The Daily Dose: Dose: Batum triple-doubles
There were 10 games on Wednesday night, and while that’s not as busy as when we were dealing with 12-gamers, there’s still a ton of stuff to cover. So I’m diving in. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Hornets 99, Heat 91 – The Hornets got 18 points apiece from Marvin Williams and Kemba Walker, while Nicolas Batum triple-doubled with 10 points, 11 boards, 11 assists, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer. Love Batum this season! Cody Zeller fizzled in a start with nine points and two boards, but I still like him, and he was clearly better than Frank Kaminsky and Spencer Hawes. Nothing exciting happened off the Hornets’ bench, with only Jeremy Lamb hitting double figures with 10 points and four boards, and he’s officially cooled off. He played just 19 minutes, and you might be able to do better off the waiver wire. Charlotte has won three straight and have a better record (13-8) than the Heat (12-8). Al Jefferson (calf injury) has been suspended for five games once he’s back, so Zeller should continue to be relevant for some time.
The Heat just had a crazy-looking box score. Dwyane Wade and Gerald Green were the only starters in double figures with 11 points apiece, while Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic (who has been playing well) were all pretty terrible, outside of Whitey’s three blocks. Charlotte dominated this one, so don’t read too much into it. Green started again for Luol Deng, but Deng was finally back last night and hit 1-of-6 shots for five points and six boards in 24 minutes. Green can safely be dropped at this point. One of my no-name favorites, Tyler Johnson, got 29 minutes off the bench to lead the team in minutes and scoring, and the guard finished with 20 points, a full stat line and hit 6-of-12 shots, including a 3-pointer. Charlotte pretty much blew the Heat out, so this looks like nothing more than a garbage-time special, but the kid can play. Keep an eye on him, as he’s averaged 27 minutes a game over his last three.
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Celtics 105, Bulls 100 – The Celtics put eight players in double figures scoring, including all five starters. Jared Sullinger double-doubled with 10 points, 16 boards, a steal and three blocks, while Isaiah Thomas struggled to 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting, buoyed by 8-of-8 free throws and two 3-pointers. Kelly Olynyk had 15 points, four boards, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers off the bench, and should officially be on your radar, while Evan Turner posted a 13-point, 7-assist line on 3-of-8 shooting off the bench. David Lee was back in action and had 12 points and six boards, but I just don’t like his game at this stage. The Celtics improved their record to 13-9, while the Bulls now sit at just 11-8. Avery Bradley led the Celts with 39 minutes, but hit just 5-of-15 shots for a disappointing stat line.
The Bulls started Taj Gibson and he had eight points and seven boards, but nothing else. Nikola Mirotic went to the bench and hit 4-of-10 shots and two 3-pointers for 10 points, a steal and a block. Keep an eye on this position battle going forward, as I like Mirotic more as a starter. Jimmy Butler went off for a career-high 36 points, hitting 12-of-24 shots and 12-of-14 free throws, but was 0-for-5 from downtown. How is 36 his career high? Pau Gasol was money with 16 points, 15 boards, a steal and two more blocks, and Doug McDermott had 11 points, seven boards and three blocks off the bench. He had eight points in his last game, but might be ready to get it going, so keep an eye on McBuckets. Joakim Noah had five points, five boards, six assists, two steals and a block in 21 minutes, and continues to barely hang onto fantasy value.
Rockets 109, Wizards 103 – The 11-12 Rockets got a big win and James Harden led the way with 42 points, nine boards, seven dimes, two steals, two blocks and five 3-pointers, and hit 13-of-23 shots and 11-of-12 free throws. This is the line his owners have been waiting for – especially after Tuesday’s 10-point game. Corey Brewer started for Trevor Ariza (back) and had 15 points, seven boards, a steal and a 3-pointer, but it doesn’t look like Ariza is going to miss much time. I had a great DFS lineup ruined by Marcus Thornton, who backed up Tuesday’s 32-point game with just nine points in 20 minutes. Lesson learned. Dwight Howard started, but was on a minutes count and hit just 1-of-4 shots for four points, nine boards, two steals and a block. He actually played through his old, sore back on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but totaled just 14 points and 18 rebounds, which he outdid on Saturday alone. And in case you’re wondering, Terrence Jones and Ty Lawson were both awful again off the bench, as P.J. Bickerstaff continues to hold them back.
