In some ways, Saturday night’s slate was disappointing, as LeBron James (illness) and Kevin Durant (hand contusion) didn’t even suit up and Paul George got ejected after picking up his second technical early in the second half of the Pacers game.
However, we also did get to witness some jaw-dropping performances by some of the NBA’s best big men, including incredible numbers courtesy of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis and Hassan Whiteside.
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Hornets 99, Kings 85
Charlotte needed this win badly. They had lost five straight overall and came into Saturday riding a 12-game road losing streak. Cody Zeller (quad) remained sidelined, which meant the Hornets had to lean on Frank Kaminsky once again. Frank the Tank delivered in a big way. Kaminsky scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. He also added five 3-pointers, three assists and two steals. Per Basketball Reference, Kaminsky is just the third player in Hornets franchise history to score more than 20 points, pull down more than 10 boards, and make at least five treys in one game. Over his last nine, The Tank is averaging 17.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 3-pointers. He’ll cool off once Zeller and Miles Plumlee (calf) return, but Kaminsky continues to provide a nice short-term boost… Kemba Walker was relatively quiet on Saturday. He finished with just 12 points (5-of-12 shooting), six assists, three boards and four turnovers… Marvin Williams was solid, tallying 16 points, six rebounds, three 3-pointers, two steals and a block… Nicolas Batum had 15 points and six boards but was just 4-of-17 from the floor… Marco Belinelli (13 points and six dimes) provided a nice spark off the bench.
As if often the case when a team scores just 85 points in a blowout defeat, there was not a lot to get excited about from the Kings on Saturday. Sacramento’s most disappointing performance of the evening had to be Willie Cauley-Stein. After an eye-popping 29-point, 10-rebound explosion on Thursday, Cauley-Stein dropped a dud on Saturday. He missed all five of his field goal attempts and finished with just two points, two rebounds, and three blocks in 28 minutes. With the Kings in complete rebuilding mode, WCS will see plenty of playing time over the final two months of the season, but this game was emblematic of his inconsistent 2016-17 season… Ben McLemore led the Kings with 18 points, but much of that came in garbage time late in the fourth quarter. He also didn’t bring much else to the table (two rebounds and zero assists)… Buddy Hield scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench. He also had two 3-pointers, two assists and three turnovers… One King that did impress in this contest was Skal Labissiere. After scoring a career-high 12 points on Thursday, Labissiere pulled down a career-high 13 boards and scored eight points in 23 minutes on Saturday. With two consecutive solid games, Skal is making the case that he deserves more minutes going forward. Considering Sacramento has nothing to lose, in fact, they want to make sure they have as many ping-pong balls as possible by the time the draft lottery arrives, they have every reason to roll the rookie out there and let Labissiere learn on the job. His stock is rising and he’s someone to keep an eye on in deep leagues, and especially keeper formats.
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Magic 105, Hawks 86
This is what the Magic were hoping for when they swapped Serge Ibaka for Terrence Ross. Orlando’s newest addition poured in 24 points and added four rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block and four 3-pointers in team-high 35 minutes on Saturday. Ross has a new lease on life in Orlando, and while he won’t be able to match these numbers every night, he has far more fantasy upside than he did in Toronto… Nikola Vucevic was listed as questionable prior to this game with a sore Achilles tendon, but was able to play and looked perfectly healthy, finishing with 16 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, two blocks… A second straight solid game for Aaron Gordon (18 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals), who appears far more comfortable playing his natural position of power forward… Elfrid Payton just missed a triple-double on Saturday. He had 15 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in 28 minutes. C.J. Watson (Achilles) is expected to miss at least another week, so Payton has a chance to string together a few good games in a row, something he has not done often this season.
