Player Notes

  • Khris Middleton posts 29/12/5 line in Game 5 win
    Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 29 points (9-of-20 FGs), 12 rebounds, five assists and four triples in a 115-92 win over the Pacers on Tuesday in Game 5.

    Advice: With the Bucks playing without their top two scorers, Khris Middleton stepped up as one of the heroes of Game 5. He and Bobby Portis each scored 29 points to lead the team in scoring and force a Game 6 on Thursday. It is unclear if Damian Lillard and/or Giannis Antetokounmpo will be back, but if they aren’t, Middleton will be the primary scoring option once again. He is continuing to deal with a right ankle sprain, but he should continue to keep the Bucks in the fight. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:13 pm
  • Jonathan Isaac logs 22 minutes off bench Tuesday
    Jonathan Isaac logged 22 minutes off the bench on Tuesday and finished with seven points (3-of-5 FGs), five rebounds and one triple against the Cavaliers.

    Advice: Isaac was part of Orlando’s closing lineup for this game after Gary Harris exited with a hamstring injury. Since Harris was ruled out at the end of the third quarter, it is unclear who will start in Game 6 if he remains sidelined. However, it is a safe bet that Isaac will take on extra minutes and be part of their closing lineup once again. He is one of the most impactful defensive players in the league, and if Harris isn’t out there to guard Donovan Mitchell, they’ll need Isaac on the floor. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:54 pm
  • Franz Wagner turns in 14/5/6/1/1 line in Game 5
    Franz Wagner posted a full line on Tuesday with 14 points (3-of-11 FGs), five rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block and one triple against the Cavaliers in Game 5.

    Advice: After being a hero in the Game 4 blowout win, Wagner wasn’t quite as effective in Game 5. However, he was still able to turn in a well-rounded stat line, which partially made up for the lack of scoring in DFS formats. Unfortunately, this type of performance isn’t going to be enough for them to win the series, and Wagner will have to get back on track in Game 6 in Orlando on Friday in order to force a Game 7 on Sunday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:43 pm
  • Paolo Banchero pours in 39 points in Game 5 loss
    Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 39 points (14-of-24 FGs), eight rebounds, four assists, four triples and five turnovers in a 104-103 loss to Cleveland in Game 5 on Tuesday.

    Advice: It may not have resulted in a win, but Banchero was fantastic in this game. He became the third-youngest player to score at least 39 points in a playoff game, with only LeBron James and Magic Johnson in front of him. That isn’t a bad list to be on, and they’ll need him to continue to play at this level if they want to win their next two games. They’ll head back to Orlando for Game 6 on Friday, where Banchero only scored nine points in the blowout win in Game 4. He’ll look to bring some of this scoring down to Florida. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:37 pm
  • Darius Garland scores 17 points in first quarter
    Darius Garland lit up the Magic with 23 points (9-of-16 FGs), five rebounds, five assists and three triples on Tuesday.

    Advice: Garland got off to a scorching hot start in this game and scored 17 points in the first quarter to help the Cavs jump out to a 33-23 lead. Unfortunately, he didn’t do much scoring after that. This has been a poor series for Garland, so it was encouraging to see him get off to a strong start, and he ended up having his highest-scoring game of the series. We’ll see if he can carry any of this shooting down to Orlando for Game 5 on Friday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:24 pm
  • Donovan Mitchell leads Cavs with 28 points in win
    Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 28 points (9-of-23 FGs, 9-of-10 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one triple in a 104-103 win over the Magic in Game 5 on Tuesday.

    Advice: After two poor performances in Orlando, Mitchell vowed to play better moving forward. He did just that, and while he didn’t have his best shooting night, he was able to lead the team in scoring and ice the game with two a pair of late free throws. They’ll have a chance to close out the series in Orlando in Game 6 on Friday, but Mitchell will have to be much better than he was in Games 3 and 4. If he doesn’t they’ll be back in Cleveland on Sunday for Game 7. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:16 pm
  • Evan Mobley comes away with game-saving block
    Evan Mobley posted a full line on Tuesday with 14 points (7-of-11 FGs), 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks against Orlando in Game 5.

    Advice: With Jarrett Allen sidelined with a rib contusion, Evan Mobley was the primary center for this game. He has had a solid series, but Allen has been more dominant down low. However, this was a golden opportunity for Mobley to shine, and he ended up securing the win by blocking a layup attempt from Franz Wagner with just a few seconds left. He posted a full stat line and made numerous plays down the stretch that resulted in the win. It’s unclear if Allen will be back for Game 6 on Friday, but if he remains out, the Cavs should be confident with Mobley at center. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:02 pm
  • Tobias Harris puts up 19/8 line in Game 5 win
    Tobias Harris provided a scoring boost on Tuesday with 19 points (7-of-11 FGs), eight rebounds, one assist, one block and three triples against the Knicks.

    Advice: Harris has struggled during this series, but this was his best performance through the first five games. He hit a pair of clutch free throws to give the 76ers a four-point lead in overtime, which contributed to his highest-scoring night of the series. He helped the 76ers stay alive, but they’ll need him to play like he did in this game moving forward if they want to pull off the comeback. Game 6 will be back in Philadelphia on Thursday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:38 pm
  • OG Anunoby puts up 17/6/0/2/1 line in Game 5
    OG Anunoby came up big late on Tuesday and finished with 17 points (7-of-12 FGs), six rebounds, two steals, one block and two triples in 50 minutes in Game 5 against the 76ers.

    Advice: Anunoby made some big plays late in the fourth quarter of this game, and if the result was different, his impact would have been one of the headlines from this game. Tyrese Maxey’s heroics overshadowed that, but Anunoby’s fit with this team has been flawless. He played 50 minutes in this game after logging 46 minutes in their last one, but that won’t change Tom Thibodeau’s gameplan. He’ll continue to rely on OG to make plays on the defensive end for most of Game 6 without much of a break. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:29 pm