Sunday Daily Dose: Dose: Bledsoe's Bubble Bursts
This is the last thing Jeff Hornacek needed.
Eric Bledsoe (knee) is going for an MRI, and it doesn’t sound like the Suns expect it to be a day-to-day absence. Those with Bledsoe on their roster have to be prepared to sustain an impact blow, and there is no player on the waiver wire who is going to come close to replacing what Mini-LeBron does for your squad.
On a Saturday night with 13 games where the name Nikola reigned supreme, we’ll waste no time in presenting the Sunday Dose.
Washington @ Brooklyn: Wizards 111, Nets 96
Studs
Marcin Gortat: 25 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 TO, 10-of-15 FGs
John Wall: 22 pts, 4 reb, 13 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 3PM, 3 TO, 9-of-17 FGs
Thaddeus Young: 16 pts, 14 reb, 4 stl, 1 blk, 2 TO, 8-of-14 FGs
Brook Lopez: 19 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 1 TO, 9-of-16 FGs
Jarrett Jack: 15 pts, 11 ast, 3 stl, 4 TO, 7-of-15 FGs
Duds
Jared Dudley: 3 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1-of-4 FGs
Otto Porter: 7 pts, 3 reb, 2 stl, 2-of-7 FGs
Joe Johnson: 9 pts, 3 reb, 2 TO, 3-of-10 FGs
Thaddeus Young is putting up fourth-round value this season, and he’s been one of the most under-appreciated fantasy assets of the campaign. Enjoying his best go-around since he was in Philadelphia and remarkably stable for an inconsistent Brooklyn team, there is no reason to think Young is going to stop producing. He’s going to be on a lot of winning rosters when it’s all said and done. Outside of a brief scare in the form of a foot injury turned non-issue with Brook Lopez, the same praise can be lavished upon Brooklyn’s high-priced center.
Otto Porter’s (thigh) return came in a bench role as the team eases him back into action, and despite rookie Kelly Oubre Jr. putting up a nice line (12 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk, 5-of-7 FGs) in 31.5 minutes, he was a minus-3 in a 14-point win while Porter was a plus-12 in his 19 minutes of action. Battling injuries all over his body, John Wall is still a one-man wrecking crew with Bradley Beal (leg) out of the lineup…Don’t expect the big numbers to slow so long as Wall has the show to himself.
Entering Saturday’s game with averages of 16.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.7 blocks on 56.2% shooting in December, Marcin Gortat again stepped up for a banged-up team…A sell-high move isn’t the worst idea with Beal’s return promising to take some of Gortat’s opportunities away, but The Polish Hammer is going to have to be more involved like we’ve seen this month regardless moving forward. Garrett Temple returned to Earth, but with Gary Neal (quad) expected to miss time and Beal already sidelined, he and Ramon Sessions are going to be handed uncomfortably large roles…I’d rather not roster either one, but I’ll take Sessions if it breaks the coin flip.
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Toronto @ Milwaukee: Raptors 111, Bucks 90
Studs
Bismack Biyombo: 14 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk, 5-of-7 FGs
DeMar DeRozan: 22 pts, 3 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl, 3 TO, 7-of-14 FGs
Terrence Ross: 18pts, 3 stl, 4 3PM, 7-of-12 FGs
Luis Scola: 17 pts, 11 reb, 2 blk, 3 3PM, 1 TO, 7-of-12 FGs
Greg Monroe: 19 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 2 TO, 7-of-10 FGs
Khris Middleton: 20 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast, 5 3PM, 2 TO, 7-of-16 FGs
Duds
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 4 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 TO, 2-of-5 FGs
Jabari Parker: 9 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 TO, 2-of-12 FGs
Although the game wasn’t a blowout until the fourth quarter thanks to a 35-11 romp by Toronto, it was not a very fantasy-friendly box score in Milwaukee where DeMarre Carroll’s return (7 pts, 2 reb, 1 stl, 3-of-5 FGs, 18 min) came in a bench role, but that is very much temporary. Given Toronto’s power forward situation—sorry, Luis Scola—coupled with Terrence Ross finally playing consistent basketball over his last six with averages of 15.2 points, 1.1 steals and 3.8 3-pointers, it’s possible Carroll spends more time there as Dwane Casey tinkers with his lineup. Jonas Valanciunas (hand) could return as early as Monday’s contest vs. Chicago, so Bismack Biyombo went out in style if J.V. returns as anticipated.
Khris Middleton’s last three games: 22.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.0 3-pointers on 59.5% from the field…That’s better than the player you expected even when you felt like you were reaching in your draft. Greg Monroe is just about as consistent as they come and a perfect for conservative GMs, but he’s not a season-defining pick in any format.
Houston @ New Orleans: Pelicans 110, Hornets 108
Studs
James Harden: 25 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 5 3PM, 2 TO, 8-of-21 FGs
Anthony Davis: 24 pts, 13 reb, 3 blk, 4 TO, 8-of-16 FGs
Eric Gordon: 26 pts, 5 ast, 6 3PM, 1 TO, 10-of-12 FGs
Duds
Clint Capela: 2 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 1-of-4 FGs
Dwight Howard: 7 pts, 9 reb, 1 blk, 1 TO, 3-of-4 FGs
Jrue Holiday: 9 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 TO, 3-of-7 FGs
When your coach calls out the entire team, cites “misplaced priorities” and calls it the “core issue” preventing success, changes are more than likely to be be fast arriving. James Harden is a fantasy stud, but his style of play may be fast wearing on those around him and Dwight Howard may no longer consider it such a challenge to play alongside Kobe Bryant.