The Hawks have been spanked in three straight games, with the margin of defeat at least 15 points in each loss. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the only Atlanta player to score more than 11 points. He had three rebounds, two 3-pointers and three turnovers to go along with his 15 points. Hardaway has scored in double-figures in 13 straight contests… Dwight Howard posted a solid double-double (11 points and 14 rebounds) but was just 3-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-13 from the charity stripe… Paul Millsap was uncommonly quiet, finishing with 11 points, seven boards and two assists in 29 minutes… Taurean Prince scored a career-high 11 points with four rebounds and two 3-pointers in 27 minutes. However, Atlanta is too deep to count on this type of playing time and production from Prince on a nightly basis… Ersan Ilyasova had 10 rebounds but added just five points and two assists in 25 minutes. His fantasy stock has taken a major hit in the move from Philly to Atlanta… Malcolm Delaney, making his second straight start, struggled once again on Saturday, finishing with just two points and four assists in 15 minutes. Dennis Schroder was suspended for Friday’s game after missing practice on both Wednesday and Thursday because he left the States without his visa and had trouble getting back in the country. Then, Schroder was late for the team bus on Saturday, which resulted in him coming off the bench behind Delaney again. However, he ended up replacing Delaney in the lineup to start the second half. Schroder finished with 11 points, five rebounds, eight assists and one 3-pointer in 31 minutes. Hopefully, Schroder is able to put this sloppy week behind him and get back on the beam going forward.
Knicks 110, Sixers 109
Carmelo Anthony did it all for the Knicks in Saturday night’s win over the Sixers. He scored a game-high 37 points, including a game-winning 15-foot jumper from the baseline with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. Melo also finished with six boards, two assists, two three-pointers and three turnovers. Anthony has scored at least 30 points in eight of the Knicks last 18 games… Both Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) and Joakim Noah (hamstring) did not play Saturday. Noah is unlikely to play on Monday as well, whereas it sounds like there is an outside chance KP will be able to suit up. Willy Hernangomez started at center for the Knicks on Saturday and finished with 11 points (on 4-of-6 shooting), nine boards and two rejections in 23 minutes. Willy has at least nine rebounds in each of his five starts this season… Lance Thomas started in place of Porzingis and had 11 points, six rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes… Kyle O’Quinn had a great all-around game, backing up both the power forward and center spots. He tallied nine points, five boards, five assists, five steals and two blocks in 25 minutes. O’Quinn is the first Knick with at least five rebounds, assists and steals in a game since Melo in October of 2013… Derrick Rose had 18 points, five boards and three assists, but needed 17 shots to accrue those 18 points (8-of-17 from the floor)... Justin Holiday (14 points, seven boards, two treys, two blocks, and zero turnovers) was solid off the bench once again.
Not sure if It’s possible to have a “revenge game” against your own team, but we can assume Jahlil Okafor thoroughly enjoyed pouring in 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 29 minutes on Saturday night. With Joel Embiid missing at least two more games, Okafor will have some more opportunities to start at center and be featured on the low post… Dario Saric remained red-hot on Saturday, finishing with 19 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and five assists in a game-high 40 minutes. It was his fourth straight double-double. He is averaging 19.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists over this four-game stretch. Saric’s fantasy stock is soaring, and he has a chance to a true difference-maker in fantasy leagues over the final two months of the season… Robert Covington is another Sixer that is absolutely scorching hot right now. RoCo stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 20 points, 10 boards, two assists, two blocks, three steals and two 3-pointers in 39 minutes on Saturday. Over his last five games, Covington is averaging 19.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.8 triples, 3.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks. Like Saric, Covington should continue to see plenty of playing time, especially with Ersan Ilyasova and Nerlens Noel shipped out of Philadelphia.
