Fantasy Related But Good Info........
The Magic of Winning
There are some meaningful and not-so-meaningful games tonight, as 28 teams are in action on Wednesday. The Cavaliers, Magic, Hornets, Pistons, Hawks and Heat are all shut-down candidates, while the Bulls control their destiny against the Raptors.
Game Previews
Toronto @ Chicago - The Bulls are hot and a win tonight sets up a first-round meeting with the Magic, while a loss and a Sixers' win means a meeting with the Celtics. While I'm pretty sure the Bulls don't care which team they face, they will want the highest seed possible, and should crush the Raptors. I'm not sure why, but I'm feeling a big game coming from Ty Thomas tonight. And
Andrea Bargnani says he's going to play through a heel injury tonight for the Raptors, for what that's worth.
Hornets @ Spurs – Both teams still have a little something to play for, with the Spurs coming in a little hot, and the Hornets a little cold. Even though the Hornets want to win this game, it sounds like
Chris Paul is not likely to play normal minutes. And if he gets a rest,
David West probably does too.
Tyson Chandler's expected back from an ankle injury tonight, while it sounds like
Tim Duncan will go for the Spurs, who are motivated to finish on a high note, and hopefully with a Southwest Division title.
Kings @ T-Wolves - Obviously these are two of the teams hoping for a shot at
Blake Griffin.
Spencer Hawes is out with a strained left knee – the same one he's already had a couple surgeries on, including microfracture. He was mugged by
Kenyon Martin the other night, but it sounds like he will be OK.
Beno Udrih and
Kevin Martin are not likely for the Kings, while it's anyone's guess what Kevin McHale's lineup will look like. But my guess is most of the regulars for both teams will go tonight.
Randy Foye sounds like a game-time decision with a hip injury, but I wouldn't have the guts to start him.
Rockets @ Mavericks - The Rockets will be going all out in this one, as they can finish anywhere from the No. 2 to No. 5 seed. The Mavs will either be the No. 6 or 7 seed, meaning they get to avoid a date with the Lakers.
Josh Howard will be iffy again, but most of the regulars should play with so much on the line.
Wizards @ Celtics - This will feature Ed Tapscott's finale for the Wizards, so it's possible his guys give it their all for him.
Antawn Jamison left his last game with an ankle injury and no one seems to have any idea if
Gilbert Arenas will play or not. Jamison and
Andray Blatche, who missed Monday's game, are questionable.
Caron Butler should play tonight, and said yesterday he "will have the best year of my career" next season. He's got a big summer of working out planned and I would not bet against him playing in most of Washington's games next season. The game preview says that
Ray Allen is not likely for this one, along with
Paul Pierce, but I am thinking Allen got his night off on Tuesday. The Celtics have nothing at stake, as they wait to see if they'll play the Sixers or Bulls in Round 1.
Tony Allen,
Eddie House and
Glen Davis should all be decent plays again.
Bucks @ Pacers - Maybe
T.J. Ford will try to torch his former team, but this game has absolutely no meaning and owners of
Danny Granger,
Troy Murphy,
Richard Jefferson and
Charlie Villanueva have to be a little nervous. I would not be surprised if they all gut it out though, especially the Pacers.
Luke Ridnour missed his last game due to the birth of a child, but should be back tonight (I'm guessing).
Hawks @ Grizzlies - As owners of any Hawks' regulars know, it was shut-down city in the ATL last night. Tonight's game should feature more of the same, with the regulars starting and then getting a rest for most of the second half. That means
Mario West, Solo Jones and some other dudes you've never heard of could all be worthy. Mario played 39 minutes last night, but only scored three points.
Maurice Evans has missed two games for a death in the family, but I would guess he'll play tonight. The Grizzlies only have 23 wins, but had their best season in three years. My guess is it will be status quo for them, as their young guns already play most of the time.
Nets @ Knicks - This game is meaningless, but it sounds like
Vince Carter should play through a toe injury, while we haven't yet heard whether
Devin Harris is going to give it a go or not. The Knicks regulars should play tonight, but again, that's just a guess. The Nets like trying to beat the Knicks in the Garden, so both teams should be playing hard.
