Wiggins’ Wild Ride

Is Cleveland wishing it had kept Andrew Wiggins instead of trading for Kevin Love? That’s a traditional hot take that’s destined to be plastered across airwaves and across the Internet this week in the wake of Wiggins’ surge, but we’re not going to get lost in the noise. The two teams are building very different products, asking the two players to play very different roles and the timetable for each team to win in earnest is, again, very different.

All that being said, it’s impossible to ignore what Wiggins has done since right around Christmas, and he looks like a completely different player than he did at an earlier juncture of the season. The Timberwolves have turned him loose, and Wiggins has responded with better play, improved instincts and a confidence level that’s jumped to sky-high levels after Wiggins previously looked a little timid earlier in the year.

Elsewhere, both the Hawks and Warriors continue to battle for NBA supremacy, and the Bulls are starting to scuffle at the wrong time and the Clippers decision to trade two wings for a backup combo guard still leaves a lot to be desired.

Clippers 117, Kings 108

The Austin Rivers trade paid off a lot earlier than expected in this one. Just kidding. Rivers saw 15.5 minutes of action, missed all three shots, and had a stat line of one point, one assist and one block. That trade still doesn’t make sense.

In what has become a regular theme of the Clippers’ season due to their paper-thin bench, Los Angeles leaned heavily on its starters to carry the load. Blake Griffin led the way with 30 points (11-of-16 shooting) with five points, five assists and a steal, and BG is now averaging 4.8 assists through eight January games. It continues a positive evolution in his fantasy stock, as Griffin is coming off a December where he averaged 6.0 assists in 17 games. If he can continue to dish the rock at an effective clip, and there’s no reason to think he can’t, it will help boost a stock that is otherwise limited due to his lack of defensive statistics. Believe it or not, Griffin has failed to register have a single block since December 29.

Chris Paul had an off night with 12 points on 13 shots, but he still managed to dish out nine assists (with just one turnover) in the process. J.J. Redick (four three’s, 18 points) and Jamal Crawford (one three, 13 points, five dimes) continue to show why fantasy owners wish you could combine them into one player, and Matt Barnes exploded for 26 points (four triples), 10 rebounds, three steals and a block. That could very well be a top-five line for Barnes this season. Barnes is a low-ceiling play, but the Clippers just have absolutely nothing at small forward behind him right now.

An ankle injury kept DeMarcus Cousins from playing in this one, but Jason Thompson going off and doing his best DMC impression (23 points, 22 rebounds, 9-of-15 shooting) isn’t something that even the world’s best voodoo doll artist could have predicted. Rudy Gay (knee) made a surprise appearance off the bench with 22 points in 34 minutes, but even with Darren Collison’s 17 points, three boards and four assists, it wasn’t enough for the Kings to overcome missing their centerpiece. “Trade bait” Nik Stauskas picked up another DNP-Coach’s Decision, so that should be certain to boost his stock around the league.

Grizzlies 102, Blazers 98

The Blazers lost this one, but Wesley Matthews used the game to drain seven more triples and become Portland’s franchise leader in 3-pointers made en route to 25 points and four boards. Something tells me he’d rather his team had taken home the win. As has been the case all season, the Blazers were carried by their electric one-two combination of Damian Lillard (23 points, six boards, six assists, two steals) and LaMarcus Aldridge (32 points, nine rebounds, one steal, one triple, three blocks), but when the next leading scorer after LMA, Lillard Time & Matthews has just five points, it’s going to be hard to beat a balanced attack like Memphis comes at the opposition with on a regular basis.

For the Grizzlies, Zach Randolph paced the squad with another big double-double (20 points, 15 rebounds), while his tag-team partner Marc Gasol flirted with a triple-double in dropping 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks. It would be sweet to see Z-Bo and Gasol imitate the Dudley Boyz old wrestling act to celebrate an especially momentous occasion, and if it ever happens, don’t forget that you read it here first.