Heat 113, Pacers 95
Miami has now won 16 of their last 18 games and has pulled within 1.5 games of the Pistons for the eighth seed in the East. Hassan Whiteside absolutely dominated the paint all night. He ripped down a game-high 17 boards and scored 22 points, while shooting 6-of-12 from the floor and a surprisingly efficient 10-of-13 from the line. It was Whiteside’s sixth game this season with at least 22 points and 17 rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns is the only player in the league with more such games… Dion Waiters shared game-high scoring honors with Whiteside. In addition to tallying 22 points, Waiters tacked on three assists, two rebounds, two steals, three 3-pointers and six turnovers. Although we keep waiting for Waiters to cool off, he keeps producing. He has scored at least 12 points in 16 straight games. He is averaging 20.6 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 treys over this current stretch… After a two-point dud on Friday, James Johnson reminded fantasy owners that he’s capable of producing terrifically well-rounded stat lines as well. Johnson had 15 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two blocks, two steals and two 3-pointers in 29 minutes on Saturday… It wasn’t all great news for the Heat. Josh Richardson (two points, four rebounds, one assist) struggled again. As did Tyler Johnson, who missed all five of his FG attempts and finished with five points and four dimes. Backup center Willie Reed was diagnosed with a right calf strain and was unable to return to the game.
Paul George was ejected from Saturday’s game after picking up two technical fouls with 8:49 left in the third quarter. PG13 played just 19 total minutes and finished with 10 points, one rebound and one assist… Myles Turner tried to pick up the slack with George getting the boot. He attempted 19 shots (one short of his career-high) and tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals… Monta Ellis had been playing well of late but stumbled on Saturday. He was just 3-of-12 from the field for his eight points. He’s tough to trust… Jeff Teague, like the rest of the Pacers, struggled with his shot. He scored 16 points but was 5-of-16 from the floor. He added six assists and three rebounds… It looks like Thaddeus Young is still not 100 percent as he works his way back from his wrist injury. He took just two shots and scored two points on Saturday, although he was able to chip in five boards, four assists and a steal.
Bulls 117, Cavs 99
A bevy of Bulls put up big numbers in an impressive victory over the Cavs. Jimmy Butler recorded his first triple-double of the season, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists… Dwyane Wade just missed joining the triple-double party. Wade tallied 20 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in 34 minutes. Health and maintenance schedules are still concerns for Wade owners, but when healthy and active, the guy continues to post impressive numbers. Wade is currently on pace to join Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Karl Malone and Michael Jordan as just the fifth player age 35 or older to average at least 19 points, four rebounds and three assists over the last 25 seasons… Trading away Taj Gibson was supposed to open the door for Bobby Portis. However, Nikola Mirotic has used the newfound minutes to escape from the doghouse. Mirotic, who was a DNP-CD in the Bulls final game before the All-Star break, has posted two solid stat lines this week. He had 14 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two 3-pointers in 29 minutes on Saturday after 20 points and eight boards on Thursday… The aforementioned Bobby Portis started but played just 19 minutes and finished with seven points and three rebounds… Jerian Grant started in place of the injured Michael Carter-Williams, who didn’t make the trip after injuring his knee Friday night. Grant had six points, three rebounds, two assists and two 3-pointers in 16 minutes. Rajon Rondo (15 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals in 25 minutes) had a surprisingly strong game off the bench. Cameron Payne made his Bulls debut and tallied six points, one rebound, one assist and two turnovers in 12 minutes. Even if Payne is eventually inserted into the starting lineup, he’ll have to deal with Rondo and possibly Grant eating into his minutes, thus limiting Payne’s fantasy upside.
