The Daily Dose: Dose: Boogie Down Production!
Blake Griffin reportedly has a broken hand, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gobert went off, and there was plenty of action and injuries on a nine-game Monday. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!
Cavaliers 114, Wolves 107 – The Cavs won a close one, as all five starters scored in double figures. Kevin Love, LeBron James, Tristan Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and J.R. Smith all hit double figures and Thompson double-doubled with 19 points and 12 boards. Matthew Dellavedova came off the bench for 18 points, seven dimes and four 3-pointers, but simply isn’t reliable enough to do that on most nights. Thompson is worth a pickup if you need a big man, but I wouldn’t mess with Dellavedova as long as Irving is healthy. I was expecting Love to have a big game against his former team, but it didn’t happen, as he managed just 11 points and six boards in the win.
Karl-Anthony Towns went off for 26 points, 11 boards, a steal and a block on 11-of-16 shooting. Andrew Wiggins scored 20 and Shabazz Muhammad (10 points) and Gorgui Dieng (13 & 6) played well, while Zach LaVine blew up for 21 points, four rebounds and six assists. Who knows when it’s coming from LaVine, and this was his first good game in weeks. Just keep an eye on him.
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Celtics 116, Wizards 91 – Isaiah Thomas had 23 points and Marcus Smart had 13 points, six boards, five assists, two steals and two 3-pointers. He’s as hot of a pick up as there is right now. Amir Johnson had just four points and five boards, and is a drop candidate, Jared Sullinger played just 16 minutes, and Kelly Olynyk had 13 points, four boards and two 3-pointers in 22 minutes. He’s a better own than Sully, but I don’t know for how much longer.
For the Wizards, Bradley Beal left the game after getting popped in the face and a concussion is a possibility. Otto Porter started and had 15 points, five boards and two 3-pointers, and is a must-own player, and Marcin Gortat had 10 points, 11 boards and a block. John Wall had eight points and 10 dimes on 3-of-11 shooting. Wall is in a slump, but will break out of it very soon. Jared Dudley scored 15 points with two 3-pointers in 31 minutes, but I don’t trust him, and Ramon Sessions scored 12 off the bench. Garrett Temple had two points, but missed all seven of his shots in a start. If Beal is going to miss more time with a concussion, Temple is worth another look, despite tonight’s garbage. And Sessions has quietly been productive for much of the season.
Heat 89, Bulls 84 – Amare Stoudemire started with Hassan Whiteside out (oblique) and had eight points and 10 rebounds, but you simply can’t trust him. Luol Deng, Chris Bosh, Beno Udrih and Dwyane Wade all started, but only Wade and Bosh had acceptable lines for the Heat. The bench was also bad, but Justise Winslow did have eight points, nine rebounds, four assist and two steals in 35 minutes off the bench. He’s worth a look right now. Udrih and Tyler Johnson were both bad for the Heat, so don’t count on either of them as long as Goran Dragic is out. Winslow is the hot pickup for the Heat right now.
For the Bulls, Derrick Rose suffered a hamstring injury and will be reevaluated on Tuesday. Taj Gibson, Tony Snell, and Rose were disappointing, and Pau Gasol went off for 19 points, 17 boards and two blocks. Jimmy Butler was quiet with just 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting, and his next big game is just a day or two away. He played 40 minutes, and hasn’t been able to get loose lately. It’s coming…soon. Nikola Mirotic scored 15 points with eight rebounds and a 3-pointer, and he’s starting to heat up again. Aaron Brooks had 13 points and six dimes, and is the guy you want to use if Rose is going to miss time. Bobby Portis played just seven minutes, so forget about him for now.
Grizzlies 108, Magic 102 OT – Tony Allen started and had nine points and 12 boards, sending Matt Barnes to the bench. Zach Randolph is back in good graces and had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Courtney Lee all played well in starts for the Grizzlies. Randolph is worth grabbing now that he’s starting again, and Allen might be worth a look, also. Jeff Green hit 11-of-18 shots and two 3-pointers for 30 points and eight boards off the bench, and also had two steals, a block and two 3-pointers. Grab him. Barnes played just 18 minutes and had two points and five rebounds. I don’t love him if he’s not starting, so think about dropping him for Green or Allen.
Victor Oladipo was the lone dud in the Magic’s starting five, hitting just 1-of-10 shots for five points, four rebounds and six assists. He played 37 minutes, so this was just an off night for Dipo. Aaron Gordon started again and had had 10 points, nine boards and a block, so I think he’s worth owning given his 24 minutes tonight, and Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton are all worth owning as long as they’re starting. Evan Fournier hit 6-of-11 shots and four 3-pointers off the bench, and maybe that’s where he belongs for this team. He played 35 minutes, so give him a look if he was dropped in your league.
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