Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games. The season is winding down, and we are beginning to see extra rest nights throughout the league. That can make things slightly more complicated from a fantasy perspective, but it also presents us an opportunity to outmanage our opponents.
Unfortunately, some situations are currently beyond our control, as is the case with LeBron James. James sat out Friday's proceedings against the Detroit Pistons for rest purposes and will most likely be in and out of the lineup during Los Angeles' final 13 games.
On a more positive note, if you own James Harden, he registered a display that could help win fantasy matchups this week. Harden scored 41 points to go along with nine rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks, six steals and three three-pointers. Harden's performance made him the first player to post a stat line of at least 40 points, 10 assists, five steals and three blocks in a game, and his pursuit of the MVP award should keep him in the lineup during Houston's final 13 games. Our three main takeaways from a fantasy perspective are still to come, so without further ado, let's dive a little deeper into the March 15th slate.
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Damyean Dotson Continues Quality Run
Damyean Dotson scored a game-high 21 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, hitting nine of 19 shots to go along with two rebounds, two assists, two steals and three three-pointers in 35 minutes.
Dotson has recorded top-100 value in nine-category leagues in the last month and is currently owned in only 28 percent of Yahoo leagues. The 24-year-old has the Lakers on Sunday and will feature four games next week. If Dotson is still available on your waiver wire, he makes for a quality add.
Kelly Oubre Fills Stat Sheet Against Houston Rockets
Kelly Oubre stuffed the stat sheet against the Houston Rockets on Friday, scoring 22 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, three three-pointers and five steals. Oubre's five swipes tied his career-high total, and he has been averaging 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 blocks, 2.2 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in his previous five games.
Oubre is up to 75 percent ownership in Yahoo leagues but is still available in nearly 55 percent of ESPN settings. The 23-year-old has been a top-60 nine-category player in the past month and looks to have earned himself a spot on the Suns' roster next season.
Julius Randle Posts Career-High Scoring Total
Julius Randle scored a career-high 45 points on Friday, adding 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals, three blocks and two three-pointers in 42 minutes. Randle made 20 of 34 shots on the night, which featured an absurd 44.7 percent usage rate.
Anthony Davis missed the game due to rest, and it will be interesting to see if the 26-year-old will suit up on Saturday night against the Phoenix Suns. If Davis does happen to miss the contest, you should expect another massive fantasy performance from Randle.