Dose: Enjoy the Kawhi Ride
The Kings have fired coach Mike Malone, the Lakers are playing better, the Pelicans lost a close one to the Warriors without their superstar, and Kawhi Leonard has become a fantasy monster. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Games Played Week 8
4 Games: BOS, BRK, CHA, CLE, DET, IND, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, NOP, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHX, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA
3 Games: ATL, CHI, DAL, DEN, HOU, LAL, MIN, PHI, SAC, WAS
2 Games: GSW
Warriors 128, Pelicans 122 OT
Stephen Curry had 34 points, seven assists, six 3-pointers and six turnovers, and Klay Thompson added 29 points, two 3-pointers and a full stat line that included three blocks as the Warriors won their 16th straight game. They’ve won 10 straight on the road and sit at 21-2 on the season, and you can expect to start hearing about the Warriors having a shot at chasing the 1995-96 Bulls’ record of 72 wins. Andrew Bogut missed his third straight game with a sore right knee, but did go through warmups. He’ll be re-evaluated on Monday. Harrison Barnes got popped in the face and returned to play with a plugged nose and a couple stitches in his mouth. It could have been worse and he should be good to go going forward. He had just two points on 1-of-3 shooting for his worst game of the season. Barnes’ injury helped propel Andre Iguodala to his first 20-point game since last January, as he finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three 3-pointers. I’m still not running out to pick him up. Draymond Green had another fun line that included 11 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, but he didn’t hit a 3-pointer for just the sixth time this season. David Lee’s still not back, but is getting closer. And while I think Green will take a mini-hit when it happens, I’m not really concerned about it. The Dubs have just two games this week, which could make things tough on those of you who own Curry, Thompson and company.
Anthony Davis missed this game with a strange chest injury and remains day-to-day. If I own him, I’m probably starting him in a weekly league, but it’s not an easy decision. Tyreke Evans has been on a tear lately and had another big one on Sunday with 34 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks and two 3-pointers. He hit 13-of-25 shots and backed up Friday’s 31-point, 10-assist performance with his best game of the season. It’s hard to believe he had just eight points and a poor performance last Wednesday. If Davis continues to miss time, Evans should continue to beast. Ryan Anderson started in place of Davis and had 15 points, six rebounds, three steals and two 3-pointers, while Jrue Holiday stayed hot with 30 points, three rebounds, nine assists, five steals and two 3-pointers. He’s also on a tear, scoring 30 in two of his last three games and racking up a total of 27 assists over that stretch. Dante Cunningham had 13 points, five boards, two steals and a block off the bench and is another guy deep-leaguers will want to think about adding if Davis continues to miss games.
Bulls 93, Heat 75
The Bulls crushed the Heat without Joakim Noah, who remains day-to-day with an ankle injury. He’s now missed three straight games and is another tough call for this week. Derrick Rose got off to a slow start and finished with 14 points and three assists after picking up a couple quick fouls. Pau Gasol also struggled, hitting 4-of-13 shots to finish with nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks before fouling out. Given those poor performances, it’s amazing how easily the Bulls won. Taj Gibson had 15 points, nine boards and two blocks in another start for Noah, Mike Dunleavy had 22 points, four rebounds, two blocks and four 3-pointers, and Jimmy Butler added 17 points, seven boards, five assists, two steals and a block. Dunleavy has been all or nothing for most of the season and had just eight points and three rebounds on Sunday. The Bulls bench did nothing in yesterday’s win.
Luol Deng and Dwyane Wade both scored 17 points for the losers, and Deng also had 10 rebounds, a steal, two blocks and a 3-pointer for one of his better games of the season. The Heat started Justin Hamilton in place of Chris Bosh, who was out with a calf injury. He’ll be re-evaluated today and is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Nets. He’s another player that is a very tough call in weekly leagues, so tread carefully. Hamilton had 10 points and three rebounds in 33 minutes. Norris Cole hit just 3-of-10 shots for 10 points, five rebounds and six assists, and still has time to get his season turned around if he can start making some shots.
