For those with Atlanta Hawks players, Tuesday night's rout of a depleted Indiana Pacers team was a fantasy bonanza. In last night's blowout, Trae Young scored 34 points and had 11 assists without even getting a chance to see the court in the fourth quarter. It's his league-leading 13th game this season with a double-double of 30 points and 10 assists. Since entering the league in 2018-2019, Young has also amassed the most games with 30 points and 10 assists (44).
He's averaged 27.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.0 SPG in 34.6 MPG with a Usage Rate of 36%. With this metric, a player is recognized for the percentage of team plays he was involved in, provided that those plays ended in one of the three true outcomes: a field-goal attempt, a free throw attempt, or a turnover. The average usage rate is 20%. Young's dominance should continue for the rest of the season for a Hawks team competing for a playoff spot.
Chris Duarte, who scored 25 points for the Pacers, was one of the few bright spots for the Pacers. The rookie appears to be a major part of Indiana's future and should see adequate minutes during the rest of the season. Duarte's performance against the Pacers may be a sign of things to come. He's available in 80% of ESPN leagues.
Highlight
Isaiah Hartenstein, LA Clippers: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Lance Stephenson, Indiana Pacers: 24 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists
Lowlights
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Tuesday's Takeaways
Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to victory over the New York Knicks with 21 points and 11 rebounds. In 32 games this season, he has at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. That's only two short of the most in a season in franchise history, which Jokic set last season.
Luka Doncic stockpiled 33 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists in the Dallas Mavericks' win over the Detroit Pistons. He scored 30 points and had 10 assists for the 32nd time in his career, tying Oscar Robertson for the most before turning 23. As for Isaiah Stewart, he scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. In six consecutive games, The Pistons center has racked up at least 10 rebounds, three of which were double-doubles. Stewart is still available in 40% of ESPN leagues.
Brandon Ingram scored 26 points for the New Orleans Pelicans in their victory over the Houston Rockets. He should be able to coexist for the rest of the season with CJ McCollum. Over the last four games, Ingram has averaged 27 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 7.5 APG.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Memphis Grizzlies' win over the Los Angeles Clippers. For the first time since the 2014-2015 season, the Grizzlies are 20 games above .500. The game marked Jackson Jr.'s third 20-point, 10-rebound performance of the season.
Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 44 points and stockpiled 14 rebounds and eight assists against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was his fourth 40-point, 10 rebound, five assist game this season, which leads the league. Antetokounmpo scored or assisted on 49% of the Bucks' points. Additionally, he scored 18 points with Anthony Davis as his primary defender. It was an MVP-caliber performance for Antetokounmpo.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns. It was his 17th 30-point, 10-rebound game of the season, which ties him with Antetokounmpo for most in the league. With a 22-5 road record this season, the Suns have excelled on the road under Devin Booker. He scored 35 points, marking the 108th time in his career he has scored more than 25 points away from home.
Cole Anthony scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out nine assists as the Orlando Magic defeated the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. It was Anthony's first all-around performance since late January. After just seven minutes of play, Jalen Suggs had to leave due to a sore Achilles, so that will be something to pay attention to heading into Friday's game against the Jazz.
De'Aaron Fox scored 29 points, collected seven rebounds, and dished out six assists against the Timberwolves. Due to the Sacramento Kings' efforts to earn a playoff spot and their recent trade for Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings point guard will have a high usage rate in the future. This bodes well for the rest of Fox's season without Tyrese Haliburton.
Injuries of Note
According to reports on Tuesday afternoon, Bradley Beal is slated to undergo surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. Unless Washington adds additional players before the trade deadline, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Spencer Dinwiddie benefit from his absence.
Darius Garland is still recovering from a back injury. On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers will play the San Antonio Spurs, and he is listed as questionable.
Ayo Dosunmu will miss Chicago Bulls' game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a concussion. The Hornets will be without Gordon Hayward due to a left ankle sprain.
Carmelo Anthony is dealing with a hamstring injury and is ruled out for the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
As a result of a personal matter, Richaun Holmes has been ruled out of the Kings' game against the Timberwolves.
Analytics advantage
There are six games scheduled for Wednesday night. The Timberwolves take on the Sacramento Kings in a matchup that has the potential to be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate. All season, the Kings have been an abomination defensively, ranking 29th in points allowed per 100 possessions (per Cleaning The Glass).
You should start your Minnesota players who are seeing consistent minutes. In terms of points scored per 100 possessions, the Timberwolves rank 10th. Moreover, Minnesota is an outstanding offensive rebounding team, ranking third in offensive rebound percentage.
DFS discussion
Malik Monk, Los Angeles Lakers: Over the last three games, Monk has averaged 23.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 4.7 APG. He has a good chance of succeeding on Wednesday night against a Trail Blazers team that has allowed the best three-point percentage to opponents and rank 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions played.
Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson will not play against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday (first half of back-to-back) and Poole will start in his place. Despite playing mostly as a reserve since Thompson returned, Poole has been productive, averaging 15.3 PPG, 3.2 APG and 2.7 RPG. With the additional minutes, he'll have a high ceiling against the Celtics.
