Anthony Edwards has dropped 40 or more points in five of the last eight games.
There’s one month until the NBA postseason, meaning the final stretch is truly upon us.
A head-turning and a critical Western Conference matchup are some of the focuses for the week to come, while a glance at the global leaderboard can inform NBA Fantasy Salary Game players of crucial changes to make.
Here’s what you need to know for Week 22:
Last week’s story
There’s one team that remains unbeaten this month – the Minnesota Timberwolves (40-29). March has been triumphant for the group, now up to eight wins in a row. It’s their longest such streak of the campaign, outlasting a previous-best five straight from Jan. 22 to 30.
Anthony Edwards is the driving force for Minnesota, currently up to seventh with 2853.4 total fantasy points (TFP) despite being 17th with 43.2 fantasy points per game (FPPG). He’s dropped 40 or more in five of the last eight games, and now has 16 outings to his name with 50-plus.
But the all-important x-factor is Julius Randle. The Timberwolves have now won 13 consecutive contests with him in the lineup, yet went 5-8 during his groin injury-induced absence from Feb. 1 to 28. He’s averaged 34.2 FPPG since his return – matching his season-long mark.
If you’re looking to capitalize on Minnesota’s recent success, consider investing in Jaden McDaniels. He qualifies as the highest-value option on the team with 1994.9 TFP for a salary of $8.4M, and in his last 11 showings, has put up 40 or more fantasy points five times over.
Game to watch
Denver Nuggets (43-25) at Los Angeles Lakers (41-25), Wednesday (10 ET, ESPN)
This figures to be a critical challenge for both squads in the race for playoff seeding. The Nuggets compose part of a three-way tie with the Houston Rockets (43-25) and Memphis Grizzlies (43-25) for the No. 2 seed in the West, while the Lakers trail the trio by just one game.
Los Angeles just won its first contest during LeBron James’ week-plus absence, defeating the Phoenix Suns (31-37) on Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak. The play of Luka Dončić has been paramount – he’s stepped into the nightly leading scorer role, and has been remarkable as of late. The seventh-year forward/guard has cracked 60 fantasy points in four of his last six appearances while never scoring lower than 46.1 in that span.
Inconsistency has been the word in Denver, alternating between losses and wins for the past six contests and now 6-6 overall dating back to Feb. 22. Nikola Jokić leads the way, of course, but Russell Westbrook is making moves worth noting. He’s only scored under 30 fantasy points twice in the last eight performances while averaging a quality 33.2 FPPG since March 2.
Global leaders
With fateful Week 25 fast approaching, the leaderboard is headlined by Adrian Siarkiewicz of Poland’s ‘Bękarty Basketu’ (23751.9 TFP), Aurelien Roulet of France’s ‘Beliiiigou’ (23678.4) and Christian Barberan Barranco of Spain’s ‘Sporting Gelida’ (23610.2). That trio owned the podium entering Week 20, and with less than 100 TFP separating each of them, all three have a shot at ending the regular season on top.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dyson Daniels are the through lines in their respective starting fives, while Christian Braun and Jokić currently feature on the bench for all three. Since the last time we checked in on their rosters, there’s a new addition worth noting – Kyshawn George.
Roulet and Barberan Barranco have both brought the Washington Wizards’ (15-51) first-year forward into the fold, and wisely so. He’s producing well above his $5.2M salary with six games of 30-plus fantasy points in the last 10, and just notched a personal-best 44.9 on Saturday.
Schedule sights
It’s a great time to count on the Detroit Pistons (37-31). Four games are on tap for the Eastern Conference’s sixth-place team, and largely against struggling teams – the New Orleans Pelicans (18-50) on Monday and Sunday, Miami Heat (29-38) on Wednesday and Dallas Mavericks (33-36) on Friday.
Cade Cunningham just reached 3000 TFP on the season, and with a ninth-best average of 47.6 FPPG, could have some crooked numbers in that upcoming slate. Dennis Schröder and Tobias Harris are worth consideration as well based on their recent successes and comparatively lower salaries.
