Dose: Western Stars Falling
Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chandler Parsons were all out on Sunday, while Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson are both down and out for the Pelicans. Catch up on all of Sunday’s action, as well as the injury front, in Monday’s Daily Dose.
Games Played Week 18
4 Games: BOS, BRK, CHI, CLE, DEN, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOP, OKC, PHI, PHX, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
3 Games: ATL, CHA, DAL, DET, IND, LAK, NYK, ORL, POR, SAC
Cleveland 101, New York 83
Kevin Love had 16 points, 16 rebounds and two 3-pointers in Sunday’s easy win over the Knicks, while LeBron James added 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a 3-pointer. Kyrie Irving added 18 points and just two assists, while J.R. Smith scored 17 with three 3-pointers against his former team. Maybe this is a sign that Love is going to finish up strong for the Cavs.
The Knicks are still a confounding mess and were led by Langston Galloway’s 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting. He also had six rebounds, five assists, a steal and a 3-pointer in a team-high 38 minutes. He should be owned. Lou Amundson, Lance Thomas, Quincy Acy, Travis Wear and Andrea Bargnani each scored either 10 or 11 points, and Jason Smith (four points) was a disaster again. Tim Hardaway Jr. struggled on 3-of-12 shooting for seven points, and I just don’t think he’s ever going to see his shots start falling. Bargnani might be worth a flier in case he can stay healthy, but the rest of this team is a complete mess, and one big fantasy headache.
Atlanta 97, Milwaukee 86
The Hawks got back on track after Friday’s blowout loss, as all five starters scored in double figures and Paul Millsap went off with 23 points, 16 boards and a full stat line in Sunday’s win over the Bucks. While many people seem to think the sky is falling in Atlanta, the Hawks still have the second-best record in the league behind the Warriors, and have won one more game than Golden State.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton each scored 19 points, and Jerryd Bayless was solid again with 13 points, three assists, three steals and a 3-pointer. He’s worth owning until Michael Carter-Williams is back from his foot injury. John Henson got just 18 minutes, but did have eight rebounds, a steal and a block, while Jared Dudley didn’t do much in his 33 minutes.
Detroit 106, Washington 89
The Pistons crushed the Wizards as Reggie Jackson made his first start for his new team. He went off with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and a 3-pointer, so congratulations if you were able to pick him up. His line is especially impressive considering he was throwing up on the sidelines and missed his first eight shots. Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe double-doubled, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went off for 26 points and six 3-pointers, and Caron Butler crashed back to earth with seven points on 1-of-3 shooting in 22 minutes. He’s still the best small forward playing for the Pistons right now.
Marcin Gortat led the Wiz with 24 points, 10 boards and a block, John Wall double-doubled, and Garrett Temple started over Otto Porter Jr. and had 12 points and three 3-pointers. Shooting guard looks like a black hole in Washington until Bradley Beal is back from his leg injury. Porter, Temple and Rasual Butler are all going to cancel each other out on most nights.
Indiana 104, Golden State 98
The Pacers got another big game from Rodney Stuckey with 30 points, four boards, five assists, a steal and two 3-pointers on 11-of-17 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench. That’s back-to-back 30-point games for Stuckey, making him a hot pickup. The rest of the Pacers’ box score wasn’t pretty, especially if you own David West (4 points) or Roy Hibbert (8 points).
The Warriors lost a tough one at Indy, which is not surprising since they were without Stephen Curry (sore right foot), who was pulled just before game time. Steve Kerr says he’ll be fine, but owners will want to keep a close eye on his status on Monday. Whether you start him in a weekly league is a personal decision, but I’m going to take Kerr’s word on it for now. Klay Thompson went nuts with 39 points and five 3-pointers, but he was really the only Warrior to show up on Sunday. Shaun Livingston started at PG and had eight points, five rebounds and two assists, and might be worth a spot start if Curry is going to miss time. Draymond Green’s line of six points on 1-of-6 shooting with three blocks was particularly disappointing.
Orlando 103, Philly 98
Nikola Vucevic dropped 31 points, 14 boards, two steals and a block on the Sixers and Victor Oladipo had a nice stat line and 17 points, but also had five turnovers. Channing Frye finally woke up with 15 points and three 3-pointers, but he’s not to be trusted, while Tobias Harris came back from his knee injury. He had just four points on 2-of-6 shooting in 25 minutes, but at least he played. Evan Fournier was sent back to the bench with Harris’ return and didn’t score in 14 minutes (drop him). Willie Green somehow had 16 points, but I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen. Elfrid Payton stayed hot and flirted with a triple-double in the win.
The Sixers got 16 points, nine boards, two steals and three 3-pointers in 33 minutes from Robert Covington, and JaKarr Sampson came off the bench to also score 16 and hit a couple treys. Isaiah Canaan started at point guard and had 14 points, four boards, three assists, a block and four 3-pointers, reassuring his new owners that they made a good move by picking him up. Tim Frazier had six points and six dimes, but should fade with Canaan taking over. The rest of the Sixers are a total crapshoot, while JaVale McGee made his Philly debut with two points, three boards, zero blocks and two turnovers in 13 minutes. Yuck. Luc Mbah a Moute was out for personal reasons, so Hollis Thompson was able to get loose for 12 points and a couple threes. Jason Richardson started again and had seven points, five boards and a 3-pointer, and is at least worth keeping an eye on in case this isn’t a joke.
