Dose: Reggie Jackson is back!
It was a busy six-game night in the NBA and I’m going to focus on studs, duds and injury news. You can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Rockets 104, Sixers 93
James Harden scored 35 points, hit 17-of-18 free throws, four 3-pointers and filled the stat sheet across the board. Trevor Ariza hit six 3-pointers and had 24 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two steals in Houston’s win over the Sixers. And as the old saying goes, when guys are playing Philly, you want them in your lineup. Terrence Jones was in a ton of FanDuel lineups due to a low salary and has been playing very well. Therefore his six points, four rebounds, two steals, a block and three turnovers on 3-of-11 shooting was the disappointment of the night. And it happened against the SIXERS! He’ll be fine and bounce back, but that was a tough one to watch.
Tony Wroten was money again for the Sixers, scoring 20 points with five rebounds, four assists, five steals and two 3-pointers. He caught a break because defensive wiz Patrick Beverley was unable to play, but it might not have mattered. Until Michael Carter-Williams gets back, Wroten is a must-start. Brandon Davies wasn’t exactly a stud (13 points, four boards, a block and a 3-pointer), but he did start over Henry Sims, who played just 13 minutes, likely due to an illness. Sims has looked pretty bad thus far, but I still think he can turn it around. If he doesn’t, Davies might steal his job.
Nets 116, Thunder 85
OKC’s Steven Adams wasn’t a stud, but his nine points and nine rebounds were a lot better than he has been. Reggie Jackson returned from his ankle injury and went off for 23 points, four rebounds, five assists, a block and two 3-pointers, despite hitting just 8-of-20 shots. Jackson should be owned in all leagues. Sebastian Telfair hung in there despite the return of Jackson and had 16 points, five rebounds, six assists and three 3-pointers in 35 minutes. Starter Andre Roberson suffered a foot injury and has already been ruled out for Tuesday, clearing the way for Telfair to continue to play solid minutes in the short term. Perry Jones wasn’t really a stud, but is proving to be reliable after another solid outing with 16 points and a couple 3-pointers. He banged his knee, but played through it.
Brook Lopez returned from his foot injury, started and finished with 18 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block. He’s fine…for now. Alan Anderson came out of nowhere to score 18 points with four 3-pointers in just 16 minutes. He hit 7-of-8 shots, and I don’t expect to see him do anything like this again anytime soon. And despite the return of Bro-Lo, Mason Plumlee still managed 10 points and eight boards in just 16 minutes off the bench. Deron Williams’ ankles are feeling great and he had 17 points, nine assists and a 3-pointer, and Joe Johnson added 13 points, six boards, six assists and two 3-pointers.
Grizzlies 93, Pelicans 81
Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen double-doubled for the Grizzlies, and even Tayshaun Prince made an appearance with 14 points, five boards and a 3-pointer. I’m still not biting. Mike Conley was a dud with 11 points and five dimes on 2-of-10 shooting, as all five starters were in double figures for the Grizz.
The Pelicans were stacked with duds last night. Anthony Davis burned me in FanDuel with his 14 points, eight boards, a steal and a block. And speaking of duds, Omer Asik hit just 1-of-7 shots for six points, eight boards and a block. They will both bounce back. Tyreke Evans was the best Hornet tonight with 21 points, seven boards, four assists and two 3-pointers, but hit just 7-of-17 shots. Add Ryan Anderson to the dud pile with his 2-of-14 shooting, zero 3-pointers, seven points and nine rebounds.
Mavericks 118, Celtics 113
Dirk Nowitzki came through with 27 points, seven boards, four 3-pointers and hit 9-of-14 shots, and Chandler Parsons hit 10-of-15 shots and four 3-pointers for 29 points and two steals. Tyson Chandler double-doubled with 10 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, while Jameer Nelson was bad, hitting 2-of-7 shots for six points, two assists and two 3-pointers. Devin Harris had 12 points, six assists, a steal and two 3-pointers, and still looks like a much better option than Nelson. But things are going to get very murky here when Raymond Felton is healthy in a week or so.
The Celtics got 35 points and a monster stat line from Jeff Green, including five 3-pointers, a steal and two blocks, and Avery Bradley caught fire for 32 points, eight rebounds, three steals and four 3-pointers. He’s been hit-or-miss thus far, but should be owned in most leagues. Rajon Rondo flirted with a triple-double with seven points, nine rebounds, 15 assists and two steals, but hit just 3-of-11 shots. Jared Sullinger played a little better with 14 points, seven boards and two blocks, but didn’t hit a 3-pointer. Kelly Olynyk didn’t enjoy his Ty-Chan experience, finishing with five points, four boards, no blocks and a 3-pointer. Don’t drop Olynyk.
