Dose: Westbrook strikes again
Games Played Week 20
5 Games - NYK
4 Games – ATL, BOS, CHI, DEN, DET, GSW, LAC, MEM, MIL, MIN, ORL, PHX, SAC
3 Games – BRK, CHA, CLE, HOU, IND, LAL, MIA, NOP, OKC, PHI, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
2 Games – DAL
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Sunday gave us seven games, most of which were close and competitive, and Russell Westbrook once again stole the show with another massive triple-double. Tony Parker finally woke up and also had a big game for the Spurs, while Tony Snell hit rock bottom for the Bulls. Catch up on everything you missed in Monday’s Dose. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!
The Knicks play five games this week, but Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) and Lou Amundson (back) are iffy, while Jose Calderon has been ruled out for Monday’s game. Andrea Bargnani, Langston Galloway, Shane Larkin, Jason Smith and Cole Aldrich are all intriguing five-game plays right now.
Spurs 116, Bulls 105 – Tony Parker finally had a big night with a season-high 32 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, hitting 13-of-19 shots and a 3-pointer in the win. He’s actually been playing much better lately and scored 24 points on Friday and 19 on Wednesday after struggling for much of the season. Tim Duncan, on the other hand, missed all eight of his shots and scored just three points to go along with eight boards and a block. Duncan hasn’t been feeling it lately and had just five points last Wednesday. Kawhi Leonard was nice with 20 points, eight boards and three steals, but had zero assists, blocks and 3-pointers. The Spurs are going to need those three players to all get on the same page if they’re going to make a run in the playoffs.
Pau Gasol had 23 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks, Aaron Brooks added 22 points, three assists and a 3-pointer, and Nikola Mirotic stayed hot with 19 points, a steal and two blocks off the bench. Joakim Noah scored just four points (on three shots), but did have 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Tony Snell was awful again with zero points on 0-for-6 shooting. Snell still got 29 minutes and it looks like the Bulls aren’t giving up on him, but I’d be more comfortable starting Mike Dunleavy at this point. Dunleavy had 12 points and two 3-pointers, but didn’t exactly kill it on Sunday, either. Brooks’ owners have been waiting for him to get loose since Derrick Rose went down and it finally happened yesterday. Now we’ll have to wait and see if he can do it again.
Warriors 106, Clippers 98 – This game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates and Draymond Green (23 and a full line), Klay Thompson (21) and Shaun Livingston (21) led the way in scoring for the Warriors. Livingston hit 9-of-14 shots and added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, and is actually playing well right now. He’s scored in double figures in four straight games and is averaging 13.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 block over his last five, hitting 57 percent of his shots. The Warriors are playing small ball and Livingston is officially worth a look. Stephen Curry floundered on national television with 12 points and four assists on 3-of-9 shooting, which isn’t going to do his MVP hopes any favors.
The Clips were led by Austin Rivers’ 22 points, which should tell you that this was a garbage-time situation, as the Clips won the fourth quarter 30-19, yet still lost by eight. J.J. Redick hit 8-of-12 shots and two 3-pointers for 18 points and two steals, and is always a nice option as long as Jamal Crawford is out with a calf injury, and he doesn’t sound close to a return. Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan were fine, but neither put up mind-blowing numbers. Hedo Turkoglu hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points, so if you’re in an insanely deep league, he’s worth checking into. He also had eight points and eight boards in his previous game.
Jazz 95, Nets 88 – Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors paced the Nets with 24 and 22 points respectively, while starter Dante Exum actually outplayed Trey Burke for once. Burke is still the guy you want to own right now. Rudy Gobert was quiet with four points, 11 boards, five assists and two blocks, but remains a must-start fantasy player regardless of what his numbers look like from day to day.
The Nets made some news on Sunday by starting Brook Lopez over Mason Plumlee, and Thaddeus Young over Alan Anderson. We finally have Young (19 points, four steals, a 3-pointer) and Bro-Lo in the starting five, and simply need to get Jarrett Jack in there over Markel Brown, and things in Brooklyn will start making sense. Bro-Lo had 19 points, 10 boards, two steals and two blocks, just in time for the fantasy playoffs. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams’ didn’t do anything special, as both players sit in slumps right now. Additionally, there’s not much to see on the Nets’ bench these days, either.
Hornets 108, Pistons 101 – The Hornets beat the Pistons and are sitting as the No. 7 seed in the playoff picture. They’re just a ½ game up on the Pacers and Heat but hold a three game lead over Boston and Brooklyn. They need to keep winning games if they’re not going to be on the outside looking in behind Miami and Indy. That’s a good thing for the starters, who all played well and all flirted with double-doubles last night. Al Jefferson hit 10-of-14 shots and had a fat line, Mo Williams stayed hot with 21 points and nine dimes, Gerald Henderson added 13 points, six boards, nine assists, a block and a 3-pointer, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 10 points, six boards and two blocks. Cody Zeller also hit 4-of-5 shots for 11 points and seven rebounds. The big losers here are probably going to be Williams and Henderson once Kemba Walker is back from his knee injury (which will be soon). Mo-Will should continue to start alongside Walker, but it’s hard to imagine his numbers not taking a hit. Henderson has been playing very well, but it’s still possible he could be effective if he is the one sent to the bench.
The Pistons got a huge 25-7-7 game from Reggie Jackson, Greg Monroe had a nice double-double and Andre Drummond added 16 points, five boards and two blocks. Those are three guys you need to focus on in Detroit, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (4-of-15, 11 points and zero 3-pointers) is always capable of getting hot at any time.
