The Daily Dose: Dose: 43 Shades of Klay

Twelve games and limited space mean that I’m going to have to pick my spots. Forgive me if I don’t mention your favorite player. Here we go! Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!

Hawks 127, Sixers 106 – The Hawks snapped a three-game slide, getting big lines out of Paul Millsap (zero rebounds-what?), Al Horford and Jeff Teague against the lowly Sixers. Kent Bazemore stumbled with eight points, but still had a full stat line with just five shots taken. He’s fine, and Thabo Sefolosha didn’t do much. Dennis Schroder had 17 points, seven assists, three steals and two 3-pointers off the bench, but keep in mind that this was a blowout against the Sixers. Ignore it for now. You guys know I don’t like Schroder as long as Teague’s healthy. Millsap’s zero rebounds might be the most mindboggling stat of the night, but it means nothing.

The Sixers got a season-high 24 points out of Isaiah Canaan, which was impossible to see coming, given his four points in his previous game. I really don’t trust any guard playing for Philly right now. Starting forwards Robert Covington and Jerami Grant were quiet, but Covington remains a must-own player, while Grant will take a hit once Nerlens Noel is back from his eye injury. Kendall Marshall started at PG, but only had seven points and four assists in 15 minutes, while T.J. McConnell played 17 minutes and Tony Wroten played 15. Three-headed point guards for an NBA team are a fantasy nightmare, so tread carefully with any of them (read: ignore). Jahlil Okafor had 19 points and seven rebounds, and along with Covington, is the only reliable Sixer right now. Richaun Holmes had 12 points, seven boards, a steal, two blocks and a 3-pointer in 27 minutes off the bench, but this was a garbage-time special.

Editor’s Note: This is your chance to try FanDuel risk free! Sign up today and if you lose your first contest, you’ll be refunded the entry fee up to $10. Play now. 

Pacers 107, Mavericks 81 – C.J. Miles took his benching in stride and hit three more 3-pointers for 20 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Hold him. Paul George was quiet again with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and he’s really cooled off over his last three games – a good buy-low opportunity? Monta Ellis has played well in two straight games, new starter Lavoy Allen didn’t do much, and Ian Mahinmi bounced back with five points and 10 boards in 22 minutes. He continues to hold off Jordan Hill (6 points, 6 rebounds in 23 minutes), but barely.

The Mavs were a mess and only Raymond Felton (16 points) and Dirk Nowitzki (13 points) hit double figures. Felton has been playing well at shooting guard and is worth a pick up in all leagues, averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.8 3-pointers over his last five games. There was literally nothing else to see in the Dallas box score, except that Chandler Parsons (season-high 29 minutes) limped to the locker room before the game ended. If he’s going to miss time, it should just mean more minutes for guys like Felton, Devin Harris and J.J. Barea, as Wesley Matthews can handle most of the SF minutes.

Magic 113, Hornets 98 – Channing Frye played well again with 17 points and five 3-pointers, giving him two solid stat lines in a row. And no, I don’t think it will last, and I’d rather hold Andrew Nicholson, who didn’t do much tonight. All five Magic starters scored in double digits and we saw a nice bounce-back for Evan Fournier, who had 15 points, three 3-pointers and two steals in 24 minutes. Maybe he’ll survive? Elfrid Payton is having a nice season and even hit 5-of-9 shots as a bonus, while Victor Oladipo continues to squirm off the bench. He had 11-4-4, but I’m pretty mad at Scott Skiles for ruining him thus far. Aaron Gordon quietly played 25 minutes off the bench and had six points, seven boards and two steals, so just keep him on your radar in case he’s about to bust loose.

The Hornets got 16 points, four steals and a 3-pointer from Jeremy Lamb off the bench, which was his best game of the month. The December-high 24 minutes were a big reason, so put him back on your radar in case it sticks. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum both struggled, but are fine, while Marvin Williams has officially cooled off, performing poorly in three straight. He should eventually bounce back, but he’s no longer a must-start player. This was just a bad night for the Hornets. Al Jefferson’s five-game suspension started tonight, so he only has to sit out for four more games, meaning Cody Zeller’s mediocre run is coming to a close.

Heat 104, Nets 98 – Chris Bosh and Luol Deng both had off nights, but played 30-plus minutes, while Dwyane Wade shook off a flu bug for 28 points and a nice line that included 13-of-17 shooting. I still think he’s going to be given a night off soon. Hassan Whiteside racked up 20 points, 13 boards and a block amid trade rumors, and Goran Dragic added 16 points and five dimes, showing signs of life. Gerald Green went to the bench and had 13 points, meaning he’s fading, while Justise Winslow played 33 minutes and hit 4-of-5 shots and three 3-pointers for 11 points and eight boards. This is something to monitor, especially during trade season.

Brook Lopez scored 25 and Jarrett Jack had a big double-double with 22 points and 10 dimes in the loss. Jack looks much better than he did a couple weeks ago. Starters Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Johnson and Thaddeus Young were all quiet, but Thadd is the only must-start player of that trio. The Nets bench didn’t do much, but deep-leaguers might want to take a look at Andrea Bargnani, who had 10 points and five boards last night. Again, deep-leaguers only, but he has scored in double digits in four straight off the bench.

Pistons 119, Celtics 116 – Andre Drummond was solid and made up for no blocks with a rare 3-pointer, and Reggie Jackson came through with 23 points, but just three assists in the win. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the big story with a career-best 31 points with three 3-pointers on 10-of-16 shooting in 44 minutes. He also had a steal and a block, has hit double figures in scoring in four straight games, and is averaging a nice 18 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.0 3-pointers on 44 percent shooting over his last five games. Get him in your lineup. Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova were a bit quiet again tonight, but I’m guessing both of them will get hot again soon. There’s nothing to see on the Pistons’ bench, so the aforementioned are who you want to own.

The Celtics got a career-high 38 from Isaiah Thomas after an off night and Jared Sullinger had 17 points, 10 rebounds and a 3-pointer. I started them on Tuesday, but I was a day early. Avery Bradley didn’t do much, but played 38 minutes so stick with him, and Kelly Olynyk was scoreless in his 16 minutes. The ride has been over for a couple games, but he could easily get hot again at any time. Jae Crowder started again and scored just nine points, but had seven boards and a 3-pointer in 32 minutes, meaning he’s still a good player to own.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.