The Daily Dose: Dose: Paul George bangs knee
It was a busy night for a Thursday, as we’ve seen traditional three-game nights turn into six-gamers this season. That was the case last night, as the Heat shocked the Thunder, the Spurs rolled the Grizzlies, the Blazers stopped the streaking Pacers and the Celtics romped against the Kings. Rajon Rondo was ejected, Paul George banged his knee and cooled off, Monta Ellis left early and Danny Green hit rock bottom. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here, and away we go!
Blazers 123, Pacers 111 – Damian Lillard had 26 points, nine assists, a steal, a block and five 3-pointers, and C.J. McCollum broke free for 21 points, five boards, five assists, two steals and three 3-pointers of his own. Center Mason Plumlee double-doubled with 12 points, 10 boards and a block, and Al-Farouq Aminu bounced back with 13 points, six boards, five dimes, a steal and three 3-pointers in 32 minutes. AFA’s owners were panicking a bit after Meyers Leonard started the second half in the previous game, but Aminu looked great last night. Leonard had 12 points, a steal and two 3-pointers off the bench and played 25 minutes, and I still think he’s a nice pick up right now. Especially with Noah Vonleh struggling and playing just 18 minutes in another start. Allen Crabbe matched his career high with 18 points for the second straight night, but outside of his four 3-pointers, didn’t do much. Make sure Crabbe is on your radar. Ed Davis had just six points, but added 13 rebounds, two steals and a block, and is worth owning in most leagues, although the emergence of Leonard won’t do him any favors going forward.
The Pacers saw their six-game winning streak stopped in Portland and it’s no coincidence that Paul George struggled and then left briefly with a knee injury. PG-13 hit just 4-of-17 shots and was 0-for-9 from downtown to finish with a season-low 11 points. He then banged his right knee and was removed from the game as trainers checked him out on the bench, but he was able to return. It doesn’t look like anything serious, but he had scored 30-plus points in four straight games and the knee is attached to the same leg he broke last year. Keep an eye out for news if you own him. C.J. Miles was back in the starting lineup after a one-game matchup benching, and caught fire to hit 9-of-14 shots and 8-of-11 3-pointers for 27 points, six boards, a steal and a block. If you were discouraged after his last two duds, he got back into the mix tonight, and I hope you didn’t drop him this morning. And if George is going to miss any games, Miles looks like a stud. Ian Mahinmi double-doubled with 10 points, 11 boards and no blocks, and George Hill had 18 points, three dimes and two 3-pointers, despite hitting just 7-of-17 shots. He’s been up and down lately, but could be ready to get hot again. Mahinmi is in a good situation and producing, and I feel that he should be owned in most leagues. Adding to Indy’s injury woes was Monta Ellis, who didn’t play in the second half due to a shoulder injury, although there is a conflicting report out there about him being kneed in the back. Either way, he was as valuable as wet, hot garbage last night, and owners should keep an eye out for news on Friday. Ellis had just two points in 18 minutes. If George or Ellis is out, Rodney Stuckey (17 points, five boards, six dimes, three steals and a 3-pointer) and Miles are the guys who should step up in either one of their places. Jordan Hill scored 10 points, but had just three rebounds and a block. Mahinmi is simply the better player right now, and is the guy you should choose if you’re trying to decide between the two.
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Heat 97, Thunder 95 – This was the wildest game of the season, featuring 38 lead changes and 11 ties before a pair of Dwyane Wade free throws with 1.5 seconds left put the Heat ahead to stay. Wade hit 11-of-21 shots for 28 points, four boards, four assists and a steal, but didn’t hit a three. He’s missed just one game this season and had 30 in his last one, so he’s officially hot. So far, so good if you drafted him. Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic all played well, while Josh McRoberts scored a season-high 12 off the bench. Ignore him for now. Gerald Green started again for Luol Deng, but fizzled with five points on 2-of-9 shooting. Deng should be back soon, ending the headaches for fantasy owners that Green brings with him. Justise Winslow played 34 minutes but didn’t do much in the box score, but he did play solid D on Kevin Durant, who scored 25 in the loss. Dragic appeared to be sore after the game, so make sure he’s OK going forward.
Durant and Westbrook both missed 3-pointers that could have won the game late, and Westbrook didn’t even score over the game’s final 16 minutes. He also finished with 25 points to go along with seven turnovers, and this was just his sixth game of the season without a 3-pointer. Serge Ibaka was quiet and didn’t block a shot, and as usual, those three players are the only ones from OKC that you really want in a fantasy lineup on most nights. The loss dropped the Thunder to 11-8 on the season, while the Heat now sit at 11-6.
Nuggets 106, Raptors 105 – The Nuggets snapped an eight-game losing streak with the one-point win and were led by Will Barton’s 22 points, four boards, four assists, a block and three 3-pointers off the bench. He’s had a couple quiet nights, but has played very well for much of the season. If you’re ready to drop Danny Green, Barton looks like a replacement option. Darrell Arthur filled in for Kenneth Faried (ankle) and had 19 points, six boards, two steals, two blocks and three 3-pointers on 8-of-14 shooting, and is someone to keep an eye on in case Faried misses more time. He was also a much better play than Utah’s Trevor Booker, who posted a dud. Danilo Gallinari scored 21 with three 3-pointers and Joffrey Lauvergne, who started over Nikola Jokic, played 25 minutes and came through with 14 points, 10 boards and a block. It wasn’t long ago that the Nuggets were saying that Jokic had earned the starting job, and that’s no longer the case. I’d rather own Lauvergne, at least until Jusuf Nurkic is ready. Emmanuel Mudiay’s struggles continue and he hit just 2-of-9 shots, but he did have nine assists and just three turnovers to go along with his five points. He’s about to be dropped in a lot of leagues, but Jameer Nelson’s not the answer (two points in 28 minutes).
DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points to lead the Raptors, Kyle Lowry had 16 points, six boards, eight dimes, four steals and three 3-pointers, and has swiped a steal in 23 straight games. DeMarre Carroll struggled with his shot and hit just 3-of-12 of them, while Bismack Biyombo was quiet with six points, seven boards and a block. BB will be better than this on most nights. Cory Joseph came off the bench for 15 points and a nice line, hitting 6-of-9 shots in 28 minutes. I’ve been sleeping on him, but he’s averaging 10.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 3-pointers in 29 minutes over his last five games. If you’re looking to dump Ish Smith, Joseph is worth a look right now.
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