Just how important is LeBron James to the Cavs? Well, Cleveland has lost seven straight games James has missed, and the Cavs are just 4-19 without him since he returned to Cleveland in 2014. LeBron missed this contest due to an illness and coach Ty Lue stated afterward that James has strep throat. Lue is unsure how long the Cavaliers would be without their top gun. Cleveland’s next game is Monday. With LeBron (and Kevin Love) sidelined, Kyrie Irving, as expected, was forced to shoulder far more of the offensive load on Saturday. Irving scored 34 points and added nine rebounds, seven assists, one block and two 3-pointers. If James sits out Monday’s contest as well, expect Irving to again put up monster numbers… Richard Jefferson started in place of LeBron and finished with nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. Even if he is starting and playing over 30 minutes, it’s still unwise to place too much trust in Jefferson… Kyle Korver is another player that is expected to see increased scoring opportunities if LeBron is unavailable. Korver scored 14 points with two rebounds, two assists and four 3-pointers in 27 minutes on Saturday. However, he did suffer what appeared to be a minor right knee injury in the fourth quarter. We will have to wait for an update from the team regarding his status for Monday’s contest… It wasn’t all bad news for the Cavs on Saturday. Word leaked out that Deron Williams plans to sign with Cleveland on Monday. It’s a great addition for the Cavs in their quest to repeat as NBA champions, but it deals a major blow to Williams’ fantasy value. D-Will was averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 assists in 29.3 minutes over 40 games with the Mavs this season. Now that he’s in Cleveland, Williams will serve as Kyrie Irving’s backup and will likely see less than 20 minutes a night. He’ll have limited fantasy value as long Kyrie stays healthy.
Mavs 96, Pelicans 83
We got our first glimpse of Nerlens Noel in a Dallas uniform and it was encouraging. Noel didn’t start but ended up playing 30 minutes off the bench and tallied nine points, 10 rebounds, one block and one steal. He had only cracked the 30-point plateau twice all season in Philadelphia. It is safe to assume Noel will eventually slide into the starting lineup, probably sooner rather than later. The Mavs traded for him with the intention of signing him to a long-term contract this summer, so we can expect Dallas to play Noel extended minutes over the final two months of the season… Although he is 16 years older than his newest teammate, Dirk Nowitzki showed on Saturday that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Dirk scored 18 points, including two triples, and pulled down nine rebounds in 28 minutes. Nowitzki will likely move over to power forward once Noel is installed at the starting center. As a result, Seth Curry will be bumped back to the bench with Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews sliding down to the small forward and shooting guard spots, respectively. However, Curry has played too well to see a significant reduction in his playing time, whether he opens the game with the starters off comes off the bench as a reserve. Curry was stellar once again on Saturday, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three 3-pointers in 37 minutes. Over his last 12 games, Curry is averaging 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 treys, and 1.1 steals, while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor, 42.2 percent from 3-point territory and 94.1 percent from the free-throw line… Harrison Barnes scored 19 points and chipped in three rebounds, two assists, three steals and two 3-pointers.
The not what the Pelicans envisioned when they made the move for DeMarcus Cousins. New Orleans has been blown out in both games they’ve played since acquiring Boogie. Cousins managed to post terrific numbers in the first loss but scored a season-low 12 points on Saturday. He was just 3-of-9 from the floor. Cousins had attempted at least 10 shots in every game he’d played for Kings this season. However, DMC did add 15 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes. Cousins won’t be able to match his remarkably consistent production during his days in Sacramento, but should still find ways to post top-20 overall fantasy numbers… Anthony Davis seems to be less affected by the blockbuster trade. AD exploded for 39 points, 14 rebounds, one steal, two blocks and one 3-pointer on Saturday. It was Davis’ 12th game this season with at least 35 points, 10 boards and two rejections. The only other player in the league with more than two 35/10/2 games is Davis’ newest teammate, DeMarcus Cousins. Also, Saturday was the 14th time Davis has tallied 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in a loss this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that ties Moses Malone for most such games in one season since the merger… Jrue Holiday had 18 points, six assists, seven rebounds and four turnovers. Other than Holiday, Cousins and Davis, no other Pelican scored more than six points.
