Tuesday’s game between the Mavericks and Kings was immense, as the teams entered the night tied in the loss column for sixth place in the West. Sacramento won the first two meetings, and a win on Tuesday would have given them the tiebreak, effectively pushing the Kings’ lead to two games for the final spot that guarantees a place in the postseason. The Mavericks have done well in the second game of back-to-backs this season, which was the case for the team and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Rostered in 40% of Yahoo leagues, Hardaway contributed 22 points, three rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, and four 3-pointers in 26 minutes off the bench in the 132-96 victory. Based on the numbers, he has been at his best this season when playing on either zero or three days of rest. In the second game of back-to-backs, Hardaway has averaged 21.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 4.2 3-pointers per game (10 games) while shooting 50.3% from the field, 47.2% from three, and 76.0% from the foul line.
With the Mavericks still having two back-to-backs remaining on the schedule, Hardaway’s production in these spots is something for fantasy managers and DFS players to be mindful of. He may not be a top 150 player in fantasy, but Hardaway can have the occasional big night, as on Tuesday.
With the schedule only consisting of four games, there weren’t too many worthwhile pickups on Tuesday. That said, let’s look at a few who did stand out.
Keon Ellis (27%)
Ellis has started Sacramento’s last five games and has done nothing to force Mike Brown to change his approach. Surprisingly, he did not provide any defensive stats on Tuesday, but Ellis did shoot 4-of-5 from the field and finish with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer in 28 minutes. With Kevin Huerter (shoulder) sidelined, the minutes and role are there for Ellis to provide reliable value. Over the past two weeks, he has provided top-75 per-game value in 9-cat formats. Sacramento plays two more games in Week 22, and while Friday’s game rematch with Dallas may not inspire confidence based on what happened Tuesday, Sunday’s matchup with Utah could be a good one.
Caleb Martin (22%)
The Heat ruled out Jimmy Butler not long before tipoff due to an illness, leaving the Heat without their best offensive weapon. While Jaime Jaquez Jr. (35%) was chosen to fill the void in the starting lineup, Martin had the better performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors. Playing 34 minutes off the bench, he finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Martin shot 4-of-12 from the field, missing all four of his 3-point attempts, but the rebounds and assists were a positive. As for Jaquez, he accounted for 12 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer, shooting 4-of-10 from the field.
Haywood Highsmith (2%)
Highsmith has been on a heater recently, shooting 7-of-7 from three in his last two games. He was 3-of-3 against the Warriors, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 30 minutes. Highsmith has also benefitted from Miami’s roster situation, playing 22 minutes or more in five of the team’s last six games. Based on the production alone, many fantasy managers would have avoided adding him. However, once Butler’s name was added to the list of absentees, adding Highsmith was not as crazy of a gamble as it initially appeared to be.
