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Trades are well underway, Giannis posts freakish line in win over LAL

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

What Monday’s five-game slate lacked was made up for in a big way by Tuesday’s 10-game evening, and in addition to double the number of games, we had some massive trades.

Trades

I won’t focus too much on the trades that were made Tuesday morning/afternoon as we’ll have plenty of pieces on players’ post-trade deadline value, how it affects their respective teams, etc. I’ll break down the main two below, very quickly:

Trade: Pelicans receive C.J. McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell from the Trail Blazers; Trail Blazers receive Josh Hart, Nickeil-Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, Tomas Satoransky, one protected first-round pick and two future seconds from the Pelicans (will wave Cody Zeller for roster space).

Notes: McCollum will be fine in New Orleans, Larry Nance Jr. could have some value if he gets 25+ minutes, Josh Hart may have to score more as will NAW, but just be prepared for NAW’s field goal percentage to continue to be brutal. Nance Jr. could also hurt Jaxson Hayes, which is a shame given how well he’s playing.

Trade: Kings receive Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second round pick from the Pacers; Pacers receive Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson from the Kings.

Notes: All I’m really wondering is what in the world the Kings are doing. Moving Fox would’ve been understandable, but they opted to keep him over Hali, who has been incredible this season. Sabonis will be fine and could totally kill what little value Richaun Holmes had, but Holmes could be on the move as well. Maybe Jeremy Lamb turns into a late-round guy in Sacramento, and Hield will also continue to fire away no matter what team he’s on. The clear winners off the bat here are Pacers big man Isaiah Jackson, and as long as he’s healthy soon, he’s going to feast even if he gets minutes in the 20s. Davion Mitchell looks like a must-roster guy going forward as well, so if either guy is available, go get them.

Devin Booker makes sure Suns remain victorious

The Suns are on another winning streak with their third straight win coming in a 114-109 defeat of the 76ers on Tuesday, and they’ve now won 14 of their last 15 games. Devin Booker is on a tear and has been for quite some time, as he went for another 30-piece and finished his evening with 35 points (11-of-23 FGs, 10-of-11 FTs), four rebounds, three assists, one steal, three 3-pointers and three turnovers in 37 minutes. His game log is just ridiculous and he’s scored at least 30 in four of his last five, and his point totals in the four before that were 28, 29, 43 and 33. The surrounding stats could be better but he’s never been super great in the non-scoring areas, but he’s doing enough to get back into third-round territory on the season. JaVale McGee outplayed starting center Deandre Ayton for the second straight game, as McGee double-doubled to the tune of 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in just 18 minutes. This likely won’t be a trend that stays and it’s possible DA (10/6/0/1/1 in 30 minutes) was just afraid of Joel Embiid (do you blame him?) and wasn’t as aggressive as usual, and he should be much better against Bobby Portis on Thursday. Chris Paul had a 16/4/12 line with two steals but did shoot just 7-of-18 with six turnovers in 42 minutes, but that’s rare for him. Mikal Bridges is going from boring mid-round guy to fun early-round guy (second-rounder over the past two weeks) as he went for 23 points (9-of-14 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), four rebounds, two assists, one block and one 3-pointer in 41 minutes. Bridges simply doesn’t make mistakes, and with his scoring being way up lately, he’s looking like a draft-day steal. Jae Crowder missed all six of his shots and didn’t score but hauled in a team-high 14 rebounds in his 30 minutes, also adding four dimes and a pair of steals to round out one of the weirder lines of the night.

Only three 76ers players reached double figures, and two of them did so in a big way with 30-point showings. Joel Embiid tallied his 17th 30/10 game of this season alone (behind only Giannis, who got his 18th on the same night) as he went for 34 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals, two triples and two turnovers in 33 minutes. He could have had even more points had he gotten to the line more (made all six freebies), but the Suns did about as good as you can defending the MVP candidate. Tobias Harris was excellent with a 30/7/3 line on an ultra-efficient 13-of-18 shooting with two treys, but he didn’t add anything else besides his four turnovers if you wanted to find some negatives with Tobi. Tyrese Maxey was the third and final guy with points in double figures as he recorded a 14/6/4 line, also with no defensive stats, but unlike Harris struggled from the field with a 5-of-16 clip. He’s one of the more efficient guards in the league and hit at least half of his shots in five straight coming in, so don’t fret about one off night.

