On the night of one of the best World Series games I’ve ever seen, the NBA featured 20 teams in action. While the injury damage was held to a minimum, our man Marquese Chriss went down, while the Lakers shocked the Wizards and the Nets topped the Cavaliers. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Lakers 102, Wizards 99 OT – Brandon Ingram (19 & 10) and Larry Nance (18 & 10) double-doubled, while Ingram also had three assists, a steal and a block in the win. Both players should be owned in all leagues at this point. Brook Lopez was very quiet with just nine points in 23 minutes, Lonzo Ball hit just 2-of-11 shots for six points, eight boards, 10 assists, a steal and a block, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit 5-of-13 shots and three 3-pointers for 14 points, six boards, five dimes and two steals. Off the bench, Julius Randle was big down the stretch on both ends and had 11 points, nine boards, three blocks and a 3-pointer, while Kyle Kuzma added 15 points, three boards and a 3-pointer. The three-headed power forward monster of Nance, Randle and Kuzma is going to be a bit of a timeshare nightmare, but Nance is the guy most worth owning right now, while Randle may be coming on. Jordan Clarkson played just 17 minutes for eight points, but I’m not too worried about him going forward.
For the Wizards, Bradley Beal led the way with 28 points and a full stat line, while Otto Porter Jr., Marcin Gortat (double-double) and John Wall all played fairly well. Kelly Oubre played 39 minutes despite the return of Jason Smith, but had just nine points, three boards and a block. The minutes were there, so just hold him if you own him. Ian Mahinmi left with an ankle injury and didn’t return.
Hornets 110, Nuggets 93 – Frank Kaminsky led the way off the bench with 20 points, four boards, a block and two 3-pointers on 9-of-15 shooting and looks like a nice pickup after putting up similar numbers in three straight. Dwight Howard had a 15 & 19 double-double, Kemba Walker scored 19 with five dimes and two 3-pointers, and Jeremy Lamb stayed hot with 16 points, five assists, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers. Hang onto him if you own him. Malik Monk had a career-high 17 points, two steals and three 3-pointers, but he’s more of a watch guy than a must-own player. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist debuted and scored just two points, while Marvin Williams was quiet with nine points, four boards, two steals and a 3-pointer. If you want to drop Marvin for Kaminsky, I down.
Nikola Jokic double-doubled with no blocks (8-of-11 shooting), Gary Harris scored 18 points with four 3-pointers, and Jamal Murray hit just 7-of-20 shots for a season-high 16 points and five dimes. He’s now 0-for-14 from downtown over his last three games, but it was nice to at least see him score some points. We’re still recommending you hold onto him. Paul Millsap was disappointing with just eight points and five boards, and Wilson Chandler had just seven points on 3-of-10 shooting (his season high is nine points). Chandler’s been a mitigated disaster thus far, while Millsap just had an off night. Will Barton was disappointing with nine points, but did have seven rebounds, six assists and a steal on 4-of-13 shooting, while Mason Plumlee came through with eight points, 10 rebounds and three steals off the bench. Just keep an eye on Plumlee and try to exercise patience with Chandler and Barton. Chandler can’t be this bad forever.
Rockets 105, Sixers 104 – Eric Gordon stayed hot with 29 points, five assists and five 3-pointers, and also hit the game-winning three to shock the Sixers. He’s must-own as long as Chris Paul (knee) is out, and maybe for the entire season. James Harden had a 27 & 13 double-double, Clint Capela had a 16 & 20 double-double with a steal and four blocks, and Ryan Anderson added 14 points and four 3-pointers in the win. Luc Mbah a Moute started in place of Trevor Ariza, who will miss at least the next two games with his foot injury, and had eight points, three boards, a steal and three blocks. He’s an interesting DFS option as long as Ariza is out. P.J. Tucker played 32 minutes off the bench in Ariza’s absence, but scored just three points with four steals and a 3-pointer.
Robert Covington, Joel Embiid and J.J. Redick all scored at least 20 points, while Ben Simmons kept it going with a 14-7-9-3-1 line. He’s quickly become a monster, while Embiid seems completely healthy to me. Jerryd Bayless played 31 minutes but hit just 3-of-11 shots, and it looks like Simmons will be the point forward with Markelle Fultz (shoulder) out for at least the next two games. I’m fine with kicking Bayless (or Fultz, for that matter) to waivers if you’ve got your eye on a hot free agent.