OKC 103, Denver 94
Kevin Durant had a procedure on his injured foot and will be reevaluated in a week, sending his owners into a panic. Make sure he’s on your bench. Russell Westbrook went nuts with 21 points, eight boards and a career-high 17 dimes, Serge Ibaka lit it up for 20 points, eight rebounds and tied his season high with eight blocks, and Enes Kanter started and had 20 points and 12 boards for his new team. Kyle Singler started for KD but had just seven points in 15 minutes, while Dion Waiters scored 17 points off the bench. D.J. Augustin played 30 minutes off the pine, but hit just 2-of-7 shots for eight points and two 3-pointers. I don’t see him maintaining much value for his new team. It also doesn’t look like OKC has a viable small forward to fill the gap during for Durant’s absence.
Kenneth Faried hit just 1-of-5 shots for two points, seven boards, a steal and a block in just 21 minutes, as Brian Shaw continues to mess with him. Even I’m starting to lose faith. Wilson Chandler played just 18 minutes and hit 2-of-11 shots, and the Nuggets played 13 guys at least 10 minutes last night. Danilo Gallinari is worth owning after going for 16 points and three 3-pointers, but he played just 19 minutes, and this team is just a mess right now. Jusuf Nurkic (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Ty Lawson (17 points, 4 assists, 3 steals) are must-starts, but the rest of them appear to be a roll of the dice right now. Gallo, Nurkic and Lawson were the only three Nuggs in double figures.
Dallas 92, Charlotte 81
Dallas was without Chandler Parsons due to a left ankle injury and he should miss a couple more games. Richard Jefferson, and not Al-Farouq Aminu, started in his place and had 10 points, 10 rebounds, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers in 33 minutes. I don’t trust him at all, but maybe he’s worth a spot start over the next couple games. Aminu was a disaster with zero points on 0-of-3 shooting in 24 minutes, while Amare Stoudemire made his Dallas debut with 14 points and three rebounds in just 11 minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jefferson and Aminu trade lines in the next one.
Charlotte got 22 points, three assists, three steals and three 3-pointers from new point guard Mo Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 15, and Al Jefferson had eight points, 17 boards and three steals on 4-of-16 shooting. Gerald Henderson fell off a cliff with four points on 1-of-6 shooting, while Marvin Williams woke up with 15 points and a couple 3-pointers in 29 minutes. Keep an eye on him, as Cody Zeller hasn’t exactly been killing it. Lance Stephenson played 30 minutes, but hit just 5-of-15 shots for 11 points and five assists, as his season of disappointment rolls on.
Memphis 98, Portland 92
The Grizzlies saw all five starters score in double figures, while Courtney Lee hit 6-of-8 shots and two 3-pointers for 19 points. Maybe he’s ready to get hot.
LaMarcus Aldridge was a late scratch due to a right thumb injury, which (thankfully) is NOT the same thumb he’s been having so many problems with. We don’t know the severity of the new injury, but I’m guessing he’ll be back sooner than later, and I’d probably start him in a weekly league. Nicolas Batum went off with 17 points, 10 boards, five dimes, a block and three 3-pointers, and Damian Lillard had 18 points and a full stat line in the win. Wesley Matthews played 36 minutes, but missed all seven of his shots and finished with just four points. I doubt Arron Afflalo’s arrival is fully to blame, but it didn’t help, either. AA had eight points in 24 minutes, but you should expect Matthews to bounce back in the next one. Meyers Leonard, Dorell Wright and Chris Kaman all filled in for Aldridge, but Kaman’s six points and nine boards was the best any of them could offer.
Lakers 118, Boston 111 OT
The Lakers starters scored a total of 34 points, while the bench brigade got it done for L.A. Jeremy Lin hit 10-of-15 shots and a 3-pointer for 25 points and six dimes, Wesley Johnson got hot with 22 points and two 3-pointers on 9-of-11 shooting, Nick Young had 19 points and three 3-pointers, and Jordan Hill had 10 points, five boards and a block in 19 minutes. Ed Davis cooled off with five points, seven boards and two blocks, but he did play 27 minutes. This team is another really messy one, and nearly impossible to figure out. Jordan Clarkson played just 17 minutes, Wayne Ellington hit just 2-of-7 shots, and using anyone from this team is going to be a roll of the dice from night to night. If you want to pick up Lin after his big game, I can get on board in case he starts getting 30 minutes a night on a regular basis.
The Celtics saw the debut of Isaiah Thomas and he hit 6-of-13 shots and three 3-pointers off the bench. Jae Crowder also came off the bench and hit 8-of-14 shots and a 3-pointer for a season-high 22 points, seven boards and a block. He’s not trustworthy at all, but did look very good tonight. Just keep an eye on him in case this wasn’t a fluke, as Jared Sullinger has been ruled out for the season. Brandon Bass had 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks to remain relevant, Tyler Zeller added eight points, 11 boards, and a block, and Avery Bradley stayed hot with 20 points and a full stat line that included three steals and four 3-pointers. He’s rolling. Marcus Smart started at point guard and had 11 points and a full stat line, but was just 3-of-9 from the floor and 0-for-3 from downtown. Thomas is eventually going to ruin him, I suspect.
As if the news about Durant, Curry and Aldridge wasn’t bad enough, Anthony Davis has been ruled out for the next one-to-two weeks with a right shoulder sprain, while teammate Ryan Anderson is expected to miss the next two-to-four weeks with a knee injury. Alexis Ajinca, Dante Cunningham, Omer Asik and Shawne Williams should all benefit from their injuries. Also, Shabazz Muhammad will have finger surgery and miss the rest of the season for the Wolves.
