History was made in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta Monday night, as Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony added another line to their respective career resumes. The negative on Monday: Denver, which nearly came back to beat the Lakers in Los Angeles, may have lost another rotation guard due to injury. It’s Daily Dose time.
Monday’s Scores
Magic 119, Pistons 112
Wizards 154, Pacers 141
Warriors 123, Pelicans 108
Hawks 123, Trail Blazers 114
76ers 106, Bulls 94
Knicks 118, Grizzlies 104
Jazz 110, Spurs 99
Lakers 93, Nuggets 89
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1. Kuzma starts with LeBron sidelined Monday
With LeBron James dealing with soreness in the right ankle that kept him sidelined for 20 games, Kyle Kuzma was back in the starting lineup for Monday’s win over the Nuggets. He didn’t have a great night, scoring six points on 2-of-4 shooting while also accounting for four rebounds, two assists and two 3-pointers. But Kuzma’s biggest contribution may have been his statement that Marc Gasol needed to play more. This was a matchup where Gasol could be of greater use to the Lakers than Montrezl Harrell, and in 17 minutes the veteran center recorded a line of 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block and three 3-pointers.
Does this game turn Gasol into a player that fantasy managers who are in need of a big man can rely on? No. But at the very least, Monday’s game was a reminder of Gasol’s value when the Lakers are faced with certain matchups. That matchup was, of course, Nikola Jokic. He still managed to put up 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block and one 3-pointer in 36 minutes, but Jokic did so on 12-of-28 shooting from the field. Gasol and Andre Drummond (four points, one assist and two steals in 22 minutes) deserve a lot of credit for that.
Anthony Davis, whose block of a Facundo Campazzo 3-point attempt in the final seconds maintained the four-point margin, played better than he did in Sunday’s loss to the Raptors. Playing 33 minutes, he finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one 3-pointer. That being said, the right calf appeared to be giving Davis some trouble during the third quarter. A team trainer was able to stretch him out, and the positive here is that the Lakers don’t play again until Thursday night against the Clippers.
Alex Caruso (11/5/3/1/1 with two 3-pointers in 28 minutes) also looked better in the second game of the back-to-back, while Talen Horton-Tucker chipped in with 10 points, one rebound and three assists. THT also turned the ball over five times, a number that will have to come down as he’ll spend more time on the ball with LeBron and Dennis Schroder (health and safety protocols) sidelined.
2. Nuggets lose another guard due to injury
As mentioned above, Jokic had himself another 30-point night. But his supporting cast didn’t get going until the fourth quarter. And one of those players, P.J. Dozier, went down with an injury during the second half. At the time Dozier appeared to have injured his groin, which was also what Michael Malone said during his postgame press conference. However, the Nuggets announced that Dozier suffered a right hip injury. Regardless of the body part, the last thing Denver needed was to lose another perimeter player due to injury. Jamal Murray (torn ACL) is done for the season, while Monte Morris and Will Barton are both out with hamstring injuries. And in the case of Barton, he doesn’t have a timeline for return.
Dozier’s injury opens up more time for Austin Rivers (3/3/6/1 in 33 minutes) and Shaquille Harrison (three points, one rebound, one block and one 3-pointer in 13 minutes), while the previously mentioned Campazzo (8/4/8/5 with one 3-pointer) is now of even greater importance than he already was. Campazzo’s fantasy value had already increased, but does the same happen with either Rivers or Harrison? I’d bet on Rivers receiving a boost due to what he can do as a creator on the ball, but it’s slim pickings at this point. Michael Porter Jr. (19/6/0/1 with two 3-pointers) finally got going in the second half, but he didn’t offer much while the offense wasn’t coming as easily in the first half. That will be the next step in his development as a pro, and a fantasy option: producing in other areas when the points aren’t coming.
Paul Millsap was a DNP-CD with JaMychal Green (6/7/0/1) and JaVale McGee (10/3/1/0/1) serving as the backup power forward and center, respectively.
3. Westbrook makes more triple-double history
Only two players in NBA history have posted triple-doubles with at least 20 rebounds and 20 assists: Wilt Chamberlain and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook became the first player to have two such games, as he finished Washington’s win over Indiana with a line of 14 points, 21 rebounds, 24 assists, one steal and one blocked shot in 39 minutes. He attempted just eight shots from the field, making five, content to let Rui Hachimura (27/7/2/0/1 with one 3-pointer), Bradley Beal (26/5/6/2/1 with one 3-pointer) and the rest of the Wizards handle most of the scoring. And that they did, as nine of the ten Wizards who scored reached double figures.