Kings 110, Nuggets 105
Rudy Gay was another highly frustrating player to own last night. He played just 23 minutes, hit 4-of-13 shots and finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal, a block and three turnovers. Gay will be fine, but Reggie Evans and Carl Landry also saw 23 minutes, and even Omri Casspi got 27. And yet, the Kings still won the game. DeMarcus Cousins was quiet with 19 points, five boards, two steals and a block, while Darren Collison led the way with 21 points, four boards and six assists. He hit 5-of-9 shots and 11-of-13 free throws. Ben McLemore was awful with five points in 19 minutes.
The Nuggets were a mess last night. Kenneth Faried had just 10 points, 10 rebounds and no blocks on 5-of-13 shooting, Ty Lawson made just 1-of-8 shots to finish with nine points and 12 dimes, Arron Afflalo hit 4-of-13 shots and all seven of his free throws for 16 points, and Timofey Mozgov had five fouls in 16 minutes to finish with 10 points, six boards and a block. I’m still a Mozgov fan, but keep in mind JaVale McGee is starting to make some noise. Wilson Chandler started and scored 14, but hit just 5-of-15 shots and was 1-of-8 from downtown. Danilo Gallinari’s struggles continued as he missed all six of his shots and didn’t score in 14 minutes. Yuck. McGee played just 14 minutes, but hit 6-of-9 shots for 16 points, four rebounds and four blocks, and if you can cut Samuel Dalembert to pick him up, do it. Given how poorly the Nuggets played, I’m surprised this game was as close as it was.
Clippers 107, Jazz 101
Blake Griffin went nuts with 31 points, nine boards and two blocks on 14-of-21 shooting, and Chris Paul recorded his first triple-double for the Clippers with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 12 dimes, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer. Studs. DeAndre Jordan’s slow start continued with eight points, five rebounds and a block. He played 38 minutes, and it should only be a matter of time before he explodes. Matt Barnes showed signs of life with nine points, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer in 30 minutes, and he’s one hot streak away from being a hot pickup. Jamal Crawford was back in action and had 19 points, five assists, two steals and two 3-pointers off the bench, while Reggie Bullock hit four 3-pointers in 18 minutes for 12 points. If he plays well, J.J. Redick could take a hit. Redick played just 15 minutes for seven points and two 3-pointers, and also missed a big free throw late.
Derrick Favors was the final dagger in my FanDuel coffin, basically failing to even show up. He hit just 2-of-4 shots for six points, three rebounds and no blocks. I have no idea what his problem was, but he’s not hurt and teammate Trevor Booker ran circles around him. Booker came off the bench to hit 5-of-9 shots and a career-high two 3-pointers to finish with 12 points, five boards and a steal. He deserves to be on your radar at this point. Enes Kanter was much better with 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting, but he’s going to be up and down all year. If Kanter was dropped, he’s still worth stashing if you’re thin at C. Point guard Trey Burke was another dud, hitting 1-of-5 shots for six points, four boards and four rebounds. Dante Exum had seven points and two assists in 17 minutes, and he could see his playing time start creeping up. A timeshare between these two could be forthcoming. Alec Burks was also disappointing after hitting just 4-of-13 shots and a 3-pointer for 16 points, while Gordon Hayward went nuts with 28 points, seven boards, five assists, a steal and five 3-pointers. He’s rolling.
Injury Report
Kyle Korver – illness – Iffy for Wednesday
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – ribs – Questionable for Tuesday
Derrick Rose – sprained ankles – Probable for Tuesday
Taj Gibson – ankle – Practiced, probable for Tuesday
Raymond Felton – ankle – Will miss at least another week, good news for Harris
David Lee – hamstring – Targeting Wednesday return
Patrick Beverley – hamstring – Questionable for Tuesday vs. Miami
Rodney Stuckey – foot – Questionable for Tuesday vs. Bucks
George Hill – knee – Still not close, keep rolling with Donald Sloan
David West – ankle – Had a setback, now targeting Nov. 10
Courtney Lee – head – Sounds probable for Wednesday and was hot before injury
Mike Conley – ankle – Played Monday, but tweaked ankle. Probable for Wednesday
Thaddeus Young – concussion – Practiced Monday, probable for Wednesday
Jose Calderon – calf – Targeting late November, which means more Shane Larkin
Andrea Bargnani – hamstring – Targeting November 12
Perry Jones – knee – Stayed in Monday after injury, just check on his status tonight
Andre Roberson – foot – Already ruled out for Tuesday, more Telfair time
P.J. Tucker – suspended – Will come off bench for Suns on Tuesday
Damian Lillard – abdomen – Probable tonight against Cavs
Amir Johnson – ankle – Iffy for tonight vs. OKC
