Thursday gave us yet another example of how a player or team's motivation level can lead directly to excellent fantasy basketball results.
In yesterday's "analytics advantage" section of Daily Notes, I highlighted the Thursday night game featuring the Milwaukee Bucks at the Golden State Warriors as one to watch for fantasy results. I mentioned how it was one of two games on the night featuring two teams in the playoff hunt, and that the other one (the San Antonio Spurs hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder) was likely to have a stronger defensive component and, thus, not as much fantasy production to go around.
The prediction turned out to be accurate, as the Bucks (116 points) and Warriors (107 points) combined for 223 points. Not only was that the highest combined point total of the night, but both teams individually scored more points than any of the other eight NBA teams that played on Thursday.
After the game, ESPN's Nick Friedell saw Giannis Antetokounmpo icing his right ankle. Apparently, Antetokounmpo tweaked the ankle, which he had sprained just a week ago, in the third quarter of Thursday's game. He continued to play and turned in one of the top fantasy basketball lines of the night while leading his team to victory with 32 points (14-18 FG, 2-2 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 3-pointers and 1 TO. When Friedell asked him about his ankle, this was part of Antetokounmpo's reply:
Giannis said when he tweaked his ankle he was thinking about something Bucks assistant Sean Sweeney told him.
"To be honest with you I was thinking about Sweeney. He's been calling me softie, he told me that three years ago I used to play that. I was... https://t.co/QeLC3Fgm6t
- Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) March 30, 2018
The Bucks are currently in the eighth slot in the East, but they still haven't mathematically clinched the playoffs. They are only a game out of the sixth slot and still not mathematically eliminated from home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They are motivated to play, and their best player exemplifies that.
But he wasn't the only one. Khris Middleton (23 points, 3 steals, 3 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Eric Bledsoe (20 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) and Jabari Parker (14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 3-pointers in 25 minutes off the bench) were all strong on Thursday as well.
The moral to the story, yet again, is that motivation is a monster at this time of year, and you can find examples to support this on a nightly basis.
Thursday recap
Box scores
Highlights:
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons: 24 points (10-16 FG, 4-7 FT), 23 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 TO
Quinn Cook, Golden State Warriors: 30 points (12-15 FG, 1-1 FT), 5 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 TO
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs: 25 points (9-19 FG, 6-8 FT), 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 3-pointer, 4 TO
Lowlights:
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers: 9 points (3-8 FG, 2-2 FT), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 1 3-pointer
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings: 8 points (4-8 FG), 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 TO
James Johnson, Miami Heat: 2 points (1-5 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 TO
Thursday takeaways
With the Warriors' loss to the Bucks on Thursday night, the Houston Rockets clinched the top seed in the Western Conference on a night when they didn't play. This was a historic accomplishment for the Rockets:
For the first time in franchise history, the @HoustonRockets have clinched the No. 1 seed in the West. pic.twitter.com/RiH6959JYQ
- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 30, 2018
Fantasy-wise, this means that the Rockets officially have nothing left to play for this regular season as they attempt to get into the playoffs healthy. It sounds as though they will continue to give their best players some playing time, but you have to expect plenty of rest and possible days off for James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela down the stretch.
With Blake Griffin out (see below), Drummond took over the interior with his fifth 20/20 game of the season. This win kept the Pistons at least mathematically viable in the Eastern Conference playoff race, while the Washington Wizards continued their spiral without John Wall, who hopes to return this weekend.
Dejounte Murray (59.2 percent available) produced a very strong quadruple-single on Thursday with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 7 points and 5 steals. He was four blocks short of the coveted five-by-five, but putting up numbers that strong across the board is valuable to both the Spurs and fantasy squads.
Injuries of note
Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with both a concussion and an orbital fracture in his left eye after colliding with Markelle Fultz on Wednesday night and will undergo surgery. His prognosis puts him out for the rest of the regular season, with the possibility to return for the playoffs:
Breaking: Joel Embiid will undergo surgery to repair an orbital fracture of his left eye. Pending the results, Embiid could return to play in 2-4 weeks, a source told @ZachLowe_NBA. pic.twitter.com/ALPMSMrei1
- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 30, 2018
Griffin sat out Thursday's game with what is being called a bruised ankle, but he underwent an MRI on it Thursday night and the results are expected Friday. The Pistons aren't yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they are very close to it. With this season likely lost, and Griffin locked in as a franchise player for next season, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team shut him down if the injury is at all serious. Until something official is released from the team, though, consider Griffin questionable moving forward.
Otto Porter Jr. sprained his ankle Thursday night and had to leave the game. He underwent X-rays, which were negative, so consider him questionable moving into Saturday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
Kevin Durant was ejected on Thursday night, in his first game back from a rib injury, for arguing a call with the referees. Meanwhile, his backup Andre Iguodala had to leave the game early as well, but his was due to knee soreness. Durant should be back in action on Saturday against the Kings, but Iguodala is questionable to play at this point.
Analytics advantage for Friday
There are three games on Friday night between teams that are both still fighting for playoff positioning: the New Orleans Pelicans at the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets at the Thunder, and the LA Clippers at the Portland Trail Blazers.
Of the three, the Pelicans at the Cavaliers shapes up as the most interesting on paper, fantasy-wise. Both teams could shift multiple spots in the standings based on the results of this game, with home-court advantage in the first round in play for both squads.
In addition, the Pelicans (111.3 PPG, fourth in the NBA) and the Cavaliers (110.6 PPG, fifth) rank in the top five in the NBA in points scored, and both also rank in the bottom five in the NBA in points allowed (Pelicans are 29th with 111.0 points allowed per game, Cavaliers are 26th with 110.1 points allowed). This game shapes up to be an absolute firefight, with big numbers on both sides.
Top players to watch tonight
As mentioned in the "analytics advantage" section above, the Pelicans at the Cavaliers is must-see TV tonight. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both liable to put a monster number on the board. And, by the way ... check out my thoughts on why Davis's game looks a lot like a blend between NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki and David Robinson.
Karl-Anthony Towns is fresh off his monster 56-point/15-rebound effort in his last outing -- and on Friday, he faces a weak Dallas Mavericks interior defense.