Memphis got three 17-point efforts in this one to support the Gasol-Z-Bo connection, and one of those came from newcomer Jeff Green. Still coming off the bench, Green saw 30 minutes,  grabbed five rebounds and is a much better fit in his current role than he ever was during his tenure in Boston. The Grizzlies also got 17 (and four triples) from Courtney Lee, who has been a miniature-revelation this season, and most surprisingly, the other 17 came from Beno Udrih, who not only iced the game away for Memphis, but also turned in a perfect 7-of-7 effort from the field.

Timberwolves 113, Nuggets 105

Robbie Hummel saw 42.5 minutes in an actual NBA game that the Minnesota Timberwolves won. I just had to make sure that sentence was in print while it was still an accurate statement. Not just did Hummel start, but he logged a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and a block on 6-of-12 shooting. Don’t chase the stats, as Shabazz Muhammad’s (abdomen) return will be sooner, not later.

All jokes aside, the real story of this game was Andrew Wiggins’ continued emergence. With 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal, three blocks and four triples, Wiggins is becoming the star he was billed as being long before he ever entered the NBA. Since the calendar flipped to 2015, Wiggins is averaging an eye-opening 22 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.3 triples on an outstanding 50.3 percent from the field. The kid is for real, he’s averaging himself as the clear-cut Rookie of the Year, and he still doesn’t turn 20 until the end of February.

The Nuggets might have scored 105 points, but it’s a rather boring box score to look at. Jusuf Nurkic had a meager stat line with just four points and nine rebounds in under 15 minutes, but he’s going to struggle with fouls from time-to-time, and owners can’t afford to get impatient while he’s figuring it out. J.J. Hickson took advantage of Nurkic’s limitations in this one with a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds, 32 minutes), but that’s about as empty as the In-N-Out classic is going to come. Ty Lawson kicked in 22 points and seven dimes, while Jameer Nelson contributed 16 off the pine in just 18.5 minutes.

Wizards 99, Nets 90

Washington has looked like two different teams of late with inconsistent efforts on a game-to-game basis, and this was a game the team needed to have. On an off night from John Wall (11 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals, 5-of-15 shooting), Bradley Beal did a great job imitating his backcourt buddy by flirting with a triple-double. Beal had 17 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and just one turnover while stroking two triples on just 12 total shots. Marcin Gortat (10 points, 16 rebounds, one block) and Nene (20 points, six rebounds, two steals, two blocks) combined to decimate the Nets down low, and there might not be a stronger low-post combo in the league than those two in the paint.

Trade candidate Brook Lopez continues to come off the bench for Lionel Hollins’ under-performing squad, and he posted a typical Lopez effort of 15 points and five rebounds on 5-of-13 shooting. Lopez has regressed, and arguments against that register as invalid here. Jarrett Jack continues to fill in for the injured Deron Williams, and with another 22 points and eight assists, Jack should be deployed in all formats despite his ups-and-downs.

Warriors 131, Rockets 106

Golden State is now 32-6, and I’m surprised we haven’t heard more about this team challenging the Chicago Bulls’ 72-10 record. I don’t think it’s going to happen, and Steve Kerr dismissed the notion earlier this season, but we’re now almost officially at the halfway point, and the Warriors have only lost six games. Clearly the best team in the Western Conference, the Warriors are showing no signs of slowing down, and the 131 hung in Houston on the Rockets is a perfect example of just that.

I reached for Klay Thompson in the second round of all my drafts possible this year, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Not only is Thompson validating his max deal already, but he’s making those (myself included) who suggested the Dubs trade him in a Kevin Love deal look pretty foolish. Thompson and Love play drastically different roles for their current teams, but Thompson’s evolution into a complete, two-way player has arrived. With 27 points, five boards, three triples and five blocks in the win, Thompson is showing that he’s significantly more than just a source of points and treys. Now averaging at least one steal, one block and one triple, Thompson finds himself in my favorite kind of fantasy club.

