March 16, 2021, Los Angeles, California, USA: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball during their regular season NBA game with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday March 16, 2021 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Lakers defeat Timberwolves, 137-121. (Photo by PI/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire)
Utah Jazz 117, Boston Celtics 109
The Obvious: Rudy Gobert scored a double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) and added four blocked shots. Donovan Mitchell scored 21 on 16 shots and Mike Conley pitched in 17 points and five assists.
The Celtics were led by the Jaysons, Tatum and Brown, who scored 29 and 28, respectively. Center Daniel Theis, faced with producing against perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate (Gobert), turned to passing to do his part, gaining six assists to go with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Fantasy Watch: With Marcus Smart back, we see Tatum and Brown staying at their level, but Kemba Walker has been impacted the most, slipping back to his 20-22% usage rates after seeing them in the higher 20’s with Smart unavailable.
Miami Heat 113, Cleveland Cavaliers 98
The Obvious: Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 28 points and 12 rebounds, and Bam Adebayo posted a solid 14 point, nine rebounds and six assists night from the center position. The Cavaliers were led by Collin Sexton’s 21 points and a combined 24 points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots from Jarrett Allen and JaVale McGee at center.
Fantasy Watch: Butler has been producing like Giannis Antetokounmpo lately, putting up between 27-29 points in each of the last five games, while averaging six rebounds, five assists and over three steals per game. The Heat are the top defensive rating team (102.3 points per 100 possessions) in Marc h.
Philadelphia 76ers 99, New York Knicks 96
The Obvious: With No Joel Embiid for the Sixers, Tobias Harris stepped up with 30 points and six rebounds to lead Philadelphia. Ben Simmons added 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in the win. The Knicks had six players in double figures in points, despite the low total. Julius Randle continued to lead New York, scoring 19 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and depositing eight assists.
Fantasy Watch: With Embiid out, Tony Bradley has been starting at center for the Sixers, but it’s Dwight Howard off the bench that you should look to for fantasy purposes. Howard played more minutes (27 to 16) than Bradley, and produced 11 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Chicago Bulls 123, Oklahoma City Thunder 102
The Obvious: Zach Lavine was out of his mind, shooting 15-20, with all five misses coming from long range (7-12 on 3s), scoring 40 points in the win. The Thunder were led again by Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 21 points on a solid 10-17 shooting, but turned the ball over eight times.
Fantasy Watch: With Al Horford out, Moses Brown filled in very well in his nearly 30 minutes, scoring 20 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking five shots before fouling out. The Bulls recent lineup change, which saw lower usage starters Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young deployed, provides more usage opportunities for Lavine and Lauri Markkanen.
Atlanta Hawks 119, Houston Rockets 107
The Obvious: The Rockets had only eight healthy players available, so that concentrated the effort, with Victor Oladipo playing 41+ minutes and scored 34 points, and Kevin Porter, Jr. playing 40+ and scoring 22 with eight assists in the hard fought loss. The Hawks were led in scoring by Danilo Gallinari, who started at center with Clint Capela out and scored 29 on 10-14 shooting. Trae Young had 13 points and 14 assists and John Collins put up a double-double 20 points, 10 rebound effort to secure the win.
Fantasy Watch: Gallinari has found the comfort zone in the Hawks rotation now after some early struggles, and interim coach Nate McMillan doesn’t seem to mind playing the veteran in the mid 30’s, minutes-wise.
Potland Trail Blazers 125, New Orleans Pelicans 124
The Obvious: Damian Lillard led a gigantic comeback for the Blazers with a 50 point night on 13-20 shooting from the field and 18-18 free throws, kicking in 10 assists for good measure. Lillard’s heroics negated a terrific offensive effort from New Orleans, who were led by Brandon Ingram’s 30 points and Lonzo Ball’s 17 assists. Zion Williamson continued his offensive onslaught, too, scoring 28 points on 11-17 shooting.
Fantasy Watch: This game featured two pretty forgiving defenses, with the Blazers being fourth worst defensively in March and the Pelicans 10th worst. Both teams are also top ten offenses as well, with the Blazers scoring 122.2 points per 100 possessions this month.
Los Angeles Lakers 137, Minnesota Timberwolves 121
The Obvious: The Lakers shot 58 percent as a team, led by LeBron James and Montrezl Harrell scoring 25 points apiece. James shot 8-14 and kicked in 12 rebounds and 12 assists for yet another triple-double. The Timberwolves were led by Karl-Anthony Towns’ 29 points and rookie Anthony Edwards continued to show his ability to score by making 11-22 shots for his 29 points.
Fantasy Watch: With D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley still out for Minnesota, it has opened the fantasy door for Edwards, who has attempted over 20 shots a game over his last five games. Ricky Rubio has also benefitted, averaging 14 points and eight assists over his last five games.
Jason Walker