Robin Lopez (11/1/1) played 16 minutes in his return to the rotation, while Alex Len(12/2/0/1) played 17 and Daniel Gafford (15/2/0/1/2) 15. Figuring out which Wizards center to go with in deep leagues can be a tough task, as it takes a lot for any of the three to exceed 20 minutes on any given night. Gafford, who’s rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues, has been the best as far as fantasy value is concerned, as he has provided top-100 value over the last two weeks. Even with the “limited” minutes, Gafford’s production as a shot-blocker could potentially make a difference in someone’s fantasy playoff matchup. Len is rostered in 4% of Yahoo leagues, and Lopez 3%.
4. Carmelo continues climb up points list, but Gallinari steals the show
While Portland was unable to build on Sunday’s win over the Celtics, losing by nine in Atlanta, Carmelo Anthony continued his move up the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Finishing with 14 points and three 3-pointers, Anthony passed Elvin Hayes to move into 10th on that list. He’s been good for 13-15 points per night coming off the bench, but the production in non-points categories hasn’t been consistent enough to keep him on the radar in many standard leagues (rostered in 49% of Yahoo leagues). Damian Lillard (33/2/8/2 with six 3-pointers) and C.J. McCollum (20/5/7/0/1 with two 3-pointers) led the way for Portland, while Norman Powell chipped in with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and three 3-pointers. He’s been dealing with some right knee soreness recently, so Powell being able to log 32 minutes one night after playing 39 in Boston is a positive sign.
Atlanta won this game due in large part to the play of Danilo Gallinari, who tallied 28 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block and seven 3-pointers in 32 minutes off the bench. He shot 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line, bouncing back from Saturday’s subpar performance in a win over the Bulls. Rostered in 58% of Yahoo leagues, Gallinari has been a top-100 player in 9-cat over the last month. Bogdan Bogdanovic (25/3/3/2 with seven 3-pointers; 23 in the first half) and Trae Young (21/6/11 with one 3-pointer) also surpassed the 20-point mark, with the former managing to play through a sore left hamstring.
Tony Snell (six points, three rebounds and two 3-pointers), who’s a non-factor in fantasy, played 25 minutes despite being listed on the pregame injury report with a sprained right ankle. His being limited opens the door for Solomon Hill (7/3/2 with one 3-pointer) to pick up a few more minutes, but he isn’t worth rostering or streaming, either.
5. Burks returns, but Rose blooms on his college court
While the Knicks were without Nerlens Noel, as he sprained his left ankle during Sunday’s win over the Rockets, they did welcome back another quality contributor Monday night. Alec Burks, who missed the prior eight games due to health and safety protocols, was available and played 16 minutes in the win over the Grizzlies. Shooting 4-of-7 from the field, he accounted for nine points, two rebounds, two assists and one 3-pointer. There was a concerning moment during the fourth quarter when Ja Morant fell on Burks’ right leg, but he was able to limp off under his own power and didn’t seem to be too troubled by the injury at game’s end. The Knicks have four more games to play on this current road trip with no back-to-backs, which should be a positive with regard to working Burks back into the mix.
One person whose role/production wasn’t impacted by Burks’ return was Derrick Rose, who established a new season-high in the building where he dominated for one season as a collegian. Shooting 11-of-15 from the field, Rose tallied 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and three 3-pointers in 27 minutes. Elfrid Payton remains the starter at the point, and that isn’t going to change unless he suffers an injury. But when it comes to finishing games, Rose has been Tom Thibodeau’s top choice. Julius Randle (28/6/6/1 with five 3-pointers) shot 4-of-15 from two, but still came close to putting up another 30-point line.
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6. Curry leads Warriors with 41-point night
At this point Stephen Curry going off is to be expected, and he had himself another big night in the Warriors’ win over the Pelicans. Shooting 14-of-26 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line, he finished with 41 points, four rebounds, eight assists, one steal and eight 3-pointers in 35 minutes. Curry has scored 30 points or more in five of his last six games, and for the season he trails only the aforementioned Jokic in 9-cat formats. Andrew Wiggins (26/4/0/1/2 with two 3-pointers) has been a top-50 player over the last two weeks, while Draymond Green (10/13/15/3/2) has provided first-round value during this same stretch of games.
The Curry/Green/Wiggins trio will have to continue to do much of the heavy lifting for the Warriors, as Kelly Oubre (left wrist) won’t be re-evaluated until the Warriors return home from this current road trip (which ends Tuesday night with their rematch with the Pelicans). The good news for the Warriors is that they’ll play their final six games at home, with the Thunder being the visitors for two of them.
7. Spurs welcome back DeRozan, Murray and Poeltl
DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray and Jakob Poeltl were all back in the starting lineup Monday night, after sitting out Sunday’s overtime loss to the 76ers due to that being the first game of this back-to-back. While DeRozan (22/1/6/3/1) and Murray (15/6/5/1) managed to post solid lines, Poeltl (6/3/4) struggled mightily with Rudy Gobert (24/15/1/2/3) and played just 20 minutes in the 11-point defeat. Of the three centers who saw action Gorgui Dieng (9/4/3/2) was the most effective, doing his work in 16 minutes on the court. Drew Eubanks (6/2/2/0/1), who started Sunday night, played 12 minutes.