Celtics hand Nets their 9th straight loss

The Celtics opened the game on an absurd 28-2 run and Brooklyn tried to come back but it didn’t work in the 126-91 Celtics win. It’s really the same old, same old for Boston, as Jaylen Brown was on fire with his 9-of-12 shooting clip for a 22/7/9 line with a trey and three turnovers in 28 minutes, and the assists match his most since a triple-double against the Knicks on January 8, which is a welcome sight given he’s had no more than six in a game since then. Marcus Smart decided to play offense in this one and tied team-high honors with Brown with 22 points on 50% shooting, one rebound, three assists, one steal, one block, six 3-pointers and just one turnover in 28 minutes, and you can’t expect him to score 20+ often but it’s sure nice to know he’s capable. Jayson Tatum posted an efficient 19/5/4 line with two triples, one steal and no turnovers in just 27 minutes, Robert Williams had a 12-point, 11-board double-double with an assist, one steal and three more swats without any turnovers and Al Horford posted a low-end but usable 9/5/7/1/2 line with a triple for good measure. Enes Freedom gobbled up 12 boards off the bench but he’s a non-factor with Time Lord looking like one of the best centers in the league.

If the regular season ended today, the Nets would be competing in the play-in tournament. The starting lineup combined for 21 points and were rightfully benched in favor of their reserves, who did much better, but it was too little too late for Brooklyn. James Harden (left hamstring tightness/trade block) didn’t play, so the Nets’ ninth straight loss was led by Jevon Carter who randomly scored 21 points with three rebounds, three assists, one block and seven treys in 31 minutes, but he combined for 23 points over his last four games, so I’m not sold. He could have a role with the Nets playing 15 of their remaining 28 games at home (meaning no Kyrie Irving, just like on Tuesday), but I’m far more interested in Cam Thomas, who went for a 17/5/3 line with a steal in 28 minutes. He’s looked fantastic and is coming off of a two game stretch in which he averaged 25 points per game and nearly looks like must-have guy going forward, especially if you need some added scoring on your squad. It’s hard to take a ton away from this with the Nets Big Three inactive, but James Johnson (17/3/5/1/1) and David Duke Jr. (13/3/2 with four steals) both had solid lines off the pine.

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Hawks take advantage of depleted Pacers squad

The Pacers completed the Sabonis trade the morning before their 133-112 loss to the Hawks, so they only had eight guys play. Like the Celtics/Nets game, it’s really hard to tell what’s going on from a fantasy standpoint as this Pacers team particularly will look much different very soon, but you can’t take away Trae Young’s 34-point, 11-dime evening. Trae shot 13-of-20 from the floor and added one board, one block, six 3-pointers and five turnovers in 30 minutes, and this was his highest shooting clip since his 56-point explosion against the Blazers over a month ago (17-of-26 in that one). John Collins was next up with 20 points but his only other notable stats were his two triples and one block in 21 minutes, while Kevin Huerter posted a boring but at least efficient 12/4/4 line with a block and two triples in 31 minutes. Off the Atlanta bench, Onyeka Okongwu (14/3/1/1/1 in 17 minutes) continues to see similar minutes to starting center Clint Capela (6/12/3 with three steals in 21 minutes), and this is almost starting to look like a time share that makes both guys hard to trust. Okongwu has looked better and is ranked less than two rounds lower than Capela on a per-game basis, so definitely keep an eye on this situation. Bogdan Bogdanovic remained a reserve and looked pretty good again with 13 points and three 3-pointers in 21 minutes, and his adjustment to his new role has been very smooth with seventh-round value over the last two weeks.

It’s hard to take much away from the Pacers’ side of things before they bring in their new guys, but Chris Duarte showed that he doesn’t deserve to lose any minutes to Buddy Hield. He went off for 25 points (8-of-16 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), two rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block, two triples and four turnovers in 35 minutes of a start, and I was excited about him when Caris LeVert left town but had to get a little un-excited with Hali and Hield now on his team. Don’t cut him, but see what his role looks like for a few games if you roster him. Lance Stephenson re-emerged and nearly triple-doubled with a 24/9/8 line in 34 minutes, Goga Bitadze recorded a full 14/2/2/2/3 line in 30 minutes of the start (he could be good, but not as good as Isaiah Jackson will be), Oshae Brissett posted a 15/6/2 line with a pair of steals and Terry Taylor scored seven points with 10 rebounds. Again, they only played eight guys and we’re waiting on the trade to be official, so hang on tight (unless Jackson is on your wire, please go get him).

JJJ posts 9-cat gem in easy win over LAC

Sure, Ja Morant shot 12-of-19 for a 30/7/5 line with a steal, one 3-pointer and five turnovers in the 135-109 win over the Clippers, but he always gets the headline (which is warranted, I’m just switching it up). Jaren Jackson Jr. had what we call a 9-cat gem, as he went off for 26 points (8-of-14 FGs, 9-of-9 FTs), 11 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, one 3-pointer and no turnovers in 26 minutes. There was not one part of this line that didn’t help JJJ’s managers, and there also wasn’t a part of it that hurt either, so it’s safe to say he was even more fantastic than usual. A lot of Grizzlies had fun, including Brandon Clarke who had his best game in a bit, as he had a 18/7/4 effort with three blocks and no turnovers in just 24 minutes, and he also only missed three of his 12 shots from the floor. Kyle Anderson scored 11 points with eight rebounds and three steals, Ziaire Williams and John Konchar each scored 10 points and De’Anthony Melton scored just six points but all other parts of his 6/2/4/3/2 line with a trey were much better, and he just won’t go away.

The Clippers had six of their eight wings that got in the game play at least 23 minutes, and while that is absolutely not ideal for fantasy purposes, the blowout had a lot to do with the balanced minutes. Norman Powell got the start and scored 16 points on 50% shooting to go with two boards, two dimes, one steal, two blocks, one 3-pointer and two turnovers in 23 minutes, and he’s going to be just fine in his new town. Isaiah Hartenstein showed his multi-category upside with a huge 19/7/4/1/2 line in 28 minutes, and if he gets minutes anywhere close to there going forward he would be a very hot pick up for his very fantasy friendly game. Terance Mann fared well with an efficient 14/6/7 line with two steals and a triple, Reggie Jackson did more bad (5-of-14 FGs, six turnovers) than good (12 points, three assists, two steals) and Marcus Morris Sr. scored just three points before being ejected for clocking Ja Morant in the face late. Robert Covington looked good again with a 14/6/1/1/2 effort, and he’s made it clear that no matter where he ends up, he’s going to get you 1-2 each in the triples, steals and blocks categories every night, which is fantasy gold. I am worried about Amir Coffey (13 points, three triples in 24 minutes) and even more so about Luke Kennard (5/3/2 in 15 minutes) just because there are so many solid wings to give minutes to. Powell and Covington are going to play plenty, and Morris has been mostly solid, so I’m not sure where these two are going to get their playing time. They were both hot pickups not even two weeks ago but the trade changed that rather quickly, and you can maybe wait a game but I wouldn’t hold on to them too much longer.

Luka leads Mavs to easy win over Pistons

The blowouts just keep coming, and I’m sorry to inform you that this won’t be the last one. The Mavericks took care of the now 12-42 Pistons with ease in a 116-86 victory led by Luka Doncic, who shot 9-of-18 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the line for a 33/7/11/1/2 line with five treys and five turnovers in 33 minutes. He would’ve had his third straight triple-double if the Pistons were good in any way. Jalen Brunson scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting but added just a board, four dimes and two triples in 26 minutes and Trey Burke came out of nowhere for 18 garbage-time points off the bench. Reggie Bullock returned to human form but was still pretty good with 12 points, four rebounds and four more triples and has to be rostered for the time being, Dwight Powell was okay with 10 points and seven boards in 20 minutes and Dorian Finney-Smith went for a 11/7/3 line with two steals and two treys in 29 minutes. Dallas has now won three straight and five of their last seven and are finally looking like the team we thought they were before the season commenced, even with Kristaps Porzingis (knee) not able to stay healthy.

There was a Beef Stew showing on Detroit’s side, as Isaiah Stewart posted a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double with one assist and one steal in 29 minutes, and with six straight games with double-digit rebounds (three of which were 2x2s), I’m really hoping he can finish the season as strong as he did last year. Hamidou Diallo surprised yet again with 18 points, five rebounds, one steal and one triple in 26 minutes, and he’s been surprisingly good but mostly because someone needs to step up with Cade Cunningham (hip) in street clothes. Jerami Grant scored a pretty boring and inefficient 15 points, Trey Lyles scored 12 points with six boards and a steal and Saddiq Bey was just awful with three points on 1-of-11 shooting, but he was on a heater coming in so shake it off and move on.

Pelicans still defeat Rockets despite being short-handed

The Pels didn’t have Josh Hart or Nickeil-Alexander Walker and obviously don’t have C.J. McCollum yet, but that didn’t stop them from beating the Rockets by a final score of 110-97. Reigning Western Conference Player of the Week Brandon Ingram kept his foot on the gas with a team-high 26 points (11-of-17 FGs) along with two rebounds, two assists, three blocks, one 3-pointer and five turnovers in 34 minutes. In four February games, Ingram is putting up top-20 value in that span with a 27.0/3.0/7.5/1.3/1.8 stat line on 51.3% shooting, and McCollum’s arrival may even help him a bit by taking some pressure off of their clear-cut number one option (plus, he’s finally getting some defensive goodies). Jaxson Hayes keeps getting it done and he played 36 minutes for a 14/7/3/1/1 line, and it’s a shame that Larry Nance Jr. could cut into his minutes pretty heftily, but he’s been too good to cut right away. Herb Jones had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double with three assists and three more steals and I don’t think this trade will impact him at all, but rather help him with Josh Hart not in town. Sadly, the trade could mean bad news for Jose Alvarado (12/2/3 with two steals in 19 minutes), who has been a surprisingly effective player for a while now, but C.J. could take some of his already-low minutes away. Otherwise, Jonas Valanciunas scored 13 points with eight boards and a swat, Devonte’ Graham scored just nine points but at least had eight dimes and three triples and Naji Marshall recorded a randomly fun 14/3/2/2/1 line.

The Rockets aren’t quite as bad as the Pistons but they really aren’t good and lost their third straight and have dropped seven of their last eight overall. Kevin Porter Jr. was incredible, however, as he went off for a season-high 27 points, and he got his points very efficiently with a 9-of-16 shooting clip and added three rebounds, five assists, one steal and unfortunately seven turnovers in 36 minutes. Don’t be fooled though, as KPJ combined for 29 points in his last three on 42.3% shooting but at least only averaged 1.7 TOs in that span, but he was back to his old ways in that category on Tuesday. Christian Wood had a nice 19/9/1/1/1 line with thee 3-pointers but his percentages weren’t great, as he went 5-of-15 from the floor and 6-of-10 from the line. However, the low field goal percentage is an anomaly for Wood lately as he had made at least half of his shots in 13 of his 15 games before this, and maybe he’ll be a top-100 guy when all is said and done. Alperen Sengun started again and was nice with 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and four turnovers, and he has league-winner written all over him and is somehow rostered in just 36% of leagues as I type this (go get him). The other semi-useful fantasy efforts in Houston included Garrison Mathews (11/6/3 but on 1-of-6 shooting, 8-of-9 FTs), Jae’Sean Tate (9/9/3 with three steals) and kind of Jalen Green (12/3/4 with a steal and two triples on 5-of-12 shooting).

Four (almost five) Nuggets score 20+ points against NYK

The Nuggets box score looked pretty weird in Tuesday’s 132-115 win over the Knicks as there were some good lines from some guys you wouldn’t expect them from. Bones Hyland was the one that led the team with 22 points (6-of-12 FGs, 6-of-7 FTs), six rebounds, three assists and four 3-pointers in 25 minutes off the bench, and JaMychal Green’s season-high 20 points with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two triples on 100.00 eFG% in 17 minutes were just as bizarre. I’m not bothering with either of these guys, especially Green, and while Bones could carve out more of a role I don’t think he can be trusted consistently. Nikola Jokic had a “bad” game with a 21/11/7 effort with six turnovers, and Will Barton was really solid with an efficient 20/7/5 line with a steal and four triples. Aaron Gordon was a point away from making it five Nuggets with at least 20, as he scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added eight rebounds, four assists, one block and three triples in his 31 minutes and has looked really good in two straight. Zeke Nnaji scored in double figures for the second straight game and scored 11 points with seven boards and a steal, but Jokic, Barton, Gordon and usually Monte Morris (5/1/6 in 28 minutes) are usually the only Nuggets that should be rostered.

Is Julius Randle good again? He had his third straight really good game and shot exactly 50% from the floor for the third straight time, going for a game-high 28 points with 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, three 3-pointers and one turnover in 34 minutes. The problem is, even with Randle looking much better, the Knicks lost their fourth straight and have far more problems than just Randle’s inconsistency and attitude, and we can’t keep putting the bulk of the blame on him. Evan Fournier was great with a full and efficient 21/7/2/3/1 line with four triples and should be rostered everywhere as a top-75 player over the past two weeks, but that’s really where the good ends in New York. RJ Barrett did score 18 points but shot 7-of-19 from the field, while adding two boards, two assists, four treys and that’s it. Obi Toppin scored 11 points with three boards, one assist, one steal and a triple in just 14 minutes and should really be playing more for this team, and Alec Burks was alright with a 14/4/2 line with a block in his return to the bench, but Derrick Rose could be back after the All-Star break. Kemba Walker scored two whole points after a night of rest, and while he did have eight assists, you can disregard him.

Cole Anthony’s full line leads Magic over depleted Blazers

Portland, like New Orleans, Indiana and Sacramento, weren’t playing at full strength on Tuesday due to the trade, and they were so short-handed that they lost to the Magic by a score of 113-95. Cole Anthony really had it going as he shot 9-of-18 from the field for a big 22/7/9/2/1 effort with three triples and four turnovers in 35 minutes. He’s coming off of a single-digit sinker in a loss to the Celtics on Sunday and bounced back right away by nearly triple-doubling and also by making at least half of his shots for the third time over his last 13 tries. Bad news for rookie Jalen Suggs, as he made it through just seven minutes of the win before exiting with right Achilles soreness and finished with a single point, one assist and two turnovers. Because Suggs barely played, this allowed Gary Harris to play 33 minutes off the bench and score 15 points (all threes) with two boards and four assists, and he’s penciled in to start if Suggs misses any time but he’s not all too exciting unless he really has it going. Wendell Carter Jr. kept things going with a 18/8/5 line with three swats and two triples, and even Mo Bamba finally made some noise with 13 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one triple, but the bad part of this is that he only played 19 minutes. Bamba hasn’t played 30 minutes in a game since late January, and his effort in this one was better but his minutes have to increase if he’s going to be worth starting in fantasy leagues. Franz Wagner was pretty nice with a 13/9/7 line and three triples but shot 5-of-14 from the field without any defensive stats, and Chuma Okeke scored 18 points with five rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench but combined for 18 in his three coming in and can probably be ignored for now.

This Blazers box score was a doozy, but take it all with a grain of salt until the Blazers make more trades and/or Hart and NAW arrive, because they’ll likely be playing a lot. Anfernee Simons led the team with 19 points (7-of-17 FGs), five boards, five assists, one steal, three 3-pointers and two turnovers in 38 minutes, and his role is just fine especially with McCollum now a member of the Pelicans. Jusuf Nurkic posted a full 14/12/4/1/2 double-double but shot just 4-of-16 from the field (6-of-8 FTs, he’s also fine), Justise Winslow started and had a 12/6/3/2/2 line with two treys and four giveaways as a starter, Ben McLemore scored 13 with three treys and Greg Brown III had a career night with 15 points and eight boards in just 19 minutes.

KAT and Malik Beasley headline Wolves’ 20-point win

The Timberwolves starters will be well rested for the second night of their back-to-back against this same Kings team tomorrow, as no starter played more than 28 minutes in the 134-114 win. Karl-Anthony Towns scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting while also chipping in nine rebounds, three assists, two 3-pointers and three turnovers in 28 minutes, and Malik Beasley kept his hot streak going with 21 points and seven triples in just 19 minutes off the pine. Anthony Edwards’ cold streak continued and he scored just five points in 26 minutes, but with Minny playing so well and on a five-game winning streak even amidst Ant-Man’s slump, I’d argue that bodes pretty well for the outlook of the team. Jordan McLaughlin recorded a 11/5/11/1/1 line in just 19 minutes off the bench, with the 11 assists tying his career high, but keep the score in mind. They didn’t need much from anyone else and 15 different Wolves players entered the game, and the notable ones included Jarred Vanderbilt (9/11 with a block), D’Angelo Russell (14/1/7 with a steal on 6-of-15 shooting), Taurean Prince (11/2/2 with four steals) and Naz Reid (12 points, four boards, one steal, two triples).