Wizards 93, Jazz 84
John Wall was at it again with 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists, five steals and three blocks, and Bradley Beal led the Wiz in scoring with 22 points, seven boards, four assists, two steals and two 3-pointers on 9-of-17 shooting. Marcin Gortat was quiet with five points, seven boards and a block, and Kris Humphries finally cooled off for just two points, four rebounds and a block, while Nene came off the bench for 10 points, six boards and a block in 23 minutes. Humps continues to start over Nene for now and played 26 minutes, but just couldn’t get it going. I think he’ll bounce back in the next one, as long as he holds down the starting power forward job. Paul Pierce had 15 points, two steals and a 3-pointer and is a borderline fantasy starter in most leagues.
The Jazz were without Derrick Favors, who is sidelined with a sprained ankle and he could miss more games this week. If I own him in a weekly league, I’m benching him in most of them, unless we get good news later today. With Favors out it was somewhat easy to see a big game coming from Rudy Gobert, who had seven points, nine rebounds, two steals, three blocks and 31 minutes in a start. He’s a fine play whenever Favors is out. Alec Burks led the way with 19 points and three 3-pointers, Gordon Hayward added 16 points and seven boards, but hit just 4-of-14 shots, and Trey Burke had a nice line of 15 points, five boards, two assists, two steals and a 3-pointer on 7-of-16 shooting. Enes Kanter double-doubled with 10 points, 11 rebounds and a block on 5-of-14 shooting, and should continue to put up solid numbers, especially if Favors misses more time.
Lakers 100, Timberwolves 94
The Lakers have now won three straight games and five of their last eight, and it looks like Kobe Bryant’s practice tirade might have lit a fire under his teammates. He hit just 7-of-20 shots but had two 3-pointers and hit 10-of-13 free throws for 26 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, and passed Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list with a second-quarter free throw. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone have scored more points than Bryant. Carlos Boozer came off the bench for 22 points and 13 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting, and has been playing well after his demotion. Starter Ed Davis continues to underwhelm and had just six points, four rebounds and a block in 21 minutes. Jordan Hill had 13 points, three rebounds and a block, and Wes Johnson had 12 points, six assists, a steal, three blocks and two 3-pointers in 29 minutes. After failing to score on Dec. 5, Johnson has played very well, scoring in double figures in four straight games, and knocking down seven 3-pointers with five blocks over his last three. Give him a look if you need a warm body in your lineup. I’d rather own Johnson than Davis at this point. Ronnie Price started at PG and had just two points, two assists and four steals in 25 minutes, while Jeremy Lin added eight points and six assists in 20 minutes. Lin might still be worth holding in case he gets back into the starting unit, but there’s no reason to be starting him in most leagues right now.
Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench to lead the Wolves in scoring, tying his season high with 28 points. He also had nine rebounds, but as usual, didn’t have a steal, block or 3-pointer. He’s scored in double digits in six straight games, but just doesn’t get it done in most other categories. He had 18 points on Friday, but also didn’t grab a single rebound in that one. Muhammad is worth owning with Kevin Martin out indefinitely, but just don’t expect him to do much outside of scoring. Andrew Wiggins added 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting, but didn’t record an assist, steal or 3-pointer, while Zach LaVine and Corey Brewer rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Wolves with 10 a piece. Gorgui Dieng stayed relevant with nine points, nine rebounds, a steal and two blocks, as Nikola Pekovic continues to sit out with a right ankle injury. Mo Williams was also a DNP with back spasms, making LaVine worth owning in most leagues right now. He hit just 4-of-15 shots but at least added five rebounds and six assists to go along with his 10 points in 39 minutes. Brewer didn’t score much on Sunday, but did have six rebounds, a season-high nine assists, two steals and two 3-pointers, and I’d rather own him than Muhammad for his all-around fantasy scoring.
Thunder 112, Suns 88
The Thunder raced out to a 41-29 lead in the first quarter and crushed the Suns. Kevin Durant has been cleared to play more minutes going forward, but he wasn’t needed late on Sunday and finished with 23 points and a full stat line in just 24 minutes. Russell Westbrook stayed hot with 28 points, eight boards, eight assists, two steals and a block, but hit just 7-of-18 shots. Serge Ibaka played just 18 minutes for 12 points, four rebounds and zero blocks, and is in a bad slump right now. He didn’t even have a rebound on Friday and owners have no choice but to keep rolling him out there and hope he gets hot soon. This is a good buy-low opportunity on Ibaka, in my opinion. Anthony Morrow had 14 points, six boards, three assists, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers in 29 minutes, but benefitted from the lopsided score. He’s scored in double figures in three straight games and is worth a look in deeper leagues.