Sixers @ Cavaliers - The Cavaliers have already wrapped up the league's best record and can tie the 85-86 Celtics for the best home record of all time at 40-1 with a win tonight, but
LeBron James,
Mo Williams and
Zydrunas Ilgauskas could all rest. My guess is LeBron could talk his way back into the mix if the game is close, as you know he wants that record regardless of what his coach says. Good luck in trying to decide what to do with your Cavs tonight. The situation is a little more dire for the reeling Sixers. If they lose to Cleveland and the Bulls beat the Raptors, Philly starts off Round 1 against the Cavs.
Thaddeus Young returned last night and looked good, and you can expect good things from the Sixers' regulars.
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Bobcats @ Magic - The Magic have clinched the No. 3 seed and could rest
Hedo Turkoglu (ankle) and
Rashard Lewis (knee) for this one, while
J.J. Redick is iffy with a back injury.
Dwight Howard sat out on Monday to rest, but could see a few minutes tonight. Guys like
Marcin Gortat, who was strong on Monday, along with
Mickael Pietrus and
Courtney Lee all look like much better plays than the studs.
D.J. Augustin should have a big night for the Cats.
Pistons @ Heat - The Heat have clinched the No. 5 seed and a meeting with Atlanta, while the Pistons would probably just like to have a win after losing 11 of their last 17 and Monday's game against the Bulls.
Dwyane Wade and Jermaine O'Neal are not expected again for the Heat, while it's tough to get a feel for who the Pistons will use. My guess is that any of the "old guys" are risky.
Warriors @ Suns - Obviously no playoff implications here. The Suns played their starters more than expected on Monday, but who knows if that will be the case tonight. The Warriors should be down to seven healthy bodies again with
Jamal Crawford not expected, along with several other starters. The Suns would like to finish the season on a high note and if the starters get regular run, this should be an extremely high-scoring game.
Nuggets @ Blazers - The Nuggets hope to clinch the second-best record in the Western Conference and set a franchise record with their 55th win on Wednesday, while the Blazers can guarantee first-round home-court advantage with a win. In other words, both teams have something to play for, but the Blazers' regulars appear to be a little safer than the Nuggets'.
Thunder @ Clippers - Hopefully you have League Pass so you can catch this classic.
Zach Randolph is not likely to play with a concussion, but the rest of the regulars should play. The same goes for the Thunder, who are not going to be a laughingstock next season, and could flirt with the playoffs.
The Lakers and Jazz have wrapped up their regular season and are off tonight.
Tuesday Game Notes
Andrew Bynum led the Lakers to a win with 22, four rebounds and three blocks, while
Andrei Kirilenko had 20 points with three boards, three assists and four steals for the Jazz. This was the first time in three months he scored 20 or more points, and owners have to wondering where this game has been all year.
Mehmet Okur (hamstring) and
C.J. Miles (finger) were both out for the season finale.
Thaddeus Young returned from a sprained ankle and had 18 points, three steals and a 3-pointer in a tough loss to the Celtics.
Tony Allen started in place of suspended
Ray Allen and had 18 points, four boards, five assists, three steals and a block. Those are the type of lines that win championships on the second to last day of the season, so hopefully you grabbed him when news of Ray-Ray's suspension came down.
Leon Powe returned from his knee injury and had 10 points and four boards in 17 minutes, while
Paul Pierce drained seven 3-pointers in the win. Look for Pierce to sit out Wednesday's finale, while
Ray Allen could play a little in his return from suspension.
Michael Beasley had most of his 23 points, 13 boards and two blocks (9-of-15 shooting) in the first half of Tuesday's loss to the Hawks. This was a game that featured a couple of back up lineups, as most of the starters sat - Jermaine O'Neal and
Dwyane Wade were in street clothes. The Hawks got 39 minutes out of
Mario West and
Marvin Williams led the team with 13 points, but this was nearly a full "shut-down" game.
And that's a wrap for the Daily Dose, although Matt Stroup should be back tomorrow with some final thoughts. Feel free to hit me with feedback on the Dose, and thanks for stopping by each day. Good luck and enjoy the final day of the regular season.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Pistons to bench most starters on Wednesday </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Richard Hamilton - G/F - DET - Apr. 15</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess are all expected to sit out Wednesday's meaningless game against the Heat.
