Target These NBA Defensive Disasters Saturday in Fantasy Basketball
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
With March Madness in full swing, the NBA has to take a bit of a backseat despite being in the final month of the season. It's unavoidable, as the men's college basketball tournament is one of the best times on the sports calendar, but the pro league hasn't done themselves any favors with their treatment of the regular season.
Don't fret, though; the NBA playoffs start in less than a month.
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday. We'll focus on the guys who get on the court and are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from NBA.com.
Use FantasySP's daily and weekly projections to find the players expected to excel and help make your toughest lineup decisions!
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Washington Wizards
Washington plays at the sixth-fastest pace, and they currently hold the worst defensive rating in the league over the full season. Those marks are just as good since the All-Star break (for our purposes), and we'll be looking to go after the Wizards as often as possible.
The Thunder are three games ahead of the Spurs for the top seed in the Western Conference. OKC has a top-10 offensive rating and by far the best defensive rating in the league, signs that they are true championship contenders again (in case having the best record in basketball wasn't proof enough).
Guard
Oklahoma City is deep and wins often, giving plenty of guys chances to get on the court. That is great for the roster, but it can limit streamers and cause a little inconsistency among bench guys.
Mitchell is the best fantasy player from this group, averaging 14.2 points and 1.4 steals on the season. He missed over a month from late January to early March, but in five games since returning, Mitchell has averaged 15.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists with nearly a steal per game.
Wallace had some big games when both Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were out, but he is a lesser statistical player when everyone is healthy. That's fine; he's a backup point guard. It leaves him short of being a fantasy asset most days, though.
Joe is another guy who benefited from injuries in front of him, averaging 14.8 points in February and 12 so far in March, but inconsistency will be an issue when everyone is healthy.
Forward
Dort missed Wednesday's game due to rest but should be back here. He does more as a rotational player and defensive asset than he does statistically, leaving him short of a fantasy level.
We can say the exact same thing about Caruso, who has always been more of a defensive ace.
Wiggins is coming off a game in which he had 17 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, in 34 minutes, but he had only combined for 12 minutes in the previous two games and is pushed back down the lineup when more players are on the court.
Center
Isaiah Hartenstein is another guy who was rested on Wednesday but should be back here, and his presence limits Williams' fantasy impact. Williams has had a few huge games over the past month when he was given 30-plus minutes, but it's unlikely that he reaches that level here.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Utah Jazz
Utah plays at third-fastest pace and has the second-worst defensive rating, just a hair better than Washington. The Jazz's marks are a little better since returning from the All-Star break, but they are still a prime target for opposing fantasy players.
The 76ers currently sit in the play-in, but they are just a half-game behind the sixth-seeded Magic and tied with both the Hawks and Heat. They are nearly guaranteed to make the postseason in some form, and it will all come down to where they finish and the health of their stars as to how much damage they might be able to do.
Guard
Grimes is the player of note here. He is owned in around 40% of leagues but has plenty of availability to make it worth checking, as he is averaging 30 minutes and 13.7 points per game. In March, Grimes is at 32.4 minutes and 18.3 points, including scoring 27 on Thursday against the Kings.
Payne and Beauchamp are reserves who generally don't do enough to be on our radar. Both have had good games this month but not enough consistency to add to your roster.
Forward
Kelly Oubre Jr. hasn't played since March 10. In the five games since that time, Edwards has averaged 28.6 points, 19 points, and 2.4 3-pointers. Oubre remains out, leaving Edwards as a sneaky streaming option who could keep producing.
Barlow is eligible at both forward and center in most leagues, and he does some OK lower-level work, though he's only a deep-league option.
Center
Joel Embiid is listed as questionable, though he hasn't played since February 26. His return would obviously change a lot about Philly's offensive outlook, but I'm not counting on him playing until it's verified. Bona has been starting recently but playing fewer minutes than Drummond, and Bona's stats reflect that lack of court time.
Over the past three games, Drummond averaged 29 minutes, 9.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1 block. He is an intriguing option if Embiid is out.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Indiana Pacers
Indiana plays at eighth-fastest pace and has the fifth-worst defensive rating over the full season. In just the post-All-Star timeframe, the Pacers have by far the worst defense in basketball, looking like the worst team in basketball; their 0-15 record in that time says the same.
The Spurs, as mentioned above, are three games behind the Thunder for the best record in the West, and they are better than everyone in the East. San Antonio also holds the head-to-head tiebreaker against Oklahoma City, so if they can gain a few games over the next couple weeks, they will be in good position heading into the final stretch.
Guard
The second overall pick, Harper is averaging 11.1 points per game, but he doesn't add much else, sitting a little under four rebounds and assists. He has a bright future, but Harper is a reserve right now on the Spurs.
Johnson adds a little more scoring and rebounding with fewer assists, close in fantasy value to Harper. Both guys are lower-level contributors.
Forward
Champagnie is the better option here, averaging 11.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 3-pointers per game.
Barnes adds a little scoring (10.2 points) but doesn't contribute many other stats, leaving him short of fantasy consideration.
Center
Playing behind Victor Wembanyama isn't a way to rack up minutes or stats. Kornet's limited minutes don't result in enough to put him on the fantasy radar.
