Giannis Antetokounmpo had a big triple-double, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went off and an unlikely guard duo in Portland came through in fantasy on Thursday. We also have a C.J. McCollum sighting and Cam Reddish is a Knick. Here’s how it all went down.
Cam Reddish has been traded to the Knicks and is worth grabbing everywhere until we see how he does with his new team. I think he’s going to play big minutes and finish strong over the second half. Make sure he’s not available in your league. His departure from Atlanta should also help De’Andre Hunter, so make sure he’s not floating on your waiver wire, either.
Thunder 130, Nets 109 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit 11-of-18 shots for 33 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, a steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers in Thursday’s big 130-109 win over the Kevin Durant-less Nets. SGA was awesome, Luguentz Dort added 27 points and six triples, Josh Giddey had 19 points, seven assists and three 3-pointers, and Darius Bazley came off the bench for 16 points, five boards, another block and two 3-pointers on 6-of-9 shooting. Bazley is probably available in your league and is kind of hot, averaging 13.3 points, 6.3 boards, 1.3 3-pointers and 1.3 blocks on 16-of-25 shooting over his last three games. They play again on Saturday and then go 4-2-4-4 over the next four weeks schedule-wise. Make sure Dort’s not available, while you’re at it.
Kevin Durant rested for the Nets and Kyrie Irving sat out because they were at home. James Harden led the way with a 26-7-9-3-3-3 line but only David Duke Jr. (off the bench) joined him in double-digit scoring last night with 13 points. Guys named Kessler Edwards, Day’Ron Sharpe, Bruce Brown and DeAndre Bembry joined Harden in the starting unit, which is why the Nets were so bad. KD should be back for the next one, but Irving will sit again on Saturday with a home game against the Pelicans. Good news is on the horizon for Kyrie though, as the Nets are on the road for their next four games after Saturday and then 11 of their next 16 games are on the road. And I’m guessing by the time that road trip is over Irving might even be allowed to play in home games. We shall see.
Bucks 118, Warriors 99 – Giannis Antetokounmpo went off for a 30-12-11 triple-double with three blocks on 11-of-17 shooting in an easy win over the Warriors. Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Grayson Allen also came through with strong games and Allen might be worth a look right now. Jordan Nwora, who has been a hot pickup recently, came off the bench for just six points, seven rebounds and two steals on 3-of-10 shooting in 20 minutes. You can probably do better off your wire.
Stephen Curry was a dud with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two triples on 4-of-11 shooting and Klay Thompson hit just 3-of-11 shots and two 3-pointers in the loss. Draymond Green remains out with his calf injury and Kevon Looney’s seven points and seven boards, and Jonathan Kuminga’s 15 points and seven boards off the bench weren’t enough. Kuminga’s an interesting option as long as Green is out but he’s not very trustworthy. Curry’s well documented shooting slump has to end soon but he’s hit just 54-of-155 shots over his last eight games, good for just 35 percent. He’ll look to get right against the Bulls on Friday night and the Warriors have four games next week.
Grizzlies 116, Wolves 108 – Desmond Bane led the way with 21 points, two triples and four steals on 5-of-12 shooting and his 9-of-9 free throw shooting helped salvage his line. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 20 points, two 3-pointers, five blocks, a steal and five boards in a stellar performance while Ja Morant proved he’s human by hitting just 5-of-16 shots for 16 points, but also had eight boards and nine dimes as the Grizzlies won their 11th straight game. Ja was 0-for-7 from downtown in his worst game in recent memory. Brandon Clarke had 14 points and eight boards off the bench and John Konchar went nuts with 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting with three 3-pointers. This has fluke written all over it but he’s certainly worth keeping an eye on after this explosion. The Grizzlies go 4-3-3-3 over the next four weeks so Clarke and possibly Konchar are worth a look if they can keep it going.
Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with a 30-point gem and a full stat line that included five triples, De’Angelo Russell hit 11-of-19 shots and six 3-pointers for 29 points and six dimes, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points, nine boards, a steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers on 11-of-17 shooting but it wasn’t enough. Jarred Vanderbilt scored eight points and had 13 boards but had an otherwise empty stat line. He’s worth hanging onto for now.
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Pelicans 113, Clippers 89 – Brandon Ingram hit 10-of-19 shots and a 3-pointer for a 24-5-6 line with a steal, Jonas Valanciunas had an 18 & 16 double-double, and Herbert Jones (14 points, three steals, two 3-pointers), Devonte’ Graham (13-6-7 with four triples) and Josh Hart (12 points, five boards, three dimes, one steal and two 3-pointers) kept it going in the win. Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit 3-of-10 shots in 21 minutes for six points and nothing else. It’s time to move on. Make sure Jones and/or Hart aren’t available in your league.
The Clippers were a disaster as Terance Mann led them off the bench with 15 points and Marcus Morris added 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting, going just 1-of-9 from distance. Serge Ibaka, Xavier Moon and Brandon Boston Jr. each scored 10 points, but this box score can be thrown in the trash. Amir Coffey, who came in hot, hit 2-of-7 shots for five points, six boards, five assists, a steal and a 3-pointer and I’m all for giving him a few more chances as long as he’s starting. Reggie Jackson was 2-of-11 and the Clips shot just 38 percent for the night.
Nuggets 140, Blazers 108 – Will Barton returned to action and form with 21 points and four 3-pointers to lead the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic added 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a 3-pointer on 8-of-10 shooting in 28 minutes. Jeff Green hit 9-of-11 shots for 19 points, five rebounds and three assists in a start and the Nuggets have games on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re looking for a two-game player to add for the weekend, Green may not be a bad choice. The Nuggets go 3-4-4 over the next three weeks. Facundo Campazzo got hot for 18 points, 12 dimes, four steals and three 3-pointers on 7-of-10 shooting in 27 minutes. He rendered Monte Morris useless last night and might finally be ready to start playing at a high level. But I’ll need to see it a couple more times before buying in. Keep in mind this was a mind-numbing 140-108 blowout over an undermanned opponent. Bones Hyland came through with 17 points and five triples and Zeke Nnaji hit 6-of-8 shots and a three for 16 points and nine boards. But take another look at the score before getting too excited about any of these guys.
Big news out of Portland these days, huh? Damian Lillard is out indefinitely after finally having abdominal surgery, Anfernee Simons will likely remain out on bereavement through Saturday’s game, and C.J. McCollum’s lung is healed, and he’ll rejoin the team at some point over their next six games. Make sure he’s not available in your league. Meanwhile, Ben McLemore stayed hot with 18 points, four 3-pointers, four assists and two steals to lead the Blazers. Dennis Smith Jr. started for Lillard/Simons and hit 7-of-12 shots for 17 points and eight assists, while Robert Covington, Nassir Little and Jusuf Nurkic joined the two guards in double-digit scoring. The same crew should be starting again on Saturday so they’re all worth a look in that one, but DSJ and B-Mac will lose a lot of luster once Simons and CJM are back. Portland goes 4-4-4 over the next three weeks so I think Little and Simons are must-have players, McLemore is close to it right now, and DSJ might be able to keep it going until we see McCollum back on the court.