Pistons 122, Wolves 101 – Tobias Harris stayed hot with 34 points, six 3-pointers and a full stat line, and is one of the season’s early success stories. Starters Stanley Johnson, Andre Drummond (15 & 15), and Avery Bradley (20 points) all scored at least 15 in the easy win. Just keep an eye on Johnson, while it was nice to see Bradley finally do something. Reggie Jackson was disappointing with 10 points and four assists, while Ish Smith had two points and 13 assists off the bench. Can you say timeshare? Smith is worth a look, but tough to roster in 12-team leagues as long as Jackson is starting. Henry Ellenson had 14 points, five boards and two 3-pointers, but is only worth a look in deep leagues.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a 23 & 10 double-double, while Jeff Teague and Andrew Wiggins bounced back from an off night to score 18 and 21 points respectively. No other Wolf hit double figures in this one, and if you’re holding Gorgui Dieng, I think you can drop him. He’s simply backing up ironman KAT. And I’m not ready to drop Taj Gibson despite his six-point night. Jimmy Butler was out again with an illness, but Shabazz Muhammad was disappointing in the start.
Nets 112, Cavaliers 107 – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, DeMarre Carroll and Spencer Dinwiddie (filling in for D’Angelo Russell – knee) all played very well in starts for the Nets. RHJ and Carroll should be owned across the board and Dinwiddie is worth using in any format when Russell is out. In fact, Dinwiddie’s played well enough to be rostered in 12-team leagues even when Russell is playing, although he’s not a must-own player. Caris LeVert had 10 points on 5-of-14 shooting, but don’t give up on him. He’s another player that should be owned everywhere. Allen Crabbe hit four 3-pointers and scored 19 points off the bench, and is another guy worth owning in almost all leagues, playing for one of the league’s fastest-paced teams. Trevor Booker has really cooled off and Joe Harris has been making a little noise, but both of them may belong on waivers at this point, despite Booker’s hot start. I love Jarrett Allen (14 minutes), but I think it’s too early to be rostering him in 12-team leagues. However, it’s probably only a matter of time before he starts over Timofey Mozgov, who failed to score in just 12 minutes.
LeBron James started at PG again and had a 29-10-13 triple-double and Kevin Love had 15 points, 12 boards and two 3-pointers in the loss. Starters Jae Crowder, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith combined for just 10 points and I’m not looking to own any of them. Kyle Korver somehow scored 22 with five 3-pointers off the bench (no thanks) and Jeff Green is suddenly hot, scoring 18 points with six boards, three assists, a steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers in 27 minutes off the bench. He’s far from must-own, but he’s worth keeping a close eye on going forward, as he’s earned more run after his last two games. Dwyane Wade sat out with a sore left knee. Shocking, I know. Drop him.
Thunder 114, Pacers 96 – Russell Westbrook went crazy with a 28-10-16 triple-double and Carmelo Anthony had 28 & 10, but there was no revenge on the Pacers for Paul George, who had just 10 points before fouling out against his former team. Steven Adams had a 17 & 11 double-double, and those are the only four guys in OKC worth owning in fantasy right now.
Victor Oladipo kept it rolling with a season-high 35 points and five 3-pointers, and unlike George, was able to get some revenge against his former mates. Darren Collison scored 18 with a full stat line and Thaddeus Young added 14 points, two steals and three 3-pointers in the loss. Domantas Sabonis and Bojan Bogdanovic were both disappointing, scoring four points apiece, and Sabonis is a drop candidate the second we get news that Myles Turner will be ready to play after his concussion. Tuesday’s hero, Cory Joseph, hit just 1-of-6 shots for six points, and shouldn’t be owned in most leagues.
Spurs 117, Heat 100 – Dejounte Murray, who came in red hot, was the disappointment of the night with zero points and three dimes on 0-of-6 shooting, while Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson (double-double), Rudy Gay and Manu Ginobili all played well and scored in double figures. Gay and Anderson will take a hit when Kawhi Leonard finally debuts, but Green is another story. He’s averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.5 3-pointers after four games. I own him in a lot of leagues and he looks like a must-have player if he’s sitting on waivers. As for Murray, chalk it up as a bad night and don’t do anything stupid with him.
