Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games. With the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors idle on Saturday, the two teams remained deadlocked for another day in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference.
As for the Eastern Conference, things are starting to heat up for the last couple of spots. The Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat all are currently in the playoffs if the season ended today, but all three organizations are less than two games up on the ninth-seeded Orlando Magic. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, they face the most challenging schedule in their final five games in the entire NBA. Miami doesn't fare much better coming in at number five, and the Nets and Heat will have a critical matchup during the last game of the season on April 10th.
At the end of the day, it does feel inevitable that the Golden State Warriors will find a way to capture their third title in a row, but the team is the least united they have been during their stretch of dominance, and the NBA as a whole appears to be ready to take their best shots at the champs. Our three main takeaways from March 30th are still to come, so without further ado, let's dive into what transpired on the night.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!Devin Booker Drops 48 Points On Grizzlies
Devin Booker scored 48 points on Saturday night, adding 11 assists, three rebounds and three three-pointers. Booker fell just two points short of his third consecutive 50-point game, which was prevented by the Grizzlies trapping him at half court in the final seconds to avoid one last shot.
Booker's 50-point game on Wednesday entered him into an illustrious company and made him just the seventh player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in consecutive games. The Suns' star will be back in action on Monday versus the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game that should allow the 22-year-old to continue his torrid pace.
Jimmy Butler Struggles In Return To Minnesota
Jimmy Butler scored 12 points on four of 17 shooting in Saturday's win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, adding a season-high 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one three-pointer.
After what transpired between the Timberwolves and Butler earlier in the season, there should be no surprise that the Minnesota fans heavily booed Butler throughout the game, and his poor shooting effort only made things louder. To make matters even worse, Butler took a shot in the back when going up for an alley-oop early in the game and was in pain for some time, but the 29-year-old didn't miss any action. The team's next game is on Monday in Dallas, and he should be considered questionable for the contest.
Jonah Bolden Has Best Night Of His Career
Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jonah Bolden scored a career-high 19 points on Saturday in Minnesota, adding eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks and five three-pointers in 31 minutes.
In addition to his season-high in points, Bolden also set a new career-high in three-pointers made. With Joel Embiid out for at least two more games, the 23-year-old is worth a look in most leagues and makes for a decent add with the 76ers drawing four games during the final week of the fantasy season.