The Daily Dose: Dose: Boogie is Back!
My Internet is working again in my house, so I’m out of McDonald’s and back in my home office. I couldn’t be happier about it and the time is right for a seven-game NBA breakdown on a Monday night that saw the Bears shock the Chargers in the NFL.
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Pacers top Magic 97-84 – Paul George stayed red-hot against the Magic and hit 7-of-17 shots and three 3-pointers for 27 points, four rebounds, seven assists and six turnovers. The turnovers and his shooting have been a concern for most of the season, but I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and it’s no secret that I wasn’t feeling George when the season started. There’s a long way to go, so I’m still not kicking myself in the head for sleeping on PG-13, but he is playing at a pretty high level. George Hill had another big game and remains one of the most underrated point guards in the game and fantasy, Ian Mahinmi reestablished himself with eight points, nine boards, a steal and two blocks, and Monta Ellis killed the good vibes he was feeling from Sunday (25 points) with two points on 1-of-9 shooting. Yeah, he’s off to a rough start, but I still think he’ll be fine. C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey both returned from ankle injuries last night, and while neither is a must-own player, Miles is worth a look in deeper leagues. He had nine points, two steals and two 3-pointers in a 27-minute start.
The Magic got another big game from Evan Fournier with 21 points and four 3-pointers. He cooled off for a minute last week, but has bounced back in his last two games. I’m pretty thrilled to own him in a few leagues, as he played 40 minutes again tonight. Dewayne Dedmon started again for Nikola Vucevic (knee) and had five points, nine boards, two steals and zero blocks. Not a great night for Dedmon, but he’s still worth a spot start on nights when Vucevic is out. Channing Frye came out of nowhere with 14 points, eight boards and four 3-pointers in 23 minutes off the bench, but I need to see this a couple more times before I take notice. Aaron Gordon played just 17 minutes and struggled. As long as he’s not consistently getting 25 minutes a game, I’ll keep him on my team, but he’ll be on my bench.
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Bulls beat Sixers 11-88 – The Bulls crushed the Sixers, as expected, as Pau Gasol ripped off 16 points, nine boards and six blocks. Derrick Rose had 12 points, five boards and seven assists, and Doug McDermott scored a career-high 18 points with three 3-pointers and not much else. The surprises of the night came from Jimmy Butler, who struggled for the second straight game with seven points on 2-of-6 shooting, but the good news is he’s not hurt. He’s just in a two-game slump, so be ready to ride him out of it. Nikola Mirotic, who was rumored to be headed for the bench prior to the game, started and hit 6-of-11 shots and three 3-pointers for 20 points, 10 boards and two steals. This was reminiscent of his early-season start and maybe the benching rumors got him motivated. Hopefully he builds on this one. Joakim Noah didn’t play due to a sore left knee, as his disastrous season continues. As I said in the blurb, I’m not going to tell you to straight up cut him, but I’m not going to be mad at you if you do it.
The Sixers, as usual, are a mess to write about from a fantasy perspective. Nerlens Noel was out with a wrist injury, so Richaun Holmes started and had 11 points and two blocks in 28 minutes. I doubt Noel’s out for very long, so there’s no reason to get excited about Holmes. Jerami Grant started again and had 11 points and three blocks, but I’m worried about him once Robert Covington returns, possibly this Saturday. Jahlil Okafor made for a daily-league star with 21 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and two blocks. He’s scored in double figures every game, but this was his first double-double, which was directly related to the absence of Noel.
T.J. McConnell was solid again with six points, five boards, eight assists and two blocks. He’s shooting 48 percent from the floor, but isn’t taking enough shots to make it matter. If you need a point guard, grab him. Nik Stauskas hit just 2-of-13 shots and had a 3-pointer, five points, five boards, two assists and three steals. The steals and three helped to offset the bad night, but regardless of how bad he’s shooting it, he’s averaging 13 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 3-pointers, hitting just 34 percent from the floor. The kid can shoot and is still learning his way around an NBA court, so I’m just going to keep running him out there until he figures it out. It feels like a huge explosion is coming from him, sooner than later. After a big game on Saturday, Isaiah Canaan was awful, shooting 1-of-5 for three points, Phil Pressey was decent as the backup point guard with 11 points and five dimes in just 13 minutes, and Christian Wood backed up Holmes with nine points and eight boards in 22 minutes off the bench. Again, Noel’s return will render him useless, while Pressey should just be given a watchful eye. Canaan is in a lineup or two for me and I’m expecting plenty of inconsistency along the way.
Wolves blow lead, beat Hawks 117-107 – The Hawks were down 30 at halftime and 34 at one point in the third quarter, but actually came back to take the lead in this game. They couldn’t hang on, but it was a valiant comeback attempt. The Wolves got 17 points, 12 boards and three blocks from Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins tied a career high with 33 points, five boards, four assists, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer. He’s hot right now, so ride him. Additionally, Kevin Martin played just 24 minutes and had an empty 13 points, which could continue as long as Wiggins is on fire. Wire darling Nemanja Bjelica came through with three 3-pointers, 11 points, five rebounds and four dimes in 30 minutes, and I love the idea of owning him right now – especially since the Wolves are at the front end of a five-game week. Gorgui Dieng played just 16 minutes, and much like Noah, owners have to make a decision as to whether to ride it out or throw him back on the wire and find some consistent production. Unfortunately, I think I’m ready to move on without him.
The Hawks got a stellar line from Paul Millsap, who had 22 points, five boards, six assists, two steals, two blocks and three 3-pointers on 9-of-15 shooting. Al Horford added 14 points, six boards and two 3-pointers, and Jeff Teague went off with 24 points, nine assists, a steal, three blocks and a 3-pointer on 10-of-17 shooting. He also had six turnovers, but that’s not typical for him. Kent Bazemore stayed hot and filled the stat sheet before fouling out, finishing with nine points, six boards, three assists, five steals, a block and a 3-pointer, and is now averaging 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.8 3-pointers on 51 percent shooting from the floor, and 88 percent shooting from the stripe in his last five games. Hopefully you picked him up. Tiago Splitter played through a calf injury, but had just four points and three boards in 16 minutes. As long as Horford is healthy, you can forget about Splitter. Kyle Korver was bad again and got chastised by his coach for a lack of defense, and he just hasn’t been right since the end of last season.
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