Marvin Bagley went nuts, James Harden did it again and Giannis Antetokounmpo posted another monster line on a six-game Monday night. Follow me on Twitter here!
Kings 127, Spurs 112 – Marvin Bagley had his best game as a pro, racking up a career-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists, a steal, three blocks and a 3-pointer on 10-of-17 shooting in 31 minutes off the bench. I don’t know why he’s not starting over Nemanja Bjelica (7 points, 21 minutes), but it really doesn’t matter. And his 360 alley-oop dunk late in the game was spectacular. If Bagley wasn’t owned in your league going into this one, he is after notching his third straight double-double. De’Aaron Fox had a 20-6-6 line with a steal, a block and a 3-pointer, Buddy Hield scored 18 with eight rebounds, five assists and three triples, Iman Shumpert came through with 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, a block and three 3-pointers, and Willie Cauley-Stein was quiet with nine points and four rebounds. Yogi Ferrell got really hot off the bench late in the game and hit all seven of his shots for 19 points, two assists and four 3-pointers, while Bogdan Bogdanovic was quiet, hitting just 3-of-10 shots for six points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in his 21 minutes off the bench. Harry Giles was effective with 11 points and six rebounds in just 15 minutes, but he needs more minutes to be owned in most leagues. And I don’t really trust Shumpert, but he’s worth a look as long as he’s healthy. The Kings have now won seven straight games at home.
The Spurs got 24 points from DeMar DeRozan, 22 points and nine boards from LaMarcus Aldridge, and starters Rudy Gay, Davis Bertans and Bryn Forbes all hit double digits in scoring. Patty Mills came off the bench for 12 points and two 3-pointers, but the Spurs reserves didn’t do much of anything in this one. Derrick White is out “for a while” with an ankle injury, so Bertans got the start and played well, adding eight rebounds and three more 3-pointers to his line. Bertans is worth a look if you need 3-pointers, averaging 2.8 of them over his last five, and knocking them down consistently all season. And with White out, both Forbes and Mills are also worth a look on most nights. An MRI on White’s ankle wasn’t “great,” according to Gregg Popovich, who said he’ll be “out for a while.” I dropped him for a healthy body.[[ad:athena]]
Rockets 118, Suns 110 – James Harden, as usual, went nuts with 44 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals, a block and five 3-pointers on 15-of-26 shooting, Chris Paul had 18 points, five steals and two 3-pointers, Kenneth Faried kept it rolling with 17 points, 14 rebounds and a block, and James Ennis had 13 points, four steals and three 3-pointers in a start. P.J. Tucker hit just 1-of-8 shots for five points, but did have eight rebounds, a steal and a 3-pointer in his 34 minutes. The Rockets only played three guys off the bench, led by Gerald Green with nine points in 24 minutes. Eric Gordon was out with a sore knee, so both Green and Austin Rivers (8 points, 29 minutes) got extra minutes tonight. Ennis will take a hit once Gordon is back, and he has limited upside. Harden has now scored at least 40 points 20 times this season, and has scored at least 30 points in 27 straight games.
The Suns were led by Josh Jackson’s 25 points, Deandre Ayton had a double-double, and Devin Booker scored 19 points with seven boards and five assists before leaving the game with a tight right hamstring. It might have only been a cramp, but owners will want to watch the news feed over the next few days. Mikal Bridges came in hot, but hit just 3-of-9 shots for seven points. He also had four rebounds, five assists, three steals and a 3-pointer to salvage his fantasy night. Elie Okobo started with De’Anthony Melton’s ankle injury, but isn’t worth owning. Kelly Oubre went off from the bench for 23 points, three boards, two assists, three steals, a block and a 3-pointer on 9-of-13 shooting, and Richaun Holmes added 11 points and two rebounds in just 14 minutes. Jackson, Oubre and Bridges are all must-own players in my mind right now.
Bucks 113, Nets 94 – Giannis Antetokounmpo did Giannis type of stuff with his 30-15-9 line and added three blocks on 12-of-19 shooting, and Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon all played very well in the relatively easy win. Bledsoe, who sat out on Saturday with an achilles injury, had a season-high five steals to go along with 15 points, three rebounds, five dimes, a block and a 3-pointer in the win. The Bucks bench played well and the seven players used all scored between two and six points, but none of the reserves stood out. The Bucks not only have the league’s best record, but finished up a five-game road trip with four straight wins.
For the Nets, Rodions Kurucs shooting woes continued, as he hit just 2-of-10 shots for five points, three rebounds, four assists, a block and a 3-pointer. He’s been crushing dreams and sinking fantasy ships lately, hitting just 11 of his last 50 shots over his last five games. He’ll break out of the shooting funk at some point, but it’s been a really rough ride with him for most of the season. D’Angelo Russell led the way with 18 points and five assists, Shabazz Napier started for Joe Harris (hip) and came through with 15 points, four boards, four assists and two steals, but was also 0-for-10 from downtown in the loss. The Nets bench was also disappointing as Ed Davis played just seven minutes, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was quiet with six points and three rebounds in 20 minutes, and DeMarre Carroll hit just 2-of-11 shots for eight points. All three of those guys are worth a look in fantasy, but this wasn’t the right night to use them. Caris LeVert (foot) and Allen Crabbe (knee) will both practice some time this week, but may not see game action until after the All-Star break. If you want to pick up LeVert, now’s the time to move on him, although coach Kenny Atkinson said after the game that he’s going to integrate his injured players back into the mix “slowly.”