Terrence Jones (13 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 4-of-12 FGs) is clearly ahead of Donatas Motiejunas in the rotation right now, but his upside is limited with Clint Capela still playing in front of him. Jones is a prime trade candidate, so it’s not a bad idea to stash him as a small-bet lottery ticket with the Rockets looking to change the makeup of the roster. Ty Lawson has quietly played 25-plus minutes in two of his last three games, and while he hasn’t done much with the minutes, averaging 9.0 points, 4.1 assists and a 3-pointer on 50% shooting, it’s a sizable step in the right direction and is at least on the fantasy radar once again.
The Pelicans shot better than 50% from the field and from behind the 3-point line in a big bounce back win after a brutal overtime loss on Christmas Day, and Eric Gordon must have received some great holiday/birthday presents because he went off in this one. Anthony Davis was aggressive early in order to set a tone for his team, and it apparently worked because even Omer Asik (10 pts, 8 reb, 2 blk) showed a pulse for the first time all season. We’ve been waiting for Jrue Holiday (leg) to be cleared for back-to-back sets, and it was very encouraging to see him play 27 minutes in consecutive contests despite not doing much with the minutes.
Miami @ Orlando: Heat 108, Magic 101
Studs
Chris Bosh: 24 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 3PM, 1 TO, 10-of-16 FGs
Goran Dragic: 22 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 3 3PM, 4 TO, 9-of-16 FGs
Dwyane Wade: 24 pts, 6 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO, 7-of-12 FGs, 10-of-10 FTs
Nikola Vucevic: 22 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk, 2 TO, 11-of-22 FGs
Duds
Victor Oladipo: 8 pts, 4 ast, 2 TO, 3-of-8 FGs
Hassan Whiteside: 7 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk, 2-of-5 FGs
Victor Oladipo’s last five games: 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists while struggling to find his role. He’d have a lot more fantasy value on another team, perhaps a topic he and Aaron Gordon—who saw fewer minutes than Channing Frye, Andrew Nicholson and Jason Smith—discuss after Orlando’s losses. With Elfrid Payton (16 pts, 7 ast, 8-of-12 FGs) and Evan Fournier (12 pts, 7 ast) both playing well in heavy minutes, it’s hard to see where Oladipo’s extended involvement is suddenly going to come from. Nikola Vucevic has now scored at least 20 in five straight, averaging a red-hot 22.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks on 57.1% from the field. He’s out of Scott Skiles’ doghouse and on his rightful way to top-25 value by the end of the season.
This is a statement game from Chris Bosh after delivering 30&10 on Christmas Day vs. Anthony Davis, and a revenge game for both Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade to get back on track. Hopefully Bosh, Dragic and Wade can watch this game film with Erik Spoelstra in order to figure out how they’re going to keep Dragic involved consistently at this level, because he’s a player who thrives when his number is called and Miami paid him to play like a star. If you’ve continued to wait on Dragic to turn the corner, there’s no reason to sell now. He’s going to be a second-half player.
Memphis @ Charlotte: Hornets 98, Grizzlies 92
Studs
Nicolas Batum: 20 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 3PM, 4 TO, 7-of-14 FGs
Kemba Walker: 22 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl, 4 3PM, 3 TO, 6-of-12 FGs
Duds
Al Jefferson: 2 pts, 4 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk, 1-of-8 FGs
Jeff Green: 8 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 3 TO, 3-of-5 FGs
Courtney Lee: 5 pts, 2 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk, 2-of-5 FGs
Nicolas Batum is a great reminder that health and role/opportunity are key ingredients in a successful fantasy situation. Along with Kemba Walker, Batum is involved in everything Charlotte does and a big reason why the Hornets sit at a surprising 16-13 and is on his way to posting third-round value. Not bad for a guy who was routinely drafted after Monta Ellis and Danny Green.
Al Jefferson (calf/suspension) returned off the bench and looked terrible en route to fouling out in just 17.5 minutes, so expect Cody Zeller (8 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) and Frank Kaminsky (10 pts, 2 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) to have a little extra life left in them. Even with Spencer Hawes out of the rotation, not all three of those guys can play and Kaminsky is the first-round pick that Steve Clifford has gone out of his way to praise at multiple points this season. Marvin Williams, who has been trending downward in December, is also likely to see fewer minutes.
Mike Conley filled the stat sheet with 19 points, four boards, seven dimes, three steals, a block and four triples, but he shot just 7-of-20 from the field to get there. Marc Gasol (18 pts, 5 reb, 8-of-18 FGs) wouldn’t be impressed with his own effort, and when Zach Randolph’s best game off the bench is an empty double-double with more shots than points, it tells you everything you need to know about where Z-Bo’s fantasy value lies. The three-headed monster of Tony Allen (4 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl), Matt Barnes (7 pts, 7 reb, 2 blk) and Jeff Green is doing no favors to anybody’s fantasy value, but Barnes is the guy I’d want of the trio on my team.
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