Josh Richardson hit just 1-of-8 shots and fouled out with just six points, but still had three steals and some other stuff. Hang onto him. James Johnson had 21 & 9 with a 3-pointer and a steal, Goran Dragic scored 20 with just one assist, and Dion Waiters added 17 points, five assists and two 3-pointers. Tyler Johnson got hot off the bench for a season-high 23 points and three 3-pointers, but I need to see it again on a night when Richardson doesn’t fall apart. Kelly Olynyk was another big disappointment, scoring just five points in 12 minutes. He should be fine and he was playing at a high level coming in. Hold on, as this game went small quickly. If James Johnson is somehow available in your league, he shouldn’t be.
Mavericks 103, Grizzlies 94 – The Mavericks got a balanced attack, as Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes, Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews, J.J. Barea and Yogi Ferrell all scored between 10 and 19 points. Barea and Ferrell are both worth a look on the waiver wire right now, while DSJ’s free throw shooting is becoming a big concern. He’s hit just 4-of-12 from the line so far this season, but did hit three 3-pointers last night.
Marc Gasol had a 26 & 11 double-double with five 3-pointers and Mike Conley scored 21 with three 3-pointers, but starters Jarell Martin, James Ennis and Andrew Harrison all scored in single digits. Tyreke Evans had 13 points, four boards, two assists, a steal and a 3-pointer off the bench in 25 minutes, and is worth a look in most leagues now that he’s healthy and playing. But Gasol and Conley are the only Grizzlies I trust. Chandler Parsons got the night off to rest.
Suns 97, Jazz 88 – I wasn’t sure I’d ever write that the Suns won their second straight game this season, but here it is. They did it. Marquese Chriss went down late with a sprained left ankle and had to be helped off the court. The Rotoworld crew was so excited after his big game on Monday, so this was a pretty big buzzkill, and I’d imagine he’s going to miss a handful of games. Alex Len filled in at power forward and had a 13 & 13 double-double, while Dragan Bender (three points in 21 minutes) would also see a boost if Chriss misses time. Len was already worth owning, but now looks like a must-own player. T.J. Warren got on track with 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting and should be owned everywhere, and Devin Booker had 17 points and a full stat line in 33 minutes. Mike James started at PG again, but hit just 1-of-9 shots and lasted just 22 minutes. Meanwhile, Tyler Ulis came off the bench and hit 6-of-11 shots for 13 points, five assists, two steals and a 3-pointer. ITL’s The Welsh, a good friend of Rotoworld, calls them ‘Dinner and Dessert.” James is dinner, but Ulis is the guy you’ll be having for dessert later on, and that plan may have been put into play tonight. I’m still a fan of owning James until we see how this shakes out, but Ulis is a good player and is going to come on. He’s worth grabbing in most formats if you have someone to cut. Twitter world got on me for saying I preferred Ulis over James the other day, but I feel a little better about that call today. I taped a fun podcast with the ITL guys last night, so look for that soon.
All five Jazz starters scored in double figures, including Rodney Hood, who led the way with 22 points and two 3-pointers after missing time with a calf injury. Ricky Rubio and Rudy Gobert double-doubled, and Joe Ingles bounced back with 11 points, six rebounds, three steals and two 3-pointers after suffering through stomach problems on Tuesday night. Derrick Favors hit 7-of-9 shots for 15 points, seven rebounds and nothing else. I avoided him across the board, and stand by that decision. He still looks like an old guy to me. The return of Hood hurts rookie Donovan Mitchell and he was 1-of-7 for two points in 13 minutes. He’s a good player and should develop with time, but I say he can be dropped for a hot free agent now that Hood’s back.
Warriors 117, Raptors 112 – Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson all went off in the win. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) and Lucas Nogueira (ankle) were out, so Pascal Siakam earned a start and hit 9-of-12 shots and two 3-pointers for 20 points, two rebounds and two assists. That was nice, but Jakob Poeltl came off the bench for 12 points, 14 rebounds (11 offensive!), a steal and a block on 6-of-11 shooting in 27 minutes. Nice! Of course, Poeltl and Siakam will fade out once JV and Bebe are back, but they were a blast to watch (and own in DFS) last night. Just keep an eye on them and think about grabbing them if you’re in a 14-team league or greater. Norman Powell started again, but hit just 1-of-2 shots in 16 minutes, finishing with two points. I drafted him late in several leagues and have already cut him in a few leagues for hot free agents. After this dagger, I may be dropping him a few more times. Having said that, I still think Powell is going to turn it around and have a good season. I’m just not a very patient guy.