Stephen Curry was cooking with the pot in this one for 27 points, 11 dimes, three steals and two triples in this one, and the Warriors’ offensive machine just could not be stopped. David Lee (18 points, eight rebounds) and Marreese Speights (15 points, five rebounds) chipped in 33 combined, and while Draymond Green’s production has slowed some, he still managed 11 points, four boards, three steals, a block and a triple in just 20.5 minutes.

Houston got 23 points, 10 rebounds and a double-double from Dwight Howard, but it didn’t matter—nothing did. James Harden’s (very) off game didn’t help matters as he struggled with just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting, and the Rockets just really struggled as a team overall on a meager 42 percent shooting, including just 30.4 percent from behind the 3-point line. That’s not going to work in Houston’s blueprint.

Hawks 107, Bulls 99

Four road games in five nights, and a 4-0 record for the red-hot Atlanta Hawks. This is the expectation at this point. Atlanta is now on a 12-game winning streak, and a 33-8 record is second-best in the NBA behind the 32-6 Golden State Warriors. The Atlanta Hawks have the second-best record in the NBA. This team might not have a “superstar” in name, but it could sure have multiple deserving All-Stars.

Paul Millsap continued to illustrate his case to go to New York in mid-February with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists, and with Al Horford finding his groove alongside Millsap, the Florida product contributed 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists on a sterling 11-of-14 from the field. Kyle Korver is a lock for the 3-point contest so long as he wants to participate in the festivities, and he reminded his old Chicago team of that with seven triples on the way to burning the Bulls for 24 points. Jeff Teague, with 17 points, 11 assists, three steals and three blocks, continues to show why he should be on the Nikola Vucevic All-Stars: The list of best players that nobody talks about enough.

Chicago has now lost five of seven, and their defense continues to look like a major issue. It’s not traditional for a Tom Thibodeau team, but it’s going to be hard to get back on track while Joakim Noah (ankle) remains out of the lineup. Derrick Rose had one of his better statistical showings of the season with 23 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, and Pau Gasol continued his resurgence with another massive line of 22 points and 15 rebounds, but the duo didn’t get much help. Jimmy Butler had just 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Butler is now averaging just 16.7 points on 40.7 percent shooting since January arrived.

Pistons 107, Sixers 89

Winners of nine out of their last 11 games, the Detroit Pistons have become one of the more miraculous stories of the NBA season. While the focus has been on Josh Smith since the team cut him, it’s Greg Monroe who has looked like a different player. With 12 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and a block, Monroe’s owners who sold low on The Moose have to be kicking themselves. Andre Drummond had eight points, 15 rebounds and three blocks before taking a seat in the blowout, and Detroit didn’t need much from its starting unit to get past this Philadelphia squad.

The Sixers saw Nerlens Noel’s inconsistencies continue with just seven points, seven rebounds and two blocks in the loss, while Michael Carter-Williams continued to flash his turnover problem with four more in this one. MCW is averaging 7.2 assists this season, but he’s doing so while turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate with 4.4 per game. That’s going to have to change, and soon, if MCW is going to validate claims that he’s the long-term point guard for this rebuilding Sixers squad.

Hornets 80, Pacers 71

It’s not often an overtime game sees just one team crack 80 points and a combined total of 151, but when it’s the Pacers without Paul George facing the Hornets without Kemba Walker (knee) or Al Jefferson (groin), the result isn’t going to be one that future basketball games are modeled after.

The Pacers got a big double-double from Roy Hibbert (12 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks), but outside of David West’s 19 points and eight rebounds, the only other Pacer to score in double-figures was Donald Sloan, who had 13 points off the bench. That’s not an equation that’s going to produce a winning formula.

In what was previously dubbed the Lance Stephenson bowl, the mercurial free-agent addition saw 20 minutes of time in this one, and he responded with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists on 5-of-12 shooting. Even baby steps are a sign of progression for Stephenson at this point, and the Hornets have to be happy when he contributes and the team wins without their two best players. Bismack Biyombo contributed eight points, 14 rebounds and two more blocks, and the former forgotten-about man is now averaging 6.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 54.5 percent shooting (nine games) after being the forgotten man in the rotation.