing dunk during the second quarter. Brown has been alternating with Jayson Tatum in the role of Boston's go-to player on offense, with the Celtics riding whoever has the hottest hand, and that was certainly the case with Brown in the series opener. He's now scored at least 20 points in five straight playoff appearances, representing his longest streak in the current postseason run. Rotowire.com Thursday, 8:46 pm
  • Double-doubles in Game 1 win
    Tatum finished with 16 points (6-16 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists and one block across 42 minutes during Thursday's 107-89 win over the Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

    Advice: Tatum took a step back on offense behind the impressive performances of both Jaylen Brown (22 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (20 points off the bench), but Tatum delivered a strong fantasy line even though his shot wasn't falling. He snapped a streak of eight consecutive outings with at least 20 points, but he should remain Boston's go-to player on offense, as well as a strong candidate for a bounce-back effort, in Game 2 on Sunday. Rotowire.com Thursday, 8:44 pm
  • Shines off bench in return
    Porzingis closed with 20 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds and three blocks across 21 minutes during Thursday's 107-89 victory over the Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

    Advice: Head coach Joe Mazzulla wanted Porzingis to come off the bench in the first game of the Finals, and the star power forward responded admirably in his first taste of competitive action since April 29. It remains to be seen if Porzingis will move to the starting unit for Game 2 on Sunday or if he'll again come off the bench, but either way, his shooting ability and length on defense could be majors factors in the series, as was the case Thursday. Rotowire.com Thursday, 8:42 pm
  • Available for Game 1 of Finals
    Prosper (ankle) is available for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Celtics on Thursday.

    Advice: Prosper used the break between the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals to recover from his injury, and he's ready to step on the hardwood for the first time since April 21. He's logged just one minute this postseason, so he's not expected to play a prominent role in the series. Rotowire.com Thursday, 4:36 pm
  • Out for FIBA Qualifying Tournament
    Markkanen (shoulder) will not play for Finland during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July, Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports reports.

    Advice: Markkanen is still rehabbing a right shoulder injury which forced him out of Utah's last nine games. The 27-year-old will not rush his recovery to play in the qualifier, as he is expected to return to on-court activities in August. Markkanen played in 55 games for the Jazz last season, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 48.0 percent from the field. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 12:27 pm
  • Giannis (calf) commits to Olympic qual. tourney
    On Saturday, Greece national team coach Vassilis Spanoulis said that Giannis Antetokounmpo (left soleus strain) has committed to playing in next month’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

    Advice: Antetokounmpo missed Milwaukee’s final three regular season games and the entirety of the team’s first-round series against the Pacers due to his calf injury. The Olympic Qualifying Tournament that Greece will participate in does not begin until July 2, but the early commitment is a positive sign regarding Giannis’ health. Among the other nations in the six-team event is Slovenia, which Luka Doncic should lead. Four six-team tournaments will be played next month to round out the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics, with the winner of each advancing. Rotoworld Monday, 1:06 pm
  • Non-factor in playoff run
    Morris averaged 2.3 points, 1.0 assists and 0.7 rebounds across 7.6 minutes in nine playoff appearances.

    Advice: Morris was acquired by the Timberwolves on Feb. 7 via trade and averaged 5.1 points, 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 27 regular-season games with Minnesota. The 28-year-old is an unrestricted free agent, and he was a non-factor in the series against Dallas while dealing with a minor finger issue. Rotowire.com Sunday, 9:05 am
  • Lackluster production in playoffs
    McLaughlin averaged 0.7 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists across 4.8 minutes in six playoff appearances, shooting 22.2 percent from the field in a limited number of attempts.

    Advice: McLaughlin's future in Minnesota is unclear as he will head into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. The 28-year-old has seen a decline in production every year since he got into the league after five seasons with the Timberwolves. McLaughlin averaged 3.5 points, 2.0 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 steals across a career-low 11.2 minutes in 56 regular-season games this season. Rotowire.com Sunday, 8:45 am
  • Playoff woes amid uncertainty
    Anderson averaged 4.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks across 15.3 minutes in 15 playoff appearances.

    Advice: Anderson will be an unrestricted free agent this season, and his future in Minnesota is currently unclear. The 30-year-old averaged 6.4 points, 4.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks across 79 regular-season games, a slight decline from just a year before. However, the veteran wing could be useful for many contending teams and is bound to have several suitors this offseason. Rotowire.com Sunday, 8:30 am