The Wizards got another monster line from John Wall with 26 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and a block, but he missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat, Jared Dudley and Bradley Beal all scored in double figures, but only Gortat managed a double-double. Beal hit just 5-of-15 shots and had seven turnovers, so it wasn’t a great night for him. Gary Neal played 26 minutes off the bench, but hit just 2-of-11 shots for seven points. Some of my co-workers are into Dudley’s potential, but not me.
Grizzlies 93, Pistons 92 – The Grizzlies bounced back from Tuesday’s disaster, as Zach Randolph led the way with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Marc Gasol shook off an ankle injury and had 19 points, 12 boards, a steal and two blocks, and Mike Conley backed up a goose egg with 11 points and eight assists, although he hit just 4-of-13 shots. He’ll be fine. Jeff Green is really struggling and had just eight points, and you might be able to do better off the waiver wire. Matt Barnes had eight points, 11 boards and two 3-pointers, but I don’t trust him coming off the bench.
Andre Drummond overcame a slow start and finished with 18 points, 19 boards, three steals, two blocks and six turnovers. How he had six turnovers I’ll never understand. Ersan Ilyasova came in kind of hot but hit just 3-of-9 shots for seven points, but also added seven boards, a steal, three blocks and a 3-pointer, which is why I haven’t cut him yet. There was nothing to see off the Pistons’ bench.
Raptors 97, Spurs 94 – DeMar DeRozan led the way with 28 points, Kyle Lowry added 19 points and eight dimes, and Luis Scola awoke from a coma with 16 points and eight boards in 33 minutes. Terrence Ross, who came out of nowhere for 22 points and six boards in his previous game, scored just six points in 27 minutes, which is why he wasn’t in this week’s Waiver Wired. And no one on the bench, including Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson, did anything too noteworthy. Ross has some potential with DeMarre Carroll out indefinitely with a knee injury, but I bet you can find a more stable player off the wire.
The Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili’s 17 points off the bench, and LaMarcus Aldridge’s 13 points and seven boards as a starter. Kawhi Leonard was back from the flu, but didn’t look right with nine points and seven boards, but he at least had a full stat line and played, right?. Tim Duncan came back from a DNP-rest, but had just eight points and two boards. They’ll both bounce back. Tony Parker was playing well coming in, but had just four points and three assists on 2-of-7 shooting. As for the redheaded stepchild, Danny Green had eight points, three boards, one assist, three steals and two 3-pointers on 3-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes. The steals and threes were nice, but c’mon, man. And no, I still haven’t cut him, somehow.
Clippers 108, Bucks 95 – The Clippers got a season-high 31 and six 3-pointers from J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin had 21 points and 14 boards, and Chris Paul posted a whopper with 18 points and 18 assists. Welcome back! DeAndre Jordan had nine points, 19 rebounds and three blocks, while the Clips’ bench did next to nothing last night, including Jamal Crawford (eight points).
The Bucks were led by Michael Carter-Williams’ 20 points off the bench and he also had 11 assists and hit 9-of-16 shots. He’s not starting, but is the play at PG here, and Jerryd Bayless is going to have some trouble resurfacing when he returns from his ankle injury. Starter O.J. Mayo was solid with 14 points, eight assists and a nice line, Greg Monroe double-doubled with 16 & 10, and Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton were all disappointing for the Bucks. Make sure MCW isn’t available in your league, and pick up Mayo if he’s available.
Hawks 98, Mavericks 95 – The Hawks got 20 points, 11 boards, five assists, three steals and a block from Paul Millsap, and solid efforts from Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore in the win. Bazemore came off the bench again, but played 23 minutes and hit 5-of-10 shots and two 3-pointers for 12 points, eight boards and a block. Thabo Sefolosha started and played 26 minutes, but had just seven points and six rebounds. Bazemore may be ready to get hot again and he looked great last night. Dennis Schroder had 11 points, but just ignore him. We’ve seen how this movie ends when Teague is healthy.
All five Dallas starters scored in double figures, as Deron Williams stayed hot with 18 points, seven boards, six dimes and two 3-pointers. Zaza Pachulia had 11 points and 17 boards (no blocks), and Wesley Matthews scored 17 points. Raymond Felton started at shooting guard and had 11 points, six boards and five dimes, and has been playing very well. Give him a close look in all leagues. Dwight Powell came out of the funk for 14 points and six boards, but I need to see it again before I’m buying back in. Williams is finally playing like I thought he might when I predicted a bounce-back season in September, so my fingers are crossed.
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