Goran Dragic sat out with a lower back strain and is another tough decision for owners in weekly leagues. Markieff Morris picked up five fouls in 10 minutes to finish with four points and one rebound in one of his worst games ever. P.J. Tucker was even worse with three points in 23 minutes, and Gerald Green started in place of Dragic to lead the team with 15 points, seven rebounds and three 3-pointers in 26 minutes. The Suns looked lost without Dragic and were simply outmatched by the surging Thunder, who have won six straight games and seven of their last eight. Welcome back, KD.
Raptors 95, Knicks 90 OT
The Raps held on to beat the Knicks in overtime and were led by Terrence Ross, who had 22 points, five rebounds, two steals and three 3-pointers on 8-of-14 shooting. He’s averaging 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.4 3-pointers over his last five and is worth starting for as long as DeMar DeRozan is out with his groin injury. Kyle Lowry’s fine season continued with 21 points, 11 assists, six steals and a 3-pointer, and Jonas Valanciunas added eight points and 13 rebounds in 33 minutes. Patrick Patterson added 13 points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes off the bench, and given the poor play of Amir Johnson all season, Patterson is worth picking up in most leagues. Lou Williams stayed relevant with 15 points and two 3-pointers, but hit just 5-of-15 shots. He had 26 points on Friday, but just six in his previous game last Tuesday. Williams should be rostered in most leagues these days, despite coming off the Raptors bench.
Carmelo Anthony played through his sore knee and had 34 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and four 3-pointers on 11-of-24 shooting, and it looks like you have to roll the dice and play him in weekly leagues. He’s basically going to be day-to-day until further notice, but has played well in two straight games since sitting out on Wednesday. Tim Hardaway Jr. was in the starting lineup with Iman Shumpert (shoulder) and J.R. Smith (foot) out, and had 18 points, six rebounds and a 3-pointer on 4-of-15 shooting. Hardaway should be grabbed in all leagues given the severity of Shumpert’s injury, which will keep him out for about a month. Smith is day-to-day. Amare Stoudemire should also be owned in all leagues and had 10 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks in 38 minutes. Jose Calderon was decent with 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and a 3-pointer, and it would be nice to see him play this well on a nightly basis. As usual, the Knicks bench was useless last night.
San Antonio 99, Nuggets 91
Kawhi Leonard returned from a two-game rest due to a sore hand and dropped a bomb on the Nuggets with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, five steals and six blocks, just missing a coveted 5x5 line. He didn’t hit a 3-pointer and made just 6-of-14 shots, but who cares? The kid is a beast and is living up to the hype we laid on him in the preseason. Cory Joseph started again for Tony Parker (hamstring) and hit 6-of-7 shots and a 3-pointer for 13 points and three assists. Parker played sparingly on Friday, but didn’t look right. He’s also just not playing very well and I’d look for a different option if you own him in a weekly league. Tim Duncan had 15 points, nine boards, four assists, a steal and three blocks, Tiago Splitter had 11 points, six boards and a block, and Danny Green turned invisible with five points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a 3-pointer on 2-of-7 shooting in 35 minutes. Green had scored in double figures in six previous games, but has blocked only one shot over his last four.
Arron Afflalo led the way for Denver with 31 points, five rebounds and four 3-pointers, Wilson Chandler had 14 points and two 3-pointers, and Timofey Mozgov added 11 points, 13 rebounds and two more blocks on 4-of-12 shooting. Ty Lawson finally cooled off, hitting 2-of-10 shots for six points, but also had 10 assists in 39 minutes. J.J. Hickson started again for Kenneth Faried, who sat this one out with a sprained ankle. I’m benching Faried in weekly leagues, as his disappointing season just got worse. Hickson had four points, six boards and a block in just 16 minutes, and is not a player I’m targeting, despite Faried’s disappearance. Back up center Jusuf Nurkic had 10 points, eight boards, a steal and a block in his best game of the season, but is another guy I’m not racing out to pick up right now.
