X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

RotoBaller NBA Recap: Los Angeles Lakers Have Playoff Hopes Stunted

Spencer Aguiar highlights three fantasy basketball takeaways from the NBA's February 23rd slate. This recap focuses on Kevin Love, D'Angelo Russell, and Thomas Bryant.

Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games. Saturday saw the Los Angeles Lakers drop a much-needed game, the Houston Rockets pick up a huge road victory and the Milwaukee Bucks continue their offensive dominance. Since we are on the topic, let's begin there. The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 140-126. Milwaukee is ranked second in the league, averaging 116.6 points per game and trail only the Golden State Warriors in offensive production. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, two blocks and three three-pointers, but it was a collective effort that helped get the job done. Seven Bucks players scored in double figures, and nobody in the starting lineup recorded less than 16 points. Milwaukee is going to be a tough out in the East and is trending towards being the number one seed.

The New Orleans Pelicans stunted the Los Angeles Lakers playoff push with a 128-115 home victory. These are the type of contests that the Lakers can't afford to lose, and it makes it even worse that Anthony Davis was not available for the Pelicans on the day. Los Angeles is currently 10th in the West and find themselves 3.5 games back of the eighth seed.

And the Houston Rockets outlasted the Golden State Warriors on the road 118-112. The Rockets were without their MVP candidate James Harden but found quality production from Kenneth Faried. Faried scored 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds, two assists and two three-pointers. Golden State's defensive stalwart Draymond Green was forced out of the game in the fourth quarter with a left ankle sprain, and while the injury did not look to be too severe, Green was in agony as he left the court. It is a situation worth monitoring, and the 28-year-old should be considered questionable for Monday's game. Our three main takeaways from the February 23rd slate are still to come, so without further ado, let's take a deeper dive into Saturday's proceedings.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Kevin Love Dominates Memphis On Saturday

In the past week, Kevin Love has shown that he is still capable of producing big numbers when on a minutes restriction. Love scored 32 points on 9-for-15 shooting, adding 12 rebounds, one block, one steal and six three-pointers in 26 minutes. Love also provided a robust 16 points and 11 rebounds during Thursday's contest in 22 minutes and has averaged 20.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in his past three games since returning to the starting lineup.

Cleveland is going to continue to monitor Love's minutes moving forward, but it has become quite clear that the 30-year-old can be productive with limited playing time. If you held onto him as he dealt with his lingering foot problems throughout the season, it looks like your patience is going to be rewarded.

 

D'Angelo Russell Matches Career-High

D'Angelo Russell, who was celebrating his 23rd birthday on Saturday, gave himself a present by matching his career-high in scoring. Russell scored 40 points to go along with one rebound, seven assists, two steals, one block and six three-pointers during Brooklyn's 117-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The most impressive part of the performance was that Russell scored the final 12 points for the Nets in a 2:26 span.

Spencer Dinwiddie is close to returning, and Caris LaVert is still ramping up his production level, but if you own Russell, enjoy the return you have received from the Ohio State product. The one-time All-Star has made himself a lot of money after his production this season, and it is possible that we haven't seen him hit his prime quite yet.

 

Thomas Bryant Explodes For Wizards

After being moved to the bench for the Washington Wizards, Thomas Bryant magically regained some of his fantasy stock, posting 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, two steals and three three-pointers on 9-for-11 shooting in 31 minutes. The production was superb for the 21-year-old, but there is a substantial possibility that this is nothing more than a mirage.

Bobby Portis, who was starting for Bryant, got into early foul trouble, which helps to explain the sudden revival for the Indiana product. Portis has been dealing with foul trouble often this season, but Bryant doesn't seem to be anything more than a big body that will play around 20 minutes on most nights. If you need a center that will provide rebounds and scoring, the former second-round pick in the 2017 draft could be worth a look, but it remains unlikely that you will find any consistency from Bryant.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF