Dose: Melo Injures Back
Sometimes fantasy sports give us an outlet when some really ugly things are going on. This is one of those times. There were some monster performances from some big names on Monday night, while some sleepers came through, and others failed pretty badly. You can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Clippers 113, Hornets 92
Blake Griffin just missed a triple-double with 22-16-9 and really got his owner’s weeks off to a nice start. DeAndre Jordan bounced back from a dud with 11 points, 12 rebounds, a steal and a block, and Chris Paul hit 10-of-16 shots and two 3-pointers for 22 points and a season-high 15 dimes. Jamal Crawford had 21 points and five 3-pointers, and J.J. Redick played well with four 3-pointers and 17 points. You really don’t want to mess with any Clippers not listed above and Spencer Hawes failed to score while dealing with foul trouble in just nine minutes. Matt Barnes was out with a calf injury and may miss more games.
The Hornets were led by Cody Zeller and his career-high 17 points, a steal and a block, and he’s actually played well over his last couple games. Put him on your radar, as starter Marvin Williams continues to struggle (seven points). Al Jefferson had 16 points, nine rebounds and a block, and a Kemba Walker added 15 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block, but hit just 4-of-11 shots and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Gerald Henderson is getting minutes, but struggled again, hitting just 3-of-11 shots for eight points in 32 minutes. Lance Stephenson couldn’t get it going and was benched down the stretch after making just 1-of-8 shots. He’s still worth using in all leagues and just had a bad night. Gary Neal played just 14 minutes, suffered a shoulder injury and scored eight points, and his minutes are shaky enough that he can no longer be trusted.
Cavaliers 106, Magic 74
LeBron James went off for 29 points, four rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and two 3-pointers on 9-of-17 shooting, and also hit 9-of-11 free throws. With Bron going so strong, it meant trouble for Kyrie Irving (12 points, four assists) and Kevin Love (12 points, eight rebounds and zero 3-pointers). Anderson Varejao hit 7-of-9 shots for 14 points, six rebounds, a steal and two blocks in 21 minutes, and they were the only four Cavs in double digits last night. Since failing to score in 18 minutes a week ago Monday, Varejao has been solid, averaging 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks over his last four games. If he was dropped in your league, he’s worth a pickup, even if he’s not the most reliable player around.
The Magic got 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer from Victor Oladipo, and Nikola Vucevic did more work with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Outside of that, the Magic were a mess. Channing Frye killed my FanDuel teams with three points on 1-of-4 shooting in 34 minutes, and Evan Fournier finally cooled off with eight points, a 3-pointer and a block on 2-of-9 shooting. Frye and Fournier will bounce back, but this was a tough pill to swallow for many of us. Tobias Harris was out again with a strained right calf, but Moe Harkless hit just 1-of-7 shots for two points in a start for Harris. The Magic need production from all five starters to compete, but only Vucevic and Oladipo showed up tonight.
Blazers 114, Sixers 104
LaMarcus Aldridge got some against the lowly Sixers with 33 points, 11 rebounds and a 3-pointer on 13-of-20 shooting. He also hit 6-of-7 free throws to complete a great night, but a block or steal would have been icing on the cake. Wesley Matthews scored 17, Damian Lillard had 15 and Robin Lopez had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the win. Nicolas Batum turned in a line of just 6-6-6 on 3-of-8 shooting, and was generally a disappointment against the Sixers. Chris Kaman played just 19 minutes, but still stayed hot with eight points and nine boards, but didn’t record a block.
The Sixers fell to 0-14 with no relief in sight, but got 24 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals from Michael Carter-Williams, Henry Sims started at C and racked up a season-high 22 points and four rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting, and Tony Wroten had 20 points, nine assists, three steals and a block in 38 minutes and another start. I told you not to drop him. Brandon Davies started at PF, but hit just 1-of-3 shots for two points and five rebounds in 14 minutes, while Nerlens Noel came off the bench for 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in 33 minutes. He hit 6-of-7 shots and got starter’s minutes, despite not starting. As for K.J. McDaniels, he played 27 minutes, but hit just 2-of-4 shots for six points, four assists and two blocks. MCW, Wroten, Sims and Noel are all worth owning, but the wait for KJM might be too long for most of us to handle.
Raptors 104, Suns 100
Jonas Valanciunas finally broke out with a career-high 27 points, 11 rebounds and a block, hitting 10-of-11 shots. Note to self – start centers playing the Suns and make sure JV wasn’t dropped in your league. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting thanks to going 9-of-13 from the free throw line, Kyle Lowry added 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and Terrence Ross broke out of a funk with 13 points and two 3-pointers. Lou Williams stayed hot with 17 points, two 3-pointers, two steals and a block off the bench, and has now scored in double figures in five straight games, averaging 20.2 points, 2.0 steals and 2.8 3-pointers over that stretch. Pick him up. On the flip side, Amir Johnson had just two points and three rebounds in 25 minutes, while Patrick Patterson wasn’t much better in 24 minutes off the bench. Both have proven to be unreliable and counterproductive to each other.
Eric Bledsoe went off for a season-high 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, two blocks and three 3-pointers, while Goran Dragic hit just 3-of-9 shots for six points and four assists. Isaiah Thomas chipped in with 16 points, three assists and four 3-pointers in 22 minutes, and if you can figure out which Suns guard is going to play well from night to night, you should play the lottery. Right now I’d rank them Bledsoe, Dragic and Thomas based on their recent play. Markieff Morris was solid with 17 points, eight boards, a steal and a block, while P.J. Tucker came off the bench for 11 points, eight rebounds and three 3-pointers in 32 minutes. He’s still behind Marcus Morris on the depth chart, but that situation is fluid, and Tucker appears to be coming on as Morris fades. Starting center Miles Plumlee was useless with two points and three fouls in five minutes, while Alex Len had just two points, seven rebounds and zero blocks in 20 minutes. I’d still rather own Len than Plumlee. Gerald Green scored 13 points in 30 minutes and hit two 3-pointers, but his next big night could come at any time.
Rockets 91, Knicks 86
Despite no Dwight Howard (knee) or Patrick Beverley (hamstring), but Rockets got a win over the reeling Knicks. James Harden had a season-high 36 points and a fat stat line that included seven 3-pointers, and he hit 7-of-7 free throws, as usual. Donatas Motiejunas played well with 13 points, eight rebounds, a block and a 3-pointer, and appears to be the guy to own until Terrence Jones is back. Trevor Ariza was the last bright spot for the winning Rockets. He scored just 10 points, but added five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two 3-pointers on 3-of-10 shooting. I was expecting more against the Knicks, but it could have been worse. Isaiah Canaan started for Beverley but had just seven points and three assists on 2-of-8 shooting. I’m done using back ups in daily leagues. Tarik Black started again for Howard, but had just seven points and five boards in 17 minutes. I love him, but he’s just not getting it done in fantasy. Kostas Papanikolaou is another guy who has been playing well for the depleted Rockets, but hit just 2-of-6 shots for four points, five boards, three assists, a steal, two blocks and five turnovers in 25 minutes. The Rockets are 11-3 on the season.
The Knicks couldn’t beat the Rockets without a couple starters and now sit at 4-11 on the season. Carmelo Anthony played just 14 minutes and didn’t return from back spasms, getting his week off to a really bad start. I’ve got him in some lineups and am just hoping he plays again this week. He somehow had 14 points and seven rebounds in his limited run, which is the only good news to report. And Melo, my friends, was the only Knick to score more than nine points. Twelve players got at least 11 minutes for Derek Fisher last night and it was mediocrity across the board. Iman Shumpert led the team with 30 minutes and had seven points, six rebounds, five assists and a steal, but hit just 2-of-10 shots. Jose Calderon had nine points and five assists, and J.R. Smith added eight points and two 3-pointers in 19 minutes. What an ugly mess the Knicks are, and it’s only going to get worse if Melo is going to miss time. It’s worth your time to peruse the box score from last night, just to see it with your own eyes. It honestly reads like a box score from the team of seven-year-olds I help coach.
Pacers 111, Mavericks 100
The Pacers are just 6-8, but got a huge win at Dallas last night, and look much better than we thought they would without Paul George, Lance Stephenson and David West, while Roy Hibbert sat out last night with a sprained ankle. Donald Sloan went nuts with 29 points, five assists, a steal and three 3-pointers on 10-of-14 shooting, while Luis Scola also played well with 14 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer on 4-of-11 shooting. Rodney Stuckey started and hit 2-of-9 shots for 21 points, five assists and two 3-pointers, and is worth a look now that he’s getting healthy. All five Pacer starters were in double figures, with Solomon Hill going for 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal, and Ian Mahinmi hitting 5-of-7 shots for 10 points, seven rebounds and a huge block down the stretch. Lavoy Allen had 10 rebounds off the bench, Chris Copeland scored 11 points with three rebounds despite playing just 14 minutes off the bench due to foul trouble, and C.J. Miles finally made an appearance and hit 2-of-7 shots and a 3-pointer for six points, a steal and a block. There are plenty of cheap, daily-league nuggets to be found on the Pacers these days, while Sloan remains a must-own player as long as George Hill is out with his knee injury.
The Mavs lost despite getting 22 points, 11 rebounds, a block and two 3-pointers from Dirk Nowitzki on 9-of-17 shooting in 33 minutes. Chandler Parsons was effective with 16 points and three 3-pointers, and Monta Ellis, as usual, went off for 24 points and six dimes. Brandan Wright remains a nice, cheap daily center and had 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks, and has now hit 27–of-32 shots over his last five games, good for an amazing 84 percent! He is my starting center of choice in FanDuel right now, until they raise his price (which is probably coming soon). Jameer Nelson started at PG and had 10 points, five assists and two 3-pointers, while Devin Harris added just two points in 19 minutes. Things are about to get messy, as Raymond Felton was available to play now that he’s over his injury and suspension, but got a DNP-CD. And with Harris and Felton basically back, J.J. Barea is useless, and played just 11 minutes last night.
Bulls 97, Jazz 95
The Bulls got Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol back from injury last night and they were instrumental in the win. Rose hit 5-of-10 shots and three 3-pointers for 18 points and five assists, and Gasol hit 11-of-20 shots for 23 points, nine boards, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Jimmy Butler didn’t take much of a hit and had 25 points, a 3-pointer and four steals, but Joakim Noah took just two shots and finished with four points, five rebounds and four assists. Noah played through an eye injury and will be fine, but all the Bulls’ numbers will be diluted a bit with everyone healthy. Mike Dunleavy was invisible in the starting lineup with two points in 28 minutes, while Nikola Mirotic hit a couple 3-pointers to finish with 10 points and five rebounds. He’s always worth keeping an eye on, but will struggle to be consistent when everyone’s healthy. Aaron Brooks had 10 points and two 3-pointers with Kirk Hinrich out, but is only worth a look when Rose is also in street clothes. Rose should be considered day-to-day until further notice, despite playing tonight.
The Jazz got strong performances from most starters, as Derrick Favors had 21 points and a season-high 15 boards, Enes Kanter had 19 points, eight rebounds, a steal and a block on 9-of-13 shooting, and Trey Burke stayed red hot with 18 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a 3-pointer, and even hit 8-of-14 shots, which is a minor miracle. Unfortunately for my daily-league teams, Gordon Hayward finally struggled, hitting just 2-of-11 shots and a 3-pointer for six points, three steals and a block in 36 minutes. He was due for an off night and will bounce back.
