This Daily Dose made me sad to write. Sure, Russell Westbrook lost his ish and made headlines, as usual. I bet you would have too, in that situation. And I’m glad he brought the situation in Utah up. But I’m not going to get into it, because I’m just a fantasy guy. Maybe he misses a game, or two, or maybe the commish sees it his way. I don’t know. That is all. Serge Ibaka is going to miss some time, as is Marquese Chriss, as they would have created another Malice at the Palace with their fight, had that not already happened years ago.
Cavs 126, Raptors 101 – The Cavaliers got a big win over the Raps, as all five Cavaliers starters scored in double figures. Collin Sexton led the way with 28 points and added four rebounds, five assists and four 3-pointers, my man, Cedi Osman, added 19 points, seven boards, seven assists, a steal and two triples, Ante Zizic had 17 points and seven boards, Kevin Love had 16 points, 18 rebounds and three 3-pointers, and Brandon Knight had 12 points, five assists and two 3-pointers in the win. I don’t trust Knight, Love won’t play on Tuesday (rest), and the rest of the guys are a crapshoot going forward. I’m all in on Osman, though. Jordan Clarkson had 14 points and three 3-pointers off the bench, and Marquese Chriss got ejected for a brawl with Serge Ibaka. David Nwaba was quiet in just 17 minutes, but could bounce back with Chriss facing a suspension. Zizic, who played well last night, also gets a boost with Chriss gone for a few games, and Sexton came through with a nice game when it mattered for his fantasy owners.
The Raptors got a big game from Kawhi Leonard with 25 points, nine boards and three 3-pointers, but who knows when he’ll miss his next game. And Pascal Siakam continued his assault on the Most Improved Player Award with 15 points, four boards and a steal. Kyle Lowry had a 14-5-6-1-1-4 line, and Danny Green did nothing, as usual. Marc Gasol gets a boost after Ibaka’s impending suspension, and had two points, seven boards, four assists and a steal in 22 minutes of the start. But with Ibaka likely facing a multi-game suspension for his fight with Chriss, Gasol’s a decent pickup right now. He’ll shoot better than 1-of-6 on most nights. Toronto’s bench did nothing last night. [[ad:athena]]
Wizards 121, Kings 116 – Bradley Beal went off with 27 points, nine boards, nine assists, four steals and three 3-pointers, Bobby Portis (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Tomas Satoransky (17 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 3-pointers) got it done, and Trevor Ariza and Jeff Green both came through with 11 points. Jabari Parker had 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three 3-pointers, and Thomas Bryant might have been the disappointment of the night with two points in 14 minutes. I was all in on Bryant this week with four games, and I’m only hoping that he gets it going later in the week. If you want to drop him, I won’t be mad. I might join you in that endeavor.
The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox and his 23 points and eight assists, while Harrison Barnes, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, Harry Giles and Nemanja Bjelica all scored in double figures. Bjelica is particularly intriguing after his 15 points, 12 boards, a steal and three 3-pointers, but will take a hit if Marvin Bagley ever returns from his knee injury. I’d rather roll with Bjelica in DFS than season longs, at this point, but I’m intrigued. Giles is also interesting, and Bogdanovic will bounce back.
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Nets 103, Pistons 75 – The Nets destroyed the Pistons as starters Joe Harris, Rodions Kurucs, Jarrett Allen, D’Angelo Russell and Allen Crabbe all hit double digits, and Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert did so off the bench. Crabbe was nice with a double-double and Kurucs had three steals and a 3-pointer, but this Brooklyn team is too deep for its own good. Especially in fantasy. It’s hard to trust anyone not named Russell and Allen, although I’m feeling Kurucs and Dinwiddie right now. And Crabbe appears to be heating up.
For the Pistons, Andre Drummond had 13 points, 20 rebounds and a steal, but Blake Griffin had just 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists, a steal and a 3-pointer on 1-of-10 shooting. He’s been awesome all season and will bounce back. Luke Kennard (my guy) hit just 1-of-7 shots in 25 minutes, and Langston Galloway (3-of-11), who came in hot, both struggled. But both of these bench players have three more games this week. Hang in there with them.
Rockets 118, Hornets 106 – James Harden continued to struggle with his shot, hitting just 7-of-21 a night after going 7-of-25, finishing with a 28-6-10 line, and Eric Gordon went off for 22 points and five triples in the win. Chris Paul had 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, and Clint Capela added 19 points and 15 rebounds. P.J. Tucker continued to disappoint, while Kenneth Faried had 16 points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block, but I don’t trust either of them right now. And the same can be said about Gordon.
For the Hornets, Kemba Walker went nuts with 40 points, 10 rebounds and seven dimes, hitting 6-of-6 3-pointers, but the rest of the Hornets were disappointing. Starters Miles Bridges, Jeremy Lamb, Dwayne Bacon and reserves Frank Kaminsky and Malik Monk were intriguing, but I don’t trust any of them. Lamb played through a hamstring injury, and had eight points. I sense that Kaminsky’s run as a DFS play is about to come to an end, but I’ve been wrong before.
Thunder 98, Jazz 89 – Russell Westbrook led the way with 23 points, 11 boards, eight assists, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers, and Paul George double-doubled, but the rest of the Thunder were disappointing. Especially George, who hit just 2-of-8 shots and was 0-for-3 from downtown. Jerami Grant and Steven Adams came through with decent lines, but were far from attractive. Dennis Schroder was actually the most exciting Thunder player with 24 points, seven boards and two 3-pointers off the bench, but it’s tough to rely on him as long as Westbrook is healthy. Then again, Westbrook is going to be in some trouble with the league after challenging a fan and his wife last night. If he’s out, Schroder is an easy target.
For the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell came through with 25 points and a super-fun stat line, Rudy Gobert double-doubled, and Royce O’Neal, starting again for Ricky Rubio (hip) was nice with 17 points, eight boards and five triples. Pick him up if you’re looking for a stop-gap. Joe Ingles flopped with five points on 2-of-9 shooting, but had eight assists, and Jae Crowder stayed relevant off the bench with 12 points, eight boards, a steal and two 3-pointers. He was better than Derrick Favors last night, but I can’t figure those two out, nor can I trust either of them.
Clippers 140, Celtics 115 – The Clippers destroyed the reeling Celtics and saw all five starters score in double digits, while reserves Montrezl Harrell (20 points) and Lou Williams (34 points) went off. This game was a joke and the Celtics continue to try to find themselves. Ivica Zubac had 14 points and seven boards, Patrick Beverley had 11 points, five boards, six assists, a block and two 3-pointers, and Landry Shamet added 11 points, five assists, and three 3-pointers in the win. All of them are worth a look in fantasy right now. Williams moved past Dell Curry into the top spot on the NBA’s all-time bench scoring list, and will look to build on it the rest of the way, as well as the postseason.
The Celtics were a disaster. They sit as the No. 5 seed in the East, but are 4-6 in their last 10, and appear to be locked into the five seed, behind the Pacers and ahead of the Nets. Terry Rozier actually led the team off the bench with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting, Jaylen Brown scored 22 with seven rebounds, three steals and three 3-pointers in a start, Kyrie Irving had 18 points and 11 assists, and Al Horford was quiet with 10 points and one rebound in 26 minutes. This game was a blowout, so there’s not a lot to learn from it, but Rozier needs more minutes – clearly. Gordon Hayward hit just 3-of-7 shots in 22 minutes, and continues to be the most hit-or-miss guy in fantasy hoops these days. Rozier was awesome, but I don’t trust him on any night that Irving is playing.
