The Daily Dose: Dose: Down Goes Tyreke Evans
It was a busy 10-game night in the NBA and Tyreke Evans went down, the Hawks and Pacers were no-shows, and the Warriors actually lost a game, thanks to sitting Draymond Green. There is a ton of injury news out there right now, so be sure to scour the Rotoworld Player News pages, as well as the Injury Report, to find out the status of your guys – especially if you own Bulls. Follow me on Twitter here.
Hornets 107, Hawks 84 – The Hawks didn’t show up on Wednesday night and got blown out at Charlotte. The Hornets got 23 points and a full line from Kemba Walker, Cody Zeller had his best game in recent memory with 19 points, 10 boards, a steal and three blocks in 27 minutes, and Jeremy Lin came through with 19 points, five boards and a 3-pointer in 27 minutes off the bench. Nicolas Batum was back for his second straight game and had just six points, but also had 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. This is a good buy-low opportunity on Batum. The rest of the Hornets’ box score is a mess, although Frank Kaminsky played 29 minutes and had six points, eight boards, two steals and a block. I like him, but he won’t fully be worth owning/starting unless he replaces Marvin Williams as a starter. It’s time. Jeremy Lamb (14 minutes) suffered a toe injury and didn’t return, leaving him day-to-day.
Paul Millsap had 20 points, five boards, a block and a 3-pointer, and the rest of the Hawks’ box score was a disaster. Kent Bazemore and Jeff Teague were the two next leading scorers with nine points, meaning Millsap was the only Hawk to score in double figures. There’s nothing to see here, including Al Horford’s terrible two-point game on 1-of-4 shooting in 28 minutes. Maybe there’s an incredible strip club in Charlotte that kept the boys out all night, but this was simply an off night for the Hawks. A really, really off night.
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Wizards 106, Bucks 101 – Bradley Beal came off the bench for 11 points in 23 minutes after sitting out the last 15 games and owners can only hope that he’ll be a safe play by Monday, when weekly lineups are due. Marcin Gortat was out with his knee infection so Nene started again, and had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in 25 minutes. I’d say he’s worth a short-term look, but he’s too injury prone for that. Garrett Temple and Ramon Sessions both played well, but will both take a hit once Beal is back in the starting lineup, and Drew Gooden didn’t do much with his 27 minutes, finishing with five points and five boards in Gortat’s absence.
The Bucks got a big line from Giannis Antetokounmpo with 19 points, 11 boards, six assists, two steals and a block, and it would have been even better if he didn’t commit six turnovers. Jabari Parker stayed hot with a career-high 22 points and six boards on 9-of-13 shooting, but still doesn’t do enough to get my blood pumping. However, he’s playing well enough to be picked up in most leagues. Greg Monroe was nice with 21 & 12, despite no blocks, and Khris Middleton came through with 25 points, five boards, five assists, two steals and a 3-pointer as his dream season continues. Michael Carter-Williams played 26 minutes, but hit just 2-of-6 shots for four points, five boards, six dimes and three steals. This is a bit concerning with no other point guard available, but the Bucks’ bench scored a total of 10 points. This just wasn’t MCW’s night, which cost me in some DFS leagues.
Nets 110, Knicks 104 – The Nets saw Thaddeus Young bounce back with a nice double-double, Joe Johnson (buyout candidate) get loose for 14 points, seven rebounds, six dimes, a steal and two 3-pointers, Brook Lopez drop 20 & 8, and Shane Larkin (off the bench) for a career game with 17 points, five assists and a 3-pointer. Donald Sloan started, but Larkin is still the guy you want to own here, and he may have been dropped in your league prior to this game (guilty). Maybe it was a revenge game for Larkin, but he should be able to play like this more often. Shooting guard is a black hole in Brooklyn, as Wayne Ellington had 10 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic finally bounced back with 14 points and four 3-pointers on 4-of-5 shooting. That’s the same guy who was 0-for-16 in his previous three games, and I don’t trust either of them. Larkin is the pickup here, but this might end up being his best game of the season, maybe.
