Washington Wizards & Los Angeles Clippers
Spread: Clippers -4.5
Total: 220
Injuries:
Washington Wizards:
Raul Neto – Questionable (ankle)
Los Angeles Clippers:
Kawhi Leonard – Out
Paul George - Out
Norman Powell – Out
Robert Covington - Out
*Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.
MVP/CPT
Kyle Kuzma, PF (WAS) – Following the All-Star break, Kuzma has been playing at his peak and he also doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. By default, Washington has doubled down on committing to Kuzma as a key part of their team, and he now is consistently living up to that. Over his last five games, the forward is averaging 27.2 points, eight rebounds, and 6.8 assists scoring between 21 and 36 points with a high of 11 assists. Kuzma is getting all of the work he can handle, and all signs point to it continuing.
Terance Mann, SG/SF (LAC) – We want to have options at this point, and while my top three choices from the Clippers all have a fair amount of variability to their games (and it has been on display this week), Mann is the cheapest so he gets the nod here. We are starting off with about 30 minutes of playing time and 10 shots tonight, and Mann can get hot in a hurry offensively, so we do have some upside. Over his last five games, we have gotten a good estimation of Mann’s floor as he is averaging 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Also at this price, the rest of your lineup becomes a lot easier to fill out, especially in a game that is lacking in the star power department.
Util
Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C (WAS) – After missing more than a month with a knee injury, Porzingis made his debut with Washington on Sunday and he was on a minute limit (21), although his cost doesn’t necessarily reflect that. I would expect Porzingis to be on a similar restriction tonight, with maybe a slight bump up to around 25 or so, but the performance certainly was there. Porzingis didn’t miss a beat as he finished with 25 points while grabbing five rebounds and he also steps into a key offensive role with the Wizards.
Reggie Jackson, PG (LAC) – After going off against the Lakers and having the game of his season, Jackson has come back down to earth a little bit. It hasn’t been for lack of trying, but he is shooting just six of 32 from the field in his last two games, and the hope here is that his accuracy returns tonight as we know that the volume isn’t going anywhere. With 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in that stretch, at least there is some floor here, but this isn’t going to work unless Jackson can regain his stroke.
Ivica Zubac, C (LAC) – I really was getting onboard with Zubac and after recommending him the other night against the Knicks, the center got into foul trouble and finished with just four points. Then last night, Zubac missed all six of his shots from the field and finished with four points once again. The good news is that he grabbed nine rebounds for the third straight game, and it is a favorable matchup against Washington for him to bounce back with.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG (WAS) – It is reasonable to have some concern about Caldwell-Pope’s role in Washington’s offense, but even with Porzingis back in action, he’s still going to be busy; even if it is by default. Over his last five games, Caldwell-Pope has been humming offensively averaging 19.8 points and four assists per game, and someone has to score for Washington.
Isaiah Hartenstein, C (LAC) – From a playing time perspective, things have cleared up a little bit for Hartenstein and he should be good for 20 to 25 minutes of playing time once again tonight. Hartenstein has reached double figures offensively in four of his last five games and he is averaging 10.8 points and five rebounds per game in that stretch.
Ish Smith, PG (WAS) – Washington tends to find themselves in high scoring games, and that has benefitted Smith. The point guard also benefited from Raul Neto departing early on Sunday, but with him expected to return to action tonight, Smith moves back to the bench. While he can still hit double figures offensively, there is some risk in the overall outlook tonight.
Raul Neto, PG/SG (WAS) – Assuming that Neto does make his way back tonight, we get 25 to 30 minutes of playing time at a fair price. Neto’s offensive role does vary, along with his shooting efficiency, on a nightly basis, but he can fill out the stat sheet the 10.2 points, 5.4 assists, and three rebounds per game over his last five.
Dart Throws
Rui Hachimura, PF (WAS) – Hachimura dropped down to 15 minutes of playing time on Sunday after the return of Porzingis so there is some risk here as we can’t trust the workload. Prior to Sunday though, Hachimura did reach double figures in three straight games, so we know he can do it, and the good news is that it doesn’t cost much to find out if he can tonight. Just know what you are getting into.
Brandon Boston, PG/SG (LAC) – Boston is as cheap as it gets, and the main problem here is figuring out his workload on a nightly basis. Last night he was on the court for 18 minutes and he was able to score 10 points, so fantasy managers had to be pretty pleased. If we get similar playing time tonight, Boston should have no problems reaching double figures offensively again.
Amir Coffey, SG/SF (LAC) – Coffey is a little more expensive than we would like our dart throws to be at times, but it is for good reason since he plays around 30 minutes a night. The majority of Coffey’s production does come on the offensive end, and he can be up and down in that department with an average of 10.4 points per game in his last five.