luka doncic is on fire, dennis jenkins a great opportunity and Ayo Dosunmu amazing for minnesota timberwolves. During this time, giannis antetokounmpo and this milwaukee bucks There are different viewpoints, Aaron Gordon Preparing for the playoffs and mikal bridges Not doing much right now.
With only three weeks left in the NBA regular season, enjoy the final Risers and Fallers column of the season. It’s a pleasure for me!
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risers
2:32
Stephen A. Claimed NBA MVP win for Luka Doncic
Stephen A. Smith explains why Luka Doncic is “a top candidate” for MVP this season.
Luka Doncic, PG, Los Angeles Lakers (100% rostered in ESPN leagues)
Doncic is on a historic eight-game streak that culminated with a bonus-high 60 points in a win over Miami on Thursday night, the Lakers’ 11th win in their last 12 games. Doncic has averaged 50 points over the past two days/games and has scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games, all of which were Lakers wins.
Fact is, he averaged 50 points in back-to-back sets in March and in the month before Thursday’s game he was averaging 34.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 5.0 3-pointers. He then hit nine 3-pointers and had five steals, and is leading fantasy teams right now.
He is the first Laker to score 60 since Kobe Bryant scored 60 in the “Mamba Out” game, and his fantasy managers have had an easy ride during the run. The only question left to the imagination is whether he climaxed too early? Unfortunately, the answer is probably ‘yes’, because for most of us the fantasy playoffs are just getting ready to begin. The good news is that the Lakers will continue to try to hold on to third place in the West, so Luka should continue to put up great statistics until the end of the season. And if he keeps playing like this he could have some MVP hardware, while his fantasy managers may have some hardware of their own.
Dennis Jenkins, PG, detroit pistons (21.0% roasted)
Cade Cunningham He left Tuesday’s game after just five minutes with what was originally reported as back spasm, but it turned out to be a serious injury in the form of a collapsed lung. He’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, which is one of the worst fantasy news I’ve heard this season.
Jenkins stepped in for Cunningham on Tuesday and finished with 15 points and seven assists in 21 minutes, and then started again on Thursday. Unfortunately, he made only 3 of 16 shots to finish with nine points and five dimes in the win over Washington. But the good news is that he started, played 34 minutes, took more shots than any other player on his team and even had a block.
Jenkins, who has played well when given the chance this season, was likely added to the 12-team league as soon as the Cunningham news broke, thanks to his ability to help in most categories including steals, blocks and threes. But no matter what size league you play in, go check and make sure he’s still not available. He is going to go on vacation for two weeks, if not more.
Ayo Dosunmu, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves (33.0% rostered)
Dosunmu is going to get a big chance Anthony EdwardsThere is swelling in his right knee, due to which he will not have to play for one to two weeks. Dosunmu has already played two games without Edwards and has been stellar for the Wolves, averaging 21 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 3-pointers in two wins.
Dosunmu gets a bad rap in fantasy circles due to his lack of steals, blocks and 3-pointers, and it’s largely deserved, but he had three steals on Thursday night and should get about 34 minutes per game for the next two weeks.
Flip a coin to see if he or Jenkins is the better pickup at this point.
about to fall
1:32
Shams reveals latest on Giannis’ back-and-forth with Bucks
The ‘Get Up’ crew discusses the tension between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks regarding locking him up for the rest of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks (98.3% rostered)
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that the Bucks and Antetokounmpo disagree on whether he should play again this season. To his credit, Antetokounmpo wants to play despite the existing hyperextended knee. The reality is that although the Bucks have not been mathematically eliminated yet, they are not going to the playoffs… and Antetokounmpo is not healthy.
Even if he returns to play this season, how many minutes will the Bucks be willing to give their franchise player in meaningless games? And what kind of damage will this impasse do to his relationship and future with the franchise? My guess is the team will get its way in the end and I’ll put the over/under on Antetokounmpo at 2.5 for games played the rest of the season.
With these kinds of odds, I’d fear he’s probably on the waiver wire, assuming there’s no injured reserve spot available on your roster. Hold on to Antetokounmpo as long as you can, but if you need to move him out to get to the playoffs — or win in the playoffs — then it makes sense.
bobby portis (55.9% rostered) Has been playing very well for the Bucks recently osman dieng (1.8% Roasted) should be widely available and a big opportunity for the final few weeks of the season.
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF, new York Knicks (96.0% roasted)
The Knicks sit comfortably in third place in the East and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. And while they haven’t played much competition, they did pick up a big win in Denver on March 6. But the Knicks player not getting much attention right now on SportsCenter, or anywhere else, is Bridges.
Over his last seven games, Bridges has averaged just 7.0 points, 1.0 3-pointers, 0.7 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting a terrible 32% from the floor. Much of his fantasy appeal comes from his efficiency and ability to steal, block and hit 3-pointers, but it’s just not happening for him right now. and together Jalen Brunson, josh hart, OG Anunoby And carl-anthony town Despite all the heavy lifting for the Knicks, I don’t see that changing in the near future.
Bridges still has some fantasy appeal, but there is a time crunch in fantasy right now, and tough decisions are in order. If your team is struggling with Bridges, or if you’re in a field goal percentage battle, it’s not a crazy idea to waive Bridges. He’ll get out of a funk at some point, but the fact is that he’s probably going to be the fifth offensive option in New York.
Aaron Gordon, PF, denver nuggets (71.1% roasted)
Gordon back playing for Nuggets after hamstring injury peyton watson (Hamstring) Should be back any day now. This would leave the Nuggets loaded up front with Gordon, Watson and spencer jones Everybody needs minutes, no need to mention Christian Braun, bruce brown And Tim Hardaway Jr.. And the only thing the Nuggets should really care about is Gordon being healthy for the playoffs.
Gordon has struggled in his last five games, averaging just 13 points and 5.4 rebounds on 42% shooting. Watson, meanwhile, was playing at a very high level when he got injured. I expect Gordon and Watson to be in a timeshare the last few weeks of the season and I can imagine Gordon’s minutes being monitored closely in hopes of being 100% for the start of the playoffs.
Gordon is more important to the Nuggets than your fantasy team and it would make sense for managers to look for a potential “silly season” hero for their playoff run. For example, I would leave Gordon to pick up Jenkins.