This is worth keeping an eye on in the short-term, as San Antonio will have to deal with the Jazz again Wednesday night. Between this, and the Spurs having another back-to-back beginning Friday (at Sacramento, at Portland), fantasy managers who have Poeltl rostered may need to, at the very least, consider an alternative. In addition to Gobert, the Spurs had no answer for Bojan Bogdanovic, who finished with 25 points (10-of-17 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), three rebounds, two assists and two 3-pointers. Bogdanovic has scored 22 or more in four of his last five games, and he’s in the midst of one of his best runs of the season. The concern: what happens when Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley are cleared to return? That may not matter as far as fantasy playoffs are concerned, but it’s something that has to be discussed when it comes to Utah’s title hopes.
8. Grayson Allen struggles in return to lineup
The Grizzlies guard was back after missing the two games prior due to a left hand injury, and he was immediately thrust into the starting lineup. Allen played 26 minutes, scoring two points (0-of-5 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs) with five rebounds, five assists and one steal. At least Allen gave the few who still have him rostered some non-points production, but overall this was a rough night. Desmond Bane returned to the bench and had the best scoring night of his young NBA career, pumping in 22 points (9-of-13 FGs) with eight rebounds, two assists, three steals and four 3-pointers in 26 minutes. The bigger loser here was De’Anthony Melton (three points, one rebound and one 3-pointer), who played just nine minutes.
Dillon Brooks (25/1/1/2 with five 3-pointers) led the way for Memphis, while Jaren Jackson Jr. (15 points, three rebounds and two 3-pointers) had a solid night in his 20 minutes off the bench. JJJ has played no more than 25 minutes in any of the six games that he’s appeared in, which has to be a bit frustrating for fantasy managers who were hoping for a quicker ramp-up. What makes matters even worse here is that next up for Memphis is a back-to-back, as they’ll visit the Timberwolves on Wednesday and the Pistons the following night. Jackson has sat out a game in each of Memphis’ prior two back-to-backs.
9. Korkmaz re-injures right ankle in Chicago
76ers reserve guard Furkan Korkmaz isn’t a major factor as far a fantasy is concerned, as he’s rostered in 4% of Yahoo leagues and ranks outside of the top-200 in 9-cat formats. Korkmaz’s minutes have decreased in recent games and, during Monday’s win over the Bulls, he re-injured the right ankle that was first an issue a couple weeks ago during a game against the Suns. While Korkmaz having to miss time beyond Monday wouldn’t free up too many minutes for the other perimeter reserves, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton could be in line for a slight increase.
Thybulle (eight points, one steal, three blocks and two 3-pointers) has played 20 minutes or more in three straight games, and he has been close to a top-100 player over the last two weeks. While the defensive production has always been there for Thybulle, he has gone 5-of-12 from three in Philadelphia’s last five games. Not great, but if he can give something from the perimeter on a consistent basis that would give his fantasy value (and more importantly, his career) a welcome boost. Shake Milton added nine points, one rebound, three assists and two 3-pointers in 15 minutes. As for the stars, Tobias Harris (21/9/3/2) and Seth Curry (20/4/4/1 with three 3-pointers) led the way, while Ben Simmons (15/6/5/3), Danny Green (14/4/3/4 with four 3-pointers) and Joel Embiid (13/10/3/0/3) posted solid lines as far as fantasy is concerned.
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10. Sumner returns from knee injury but departs early
Pacers guard Edmond Sumner, who had to leave Saturday’s rout of the Thunder during the first half due to a left knee contusion, was back in the starting lineup Monday night in Washington. He started 16 of the Pacers’ 17 games prior, averaging 11.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks and 0.8 3-pointers per, while shooting 56.6% from the field and 80.5% from the foul line. Those aren’t numbers that jump off the page, but with Malcolm Brodgon (sore right hamstring) still sidelined, Sumner’s opportunities have increased in recent games.
Unfortunately he played just 16 minutes in Monday’s loss before leaving due to the knee contusion, finishing with 10 points, two rebounds, one assist and two 3-pointers. Aaron Holiday, who has played 21 minutes or more in each of the Pacers’ last four games, finished with 15 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and two 3-pointers in 25 minutes off the bench. Sumner’s injury, if it continues to limit him, could mean a slight increase in minutes for Holiday, but it won’t be enough to make him a factor in most fantasy leagues.
Domantas Sabonis (32/19/9/3 with one 3-pointer) being able to play 43 minutes in his second game back from injury is a positive, but he and Caris LeVert (33/7/5/0/2 with two 3-pointers in 38 minutes) are going to need some help if the Pacers are to hold onto a spot in the play-in tournament.