Magic 103, Celtics 98 – The Magic got some serious production out of their starters, despite not having Nikola Vucevic again (ankle, day-to-day). Victor Oladipo went off for 22 points and a full stat line, Tobias Harris scored 21, but had just four rebounds. But he also had two 3-pointers, two steals and two blocks for some fantasy gold, and Elfrid Payton flirted with a triple-double with 19 points, 10 boards and seven assists in the win. Dewayne Dedmon hit 4-of-6 shots for 11 points, 16 boards and two blocks in a start for Vucevic, and if you were going to use him one time this season, Sunday was the day. Channing Frye cooled off with six points, five rebounds and a 3-pointer on just 2-of-10 shooting, and just can’t seem to put it all together for more than a game or two this season. Moe Harkless outplayed him, going for 14 points, seven boards, three steals, a block and two 3-pointers in 30 minutes. Keep a close eye on him going forward, given Frye’s inconsistency.
Brandon Bass went off for 19 points, 17 rebounds and five assists on 9-of-14 shooting, and Isaiah Thomas came off the bench for 21 points, five boards, nine assists, two steals and three 3-pointers on 5-of-14 shooting. Jae Crowder started, but hit just 2-of-12 shots for seven points and six boards, and Evan Turner was quiet with 10 points, three boards, four assists, a steal and two 3-pointers on 3-of-8 shooting. He’s still worth using, especially in points leagues. Marcus Smart came through with 16 points, five boards, two assists, five steals, a block and four 3-pointers for one of his best games of the season. Kelly Olynyk played just 14 minutes for two points and two rebounds, while starter Tyler Zeller had six points and six boards in 23 minutes. I think Olynyk is about to come on strong, and I like the idea of dumping Zeller for him.
Thunder 108, Raptors 104 – The Thunder needed everything they got from Russell Westbrook, and he gave a lot with 30 points, 11 boards, 17 dimes, four steals, a block and a big 3-pointer on 9-of-21 shooting. Westbrook has now triple-doubled in five of his last six games, and joins Magic Johnson as the only other player to record at least 30-11-17-4. We still don’t know when Kevin Durant will be back from his foot injury, so Westbrook should continue to crush the league as he throws down the gauntlet with James Harden for the MVP award. He also had nine turnovers last night, but who cares?
Serge Ibaka went off for 21 points, seven boards and five blocks on 10-of-16 shooting and Enes Kanter was solid with 21 points, 12 boards, four dimes and a block on 9-of-14 shooting. Those are the three relevant players in OKC right now. The Thunder are now a full game up on New Orleans for the final playoff spot in the West, and it’s going to be a dogfight the rest of the way for both teams. Steven Adams returned from a 10-game absence, but given how well Kanter has been playing, I want no part of Adams right now.
The Raps got 24 points and nine dimes from DeMar DeRozan, new starter Terrence Ross chipped in with 20 points and a full stat line that included six 3-pointers, and Kyle Lowry cooled off with 14 points and five assists on 5-of-15 shooting in his second game back from a hand injury and personal issues. Jonas Valanciunas was quiet with 10 points, five boards, a steal and a block, but he played 30 minutes, and should get hot again soon. James Johnson had just four points on 2-of-10 shooting in 15 minutes, and it looks like his pumpkin carriage has arrived, thanks to Ross, who should be picked up in all leagues now that he’s starting.
Mavericks 100, Lakers 93 – Dallas had trouble disposing of the Lakers, but Monta Ellis assured it would happen with his 31 points, three boards, three assists, a steal, a block and five 3-pointers on 12-of-22 shooting, and it’s scary to think that he got off to a slow start in this one. The Mavs got just 12 points and four boards from Dirk Nowitzki, and Chandler Parsons returned from an ankle injury and had 11 points, six boards and a 3-pointer. His return meant just 11 minutes for Richard Jefferson, but Al-Farouq Aminu played well, finishing with 13 points, five boards, six steals, three blocks and a 3-pointer in just 20 minutes. He has 11 steals in his last two games, and while he won’t keep up that pace, he might be able to help you if you’re desperate for them in a Roto league. Rajon Rondo had eight points and nine assists, and while he’s still not killing it, he’s at least relevant again. And if Dirk ever goes down, Aminu would become a hot pickup. Beware that the Mavericks play just two games in the upcoming week, which is a problem in head-to-head leagues.
The Lakers benched Carlos Boozer, but he still went off for 17 points and eight boards to lead the Lakers in scoring. Jordan Clarkson stayed relevant with 15 points, six boards and five assists, and I like him as a pickup, while Wesley Johnson started over Ryan Kelly and got hot early for 15 points, four boards and a 3-pointer on 6-of-9 shooting, meaning he’s worth a look as a starter. Tarik Black started and had six points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 26 minutes, and is at least worth keeping an eye on as long as he’s starting, while Wayne Ellington added 13 points, five boards, two assists, a steal and a 3-pointer on 6-of-16 shooting. He’s due for another big game very soon, as he’s been treading water lately. Jeremy Lin hit just 1-of-6 shots for seven points and five dimes, and Clarkson is once again looking like the better option as long as he’s starting. Ed Davis came off the bench for 10 points, eight boards and three blocks, but played just 19 minutes. He’s only worth using if he’s starting for the Lakers, and he’s not.