“I also like Derrick Williams if Melo is out.” That’s me on Twitter, at 5:21 pm yesterday. Sometimes I look smart, as Williams came off the bench to hit 11-of-17 shots and 9-of-11 free throws for 31 points, seven boards and two steals in 32 minutes. Carmelo Anthony was sitting out with his ankle injury, and Lance Thomas fizzled in a start by hitting just 2-of-10 shots in 28 minutes. Kristaps Porzingis was nice with 12 points, 10 boards, three steals and two blocks, but hit just 5-of-17 shots, Robin Lopez had nine points, 12 boards and a block, and Jose Calderon bounced back with 16 points, seven boards, four assists, two steals and four 3-pointers for one of his best games of the year. Calderon was probably dropped in your league last night after failing to score, but he’s not dead yet. And Tuesday’s hero, Jerian Grant, had just six points and three assists in 21 minutes. Arron Afflalo stayed hot with 18 points and two 3-pointers, but the Knicks couldn’t get the win. I doubt Melo’s out for long, but Williams was already playing well before Melo went down, making him an interesting waiver-wire selection. And if you want to pick up Calderon, do it.
Celtics 103, Pacers 94 – Amir Johnson had 14 points and a season-high 18 rebounds, along with six assists and two steals in another start. Jae Crowder had 25 points and three 3-pointers, and Isaiah Thomas stayed super hot with 28 points and four 3-pointers. Jared Sullinger was quiet in a start at center (4 points, 3 rebounds, 20 minutes), but should be better if he keeps the job. Avery Bradley is still working his way back from a hip injury and had 11 points and six assists on 5-of-17 shooting in a whopping 41 minutes. He’s must-own again, based on the minutes in his last two games alone. The Celtics bench, despite Sullinger’s woes, was very quiet, with only Marcus Smart playing big minutes (29), although he didn’t do much with them. Dropping Kelly Olynyk (15 minutes, 11 points, 4 boards) for Sullinger makes sense, as long as Sully keeps the starting gig going forward. Evan Turner played 20 minutes, but was 0-for-5 in 20 minutes, and takes a big hit with Bradley back.
The Pacers got solid efforts from Paul George, Ian Mahinmi (10 & 10), George Hill and Monta Ellis, but none of them posted mind-blowing stats. The Pacers just didn’t have it tonight. C.J. Miles, who had 19 points, eight boards and four 3-pointers on Tuesday, continued his crazy inconsistency by hitting just 4-of-14 shots for eight points. He was 0-for-9 from downtown, and as I’ve been saying, it’s all or nothing with Miles. Unfortunately, it was ‘nothing’ last night. And much like the Hawks, the Pacers just didn’t have it in this one.
Rockets 107, Wolves 104 – James Harden had 27 points, but hit just 8-of-22 shots and 2-of-10 3-pointers, as his season of disappointing shooting continues. Trevor Ariza stayed relatively hot with 10 points and six boards, Dwight Howard fared well after a slow start with 15 points, 10 boards, a steal and a block, and Jason Terry started for Patrick Beverley (personal) and had 10 points and two 3-pointers. Beverley will be back soon, so don’t worry about grabbing Terry. Terrence Jones stayed hot off the bench with 16 points, nine boards and a 3-pointer, and finally looks like he’s ready to help fantasy owners. Finally! Ty Lawson returned from a suspension and played 22 minutes with Beverley out, but hit just 2-of-6 shots for six points and three assists, as he remains stuck in no-man’s land in Houston.
Nikola Pekovic returned from a rest game with eight points and five boards in 16 minutes, while Karl-Anthony Towns (12 & 16), Ricky Rubio (9 & 12) and Andrew Wiggins (28 points) all played well. Shabazz Muhammad quickly fell to earth with two points on 1-of-5 shooting in just 16 minutes, and Zach LaVine was back to his old self with two points on 1-of-6 shooting in just 15 minutes. Sam Mitchell is in LaVine’s head and he simply can’t be trusted right now. Gorgui Dieng was 3-of-10 for nine points, five boards, three steals and zero blocks, and would be a lot more attractive if Pekovic would go back on the shelf. Kevin Martin is out of the doghouse and had 22 points and three 3-pointers in 29 minutes. Maybe they’re showcasing him for a trade, but he’s far from trustworthy at this point. He scored a total of 17 points in his previous three games, but at least he’s playing again.
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