You won’t believe this: the day that Tyrese Haliburton got traded, De’Aaron Fox’s sore left ankle that caused him to miss eight straight before this suddenly felt good enough for him to play a team-high 35 minutes. You can’t make this up, but in Fox’s defense, he looked incredible with a game-high 29 points (11-of-22 FGs), seven rebounds, six assists, one steal, four 3-pointers and five turnovers. If this is what post-deadline Fox looks like, sign me up, but keep in mind that his assist numbers may stay pretty low with Domantas Sabonis controlling more of the offense as soon as he steps onto the court as a King. Harrison Barnes is another guy that could be on the move, and he’s looked phenomenal lately and kept it going in the ugly loss with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one 3-pointer, and while he only took seven shots (made four), he made all 12 of his free throws to inflate his portion of the box score. He won’t be this good if he’s traded nearly anywhere else, so if you roster Barnes, just hope that he stays. With Richaun Holmes (personal, could be traded) and Tristan Thompson (traded) inactive, Damian Jones got the start and went off for a 18/6/5 line with a pair of blocks in 28 minutes of a start. In the odd scenario that Holmes gets traded and they don’t bring another big back, Jones could emerge with some value as the likely starter going forward, but don’t rush to pick him up quite yet (especially if you have a cap on transactions for the week). Chimezie Metu could also be a winner and he played 34 minutes off the bench for a 14/8/4 effort but, like Jones, we’ll need to see what happens before February 10 before calling him an add. Davion Mitchell wasn’t great with a 8/2/4 line with a steal and five turnovers, but he played 30 minutes and everything’s pointing towards him continuing his strong play and ending the season on a high note.

Giannis can’t miss against the Lakers

The Bucks tacked on another win in a highly competitive Eastern Conference battle, and did so against the Lakers in convincing fashion with a final count of 131-116 to give them their fourth straight victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo was nearly unstoppable as he converted on an insane 85% of his shots (17-of-20) for 44 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists, one steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers in 35 minutes, and he did it all without committing a single turnover. He did shoot just 8-of-13 from the line and nearly could’ve had a 50-burger if he was perfect from there, but you can’t ask for much more from the Greek Freak, and he even joined Wilt and Kareem as the only players to record a 40/10/5 line on at least 85% shooting in a game. Not awful company. Bobby Portis nailed five more treys for 23 points on 50% shooting, seven rebounds, an assist, two steals and just one turnover in 33 minutes, and he’s hit five triples per game over his last three and has been fantasy’s second best player in that three-game stretch alone. Maybe he can be a last minute addition to the three-point contest. Khris Middleton (21/5/4 with three triples and a steal) and Jrue Holiday (15/7/10/2/1) looked like they always do, while Grayson Allen scored 12 points with four assists in 27 minutes. The entire Bucks bench combined for 16 points, split evenly between Pat Connaughton and Donte DiVincenzo, but it’s the only Bucks starting five who are worth rostering.

The Lakers made a little push at the end with Russell Westbrook (10/10/5 with a block and four turnovers on 3-of-11 shooting, 4-of-7 FTs) on the bench for the last 14:34 of the game, and despite a 23-9 Lakers run, the defending champs were too much to handle. Who else but LeBron James led with his 27/5/8 line on 11-of-19 shooting with three 3-pointers and four turnovers, and he’s still the number two fantasy player on a per-game basis at 37 years old. Anthony Davis looked good but not as good as he has been, but still recorded a full 22/9/4/1/3 line on 8-of-10 shooting, but he did convert on just 6-of-10 freebies. Malik Monk impressed again with 20 points, three boards, five assists, two swipes, three treys and two giveaways in 32 minutes in another start, and even Stanley Johnson made some noise with 16 points, six boards, one assist and one triple in 26 minutes off the bench. Austin Reaves (10 points) and Talen Horton-Tucker (4/5/3/2/2, could be on the move) both helped L.A. make their run, but neither are fantasy assets, and the only Lakers you need to consider are Bron, AD, Monk and maybe Carmelo Anthony (hamstring) when he returns.