Tuesday’s massive NBA slate ended with a slew of blowouts. Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Brandon Ingram powered their teams to convincing wins in the late games, but one stud stood out from the rest of the pack in the Bucks-Lakers matchup at Crypto.com Arena. None of the night’s top performers topped triple-doubles, but we’ll go over their stat lines alongside a Tuesday dud before delving into a must-play DFS option for Wednesday.
Who’s hot
Antetokounmpo manhandled the Lakers on Tuesday. The reigning NBA Finals MVP scored 44 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out eight dimes in the Bucks‘ dominant victory. Milwaukee’s superstar was the highest scorer on the main slate and is averaging 33.5 points, 12 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game in February.
Doncic willed the Mavericks to a third straight victory against the Pistons on Tuesday with his seventh consecutive double-double. The do-it-all-guard tallied 33 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists against Detroit. Doncic has averaged 31.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 9.6 assists over the last five games Kristaps Porzingis has missed.
Randle’s offensive struggles have been well documented this season, but the Knicks forward is on track for a strong Week 17. While New York has dropped four straight, Randle averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on 47.6 percent shooting during that span. Last year’s Most Improved Player is well on his way to another top-three finish among fantasy power forwards.
Who’s not
Bane’s thrived as an elite sharpshooter for most of his sophomore season, but February hasn’t been kind to the Grizzlies wing. He’s averaging just 8.3 points on 23.1 percent shooting this month. There’s no way Bane will be half as productive and efficient as a scorer for the rest of 2021-22, but his recent decline has been steep and unexpected.
DFS Target
DeRozan’s averaging a league-high 34.2 points per game in February and could benefit from an ideal matchup against the NBA’s third-worst scoring defense. He tallied 28 points, five rebounds, and six assists in a game the Bulls scored 133 points in earlier this season. Chicago had a healthy Lonzo Ball then, though. DeRozan’s offensive duties have grown as the seasons’ progressed, and Gordon Hayward’s absence could make defending the shifty midrange scorer difficult.