Pistons 129, Nuggets 103 – Andre Drummond double-doubled with a season-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the Pistons got decent performances out of starters Blake Griffin, Reggie Jackson and Reggie Bullock, and the bench came through in garbage time in the fourth quarter of the blowout win. Stanley Johnson hit 7-of-10 shots and four 3-pointers for 21 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block, Langston Galloway got loose for 18 points and three triples, and Luke Kennard added 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two 3-pointers in the win. But there’s not a lot to see here, given the lopsided score of this game.
For the Nuggets, Mason Plumlee got the start over Paul Millsap, who was out with an ankle injury, and went off for 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals, but also had six turnovers. None of the Nuggets starters were great, but Nikola Jokic, Monte Morris, Will Barton and Malik Beasley all scored in double figures and all had serviceable stat lines. Trey Lyles exploded off the bench with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers, and that was also directly tied to Millsap’s absence. Morris and Beasley were hot pickups this week and started their three-game week out on the right foot. Morris had 18 points, two rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers on 8-of-13 shooting, and Beasley hit 6-of-13 shots and three 3-pointers for 16 points, three rebounds, one assist and a steal. Jamal Murray (ankle) could play in their remaining two games this week, then again he could miss both of them. And when he does return, he’ll likely hurt the value of Morris a lot more than that of Beasley, who has managed to stay hot all season, even with Will Barton and Gary Harris have been healthy. And just for the record, Harris sat this one out with a groin injury. I caught some heat for telling you to drop him last week, but I no longer own Harris in any leagues.
Pacers 109, Pelicans 107 – The Pacers were led by Darren Collison’s 22 points, six assists, a steal and three 3-pointers, and starters Myles Turner, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young all scored in double digits, and played pretty well. The reserves were led by Domantas Sabonis, who had a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, but no one else really did much off the Pacers bench. Cory Joseph got the start again for Victor Oladipo (out for season), but has fizzled in both of them. Just keep an eye on him in case he continues to start and gets hot.
The Pelicans got 25 points, 13 rebounds, a steal and a block from Jahlil Okafor, who hit 11-of-16 shots, and the big man has quickly become one of the must-own waiver-wire pickups of the year. Jrue Holiday just missed a triple-double with 19 points, 11 boards, nine assists, a steal and a block, but was 0-for-7 from downtown, and Darius Miller kept it going with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and four 3-pointers in 37 minutes. Frank Jackson, starting for Elfrid Payton (ankle) fizzled with five points on 2-of-7 shooting, and Kenrich Williams hit just 3-of-13 shots, but still filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, a block and two 3-pointers. Tim Frazier was disappointing off the bench in just 18 minutes, but Cheick Diallo came through with 12 points, 14 rebounds, a steal and a block, and Ian Clark was surprisingly good with 18 points, four assists and two 3-pointers in 28 minutes. The Pels were without Anthony Davis (finger), Julius Randle (ankle), Nikola Mirotic (calf), Elfrid Payton (ankle) and E’Twaun Moore (quad), which is why so many lesser-known players are having success right now. It all depends on how long those guys are out, but Miller and Williams are worth using right now, while Diallo and Clark are firmly on the radar after their big games off the bench.
Hawks 137, Wizards 129 – John Collins racked up 15 points and 11 rebounds in just 17 minutes, but didn’t return for the second half after suffering a head laceration. Hopefully this is not a concussion issue, but owners will want to watch the news feed closely to find out if he’s going to play on Thursday against the Raptors. Taurean Prince blew up for 21 points and five 3-pointers, but didn’t do much more, Trae Young double-doubled with 10 points and 10 assists, Kevin Huerter came through with 19 points, five boards, four assists, a steal and five 3-pointers, and Dewayne Dedmon had 12 points, four boards and a block in the win. Omari Spellman had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four 3-pointers off the bench, and came through in Collins’ absence, Vince Carter scored 16 with four 3-pointers, and Jeremy Lin and Kent Bazemore, who played just 16 minutes, each scored 11 off the Hawks’ bench. DeAndre Bembry had four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench, and I’m fine with dropping him. If Prince was dropped in your league, he’s probably worth grabbing, while I don’t really trust Spellman – especially if Collins’ injury’s not serious. Huerter looks like a must-own player to me, so I’d try to find a way to get him if you have someone you can cut.
The Wizards were led by Bradley Beal’s 27 points, six boards, six assists and four 3-pointers, and Trevor Ariza came through with 25 points, four rebounds, five assists, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers. Otto Porter added 13 points, eight boards, a steal and two blocks, and Tomas Satoransky had an 11-7-9 line with a steal, a block and a 3-pointer. Thomas Bryant started at center, but played just 12 minutes and finished with two points, three rebounds, two assists and a block, as the Wizards played small against the Hawks. Jeff Green, who I picked up in a few leagues for his four-game week, came through with 26 points, five boards, five assists, a block and two 3-pointers off the bench, and Jordan McRae added a season-high 20 points, five rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two 3-pointers off the bench. Green is worth owning, and McRae is playing well, scoring between nine and 20 points with some steals and threes over his last four games. Green should be owned, McRae is worth a look, and Bryant’s owners may start dumping him after this dud. But chances are he’ll get hot again sooner than later.
Tuesday Game Notes
Kyrie Irving (hip strain) won’t play for the Celtics on Tuesday, so go ahead and plan on firing up Terry Rozier against the Cavs.
LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma are probable for the Lakers on Tuesday night.
Derrick Rose has been ruled out for the Wolves on Tuesday, and I doubt we’ll see Jeff Teague or Tyus Jones, so Jerryd Bayless also looks like a must-start right now.
