Welcome to Wednesday’s Daily Dish!  Tonight we witnessed nine games and several trades take place.  While this will not be a comprehensive guide to all the action, I have put together some takeaways as we approach the official trade deadline.  I wish all of you the best of luck in tinkering with your team prior to the postseason.

Adds of the Night

Eric Paschall, F, Golden State Warriors – 33 minutes, 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, two 3-pointers, 6-for-16 FG

The Warriors held out Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III before trading them to the Sixers.  While Golden State was blown out by the Nets, Paschall did his best to fill the void. After a disappointing stretch at the end of January, this was his third straight game in double figures.  It was also the first time that Steve Kerr allotted him more than 30 minutes since a January 20 contest that went to overtime. While the 37.5% shooting from the field leaves a bit to be desired, there should be plenty of chances going forward for the rookie out of Villanova.

Josh Okogie, G, Minnesota Timberwolves – 37 minutes, 23 points, one assist, three steals, one block, 8-for-11 FG

Okogie’s 23 points were a career-high, which helps to explain his paltry 4% Yahoo ownership.  Ryan Saunders gave him exactly 26 minutes in each of the three games entering Wednesday, and tonight he got a whopping 37.  It’s true that the Wolves held out five players including Shabazz Napier due to pending trades and also acquired Malik Beasley from the Nuggets.  Nevertheless, Okogie has averaged 1.3 steals this season which gives him appeal in deeper leagues.  He’s someone to monitor now that the wheeling and dealing has gone down.

Drop Zone

Here are a couple of players who could be worth cutting if you find a promising free agent.

Gary Harris

Harris had an average draft position of #102 in Yahoo leagues, which helps to explain his 44% Yahoo ownership.  He has missed two games for personal reasons recently on the heels of a right adductor strain that cost him further time.  Even with the Nuggets limited to seven players on Wednesday due to injuries and trade activity, they managed to defeat the Jazz by the score of 98-95.  Even more shockingly, Harris made none of his 13 field-goal attempts, six of which were behind the arc. All five of his points came at the charity stripe. Harris did add eight rebounds, five assists, and a steal.  Nevertheless, only fantasy players hoping that extended minutes can turn around his shooting form should bother holding on here.

Jarrett Culver

Culver hasn’t scored in double figures since January 18 and is already just 14% owned in Yahoo.  He entered the night shooting just 38.8% from the floor in his last ten performances. On Wednesday, Culver received 30 minutes for the first time since then but still managed to do very little with the opportunity.  He went 3-for-9 on field goals and 1-for-3 at the free-throw line for a total of seven points. Meanwhile, teammate Jordan McLaughlin scored 15 points in his 31 minutes off the bench along with seven assists and three steals.  Culver is getting upstaged even as the Wolves hope to involve him more fully as they look toward the future.   

Injury Report

Bruno Fernando (left calf strain) left the game after seven minutes for precautionary reasons.

Jerami Grant (right ankle sprain) was ruled out of Wednesday’s contest.

Patrick Beverley was forced to leave the game against the Heat with a groin injury.

Jimmy Butler strained his right shoulder and could be headed for an MRI.

Tristan Thompson (right quad soreness) did not play.

Jonas Valanciunas (sore right knee) played 28 minutes.

D’Angelo Russell (right quad contusion) scored 17 points in 33 minutes.

De’Andre Hunter (left ankle sprain) scored 12 points in 30 minutes.

Allen Crabbe (left patella subluxation) scored two points in 13 minutes.

Markieff Morris (illness) was unable to play.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (sprained right ankle) returned to play a quiet 13 minutes.

Seth Curry (left knee tightness) did not face the Grizzlies.

Michael Porter Jr. (right ankle) did not play.

Will Barton (right knee inflammation) was unable to play against the Jazz.

Meyers Leonard (left ankle sprain) is expected to miss multiple weeks of action.

Kemba Walker (left knee soreness) sat for a second straight game.

Marcus Smart (right quad contusion) was held out against the Magic.

Porzingis is Popping

On Wednesday, Kristaps Porzingis enjoyed his third straight game with 30 or more points, and he grabbed 12 rebounds in each of them.  It’s clear that he is the go-to guy in Dallas when Luka Doncic is sidelined.  Unfortunately, Porzingis also suffered a broken nose against the Grizzlies.  While he was able to return to action, Porzingis will see a doctor on Thursday to determine whether he needs to miss time.  After the season-high 38 points on Monday, he poured in 32 against Memphis despite being limited to 29 minutes. Porzingis has made 11-of-24 triples in his last two appearances as well.  Right knee soreness already caused Porzingis to miss much of January, so fans of the Mavs will definitely be hoping that the Latvian has a quick recovery.

Joltin’ Jokic

Nikola Jokic just had himself one whopper of a rare triple-double.  With 30 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists, Jokic became the ninth NBA player to go for 30-20-10. He hit 14 of his 24 shots from the floor, grabbed two steals, and ended with six offensive boards.  On Sunday, he had a more pedestrian triple-double during which he piled up 39 points, 10 boards, and 11 dimes. Jokic also has averaged 9.8 assists and 2.2 steals over his last five games, not an easy feat for a big man.  Hopefully he won’t have to put the Nuggets on his back quite so much once Denver’s trade reinforcements arrive.