Warriors 112, Nets 95
Kevin Durant (left hand contusion) missed his first game of the season on Saturday, but the Warriors hardly missed their leading scorer because the dreadful Nets were simply no match. Durant injured his pinkie in a fall on Thursday night but was able to return to that contest after X-rays came back clean. Thus, we don’t know if KD was truly unable to play on Saturday, or if the Warriors decided it was a good opportunity to rest him against the NBA’s worst team. In addition, the Warriors will play eight games over 13 days, including a five-game East-coast road trip that starts Monday in Philadelphia… Stephen Curry paced the Dubs with 27 points and added five rebounds, five assists, three steals and five 3-pointers in the victory over the Nets. In the process, the Warriors moved to 40 games above .500 (49-9) and became the first team in the league this season to clinch a playoff berth. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Warriors are the first team to clinch a playoff spot this early on the calendar since the 1985-86 Celtics, who also clinched Feb. 25 of that season… Klay Thompson (24 points, four boards and four dimes) was the only other Warrior in double-figures… Patrick McCaw started in place of Durant and had nine points, four rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 25 minutes… Andre Iguodala dished out a season-high nine assists and chipped in five points, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks… Draymond Green missed nine of the 10 shots he attempted, finishing with five points, eight rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 23 minutes… One transaction note for the Warriors: They will release Briante Weber on Monday and will reportedly sign Jose Calderon to take his roster spot. Calderon can be left on waivers, as he will only play spot minutes as long as Curry stays healthy.
The Nets have now lost 16 straight games and weren’t competitive in this one. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led Brooklyn with 16 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds… Jeremy Lin (nine points and two assists) started again but played just 15 minutes for the second consecutive night. Lin’s minutes will eventually start rising, but it’s difficult to trust him when it appears the Nets will be very conservative with his playing time… Brook Lopez (nine points, four rebounds and five assists) was surprisingly quiet in his 31 minutes of play… Sean Kilpatrick posted the fourth double-double of his career, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes… Caris LeVert (illness) did not play.
Rockets 142, Timberwolves 130
This game was peak Rockets. On Friday, coach Mike D’Antoni said he wanted Houston to average 50 3-point attempts per game over the final two months of the regular season. Well, they got off to a great start on Saturday, launching 58 shots from behind the arc, converting on 22 of those attempts. Houston was also 32-of-42 from the free-throw line, which, amazingly, meant that they had a combined 100 total attempts from 3-point range and the charity stripe. Eight Rockets scored in double-figures, led by James Harden, who finished with 24 points, 10 assists, five boards, five treys, two steals and seven turnovers… Patrick Beverley (groin) was initially ruled out, but then decided he was okay to play after feeling good during warmups. He finished with a full line: 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three steals and three 3-pointers in 29 minutes… Clint Capela (16 points, nine rebounds, two assists) started at center and looked solid… Lou Williams has fit in seamlessly with his new team. After pumping in 27 points in his Houston debut, Lou Will had 17 points, four assists, three steals and two 3-pointers on Saturday… Ryan Anderson scored 18 points with three assists, two rebounds and four 3-pointers.
This T-Wolves loss certainly can’t be pinned on Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT poured in 37 points and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds. According to Elias, Towns (21 years, 102 days) is the second-youngest player in NBA history with at least 37 points and 22 boards in one game. He’s played at an incredibly high level for a month straight now. Over the 14 games Minnesota has played dating back to January 25th, KAT is averaging 28.9 points and 12.7 rebounds, while shooting 58.1 percent from the floor, 43.6 percent from downtown and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line… The Wolves other young gun continued his hot shooting as well. Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points and added two rebounds, two assists, three steals and six turnovers. It was the 17th straight game in which Wiggy scored at least 20 points, which broke the franchise record, previously held by Kevin Garnett, for most consecutive 20-point contests. In addition, Towns and Wiggins have now both scored 20-plus points in 14 straight games. Per Elias, that’s the longest streak of games by any NBA team in which the same two of its players scored 20-or-more points since Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe each scored at least 20 points in each of 17 consecutive games for the Nuggets in February and March of 1984… Ricky Rubio (14 points and 11 assists) recorded another double-double on Saturday. It was his fourth double-double in Minny’s last six games. He is averaging 11.7 points, 11.5 dimes and 2.5 steals over that stretch... Gorgui Dieng also double-dipped, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
