Saturday Dose: Dose: Keys To The Kingdom
It’s officially trade season in the NBA, but the line to buy rumors is still forming at the cash register considering the current selection on the floor. The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t selling low on Blake Griffin, the Boston Celtics aren’t going to cash in their Brooklyn paper to acquire a declining Dwight Howard and Thaddeus Young for Brandon Jennings is a swap that you’d have a tough time pulling off in a video game with the override code active.
On a Friday night filled with 10 games, we had In-N-Out mania with 2x2s and 3x3s all over the NBA.
Indiana @ Atlanta: Hawks 102, Pacers 96
Studs
Paul George, Lavoy Allen, Paul Millsap, Kent Bazemore, Al Horford
Duds
Jordan Hill, Monta Ellis, Kyle Korver
The Pacers wasted a gem of a game from Paul George (31 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 7 3PM, 11-of-21 FG) on a night where he really didn’t get any help from anyone except Lavoy Allen, whose performance off the bench (13 pts, 14 reb) limited the amount of time rookie Myles Turner saw on the floor. It’s critical to exercise perspective on Turner, a 19-year-old rookie who has already exceeded expectations for his inaugural campaign…Do not drop him in any format. Again starting for Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill flopped worse than a fish out of water with more turnovers (five) than points scored (three). Over his last four games, Monta Ellis has more turnovers (19) than assists (17), but at least he’s averaging 17.0 points and 2.3 triples through his struggles. There’s no need to sell low.
Atlanta needed this win, and their leaders responded with Paul Millsap and Al Horford combining for 45 points on 60% from the field. Millsap added two steals, four blocks and three triples, while Horford flashed his versatility grabbing seven boards, dishing six dimes and adding a triple of his own. Kent Bazemore’s breakout continued with a season-high eight assists (15 pts, 3 stl, 2 3PM), and although Jeff Teague has been better of late, you may want to reconsider an investment opportunity given Teague averaged 13.5 points, 6.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 3-pointers after the All-Star break in 2015. Those numbers are right in line with what he’s doing currently in a year where many—myself included—have called him a disappointment.
Los Angeles (C) @ Orlando: Clippers 107, Magic 93
Studs
DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford
Duds
DeAndre Jordan has been a monster over his last three games, averaging 15.7 points, 17.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks on 77.3% shooting. So long as Blake Griffin—who had a second procedure on his broken hand Friday—remains out of the lineup, DJ’s fantasy owners will channel their inner Lil’ Wayne when celebrating over having the big man on the roster. Even a bad game for Chris Paul (six turnovers) carries a good fantasy line, and CP3 is going to lead the way without Griffin available. As unlikely as it is, J.J. Redick (20 pts, four 3PM) is having a career season at age 31, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. He was a sell-high candidate when Griffin’s return appeared imminent, but BG’s longer than expected absence has changed the landscape.
It’s a good thing that Jamal Crawford is starting to come on with 20-plus points in four of his last five and his last three consecutive contests, because Austin Rivers (hand) and Pablo Prigioni (facial contusion) could be looking at multi-game absences. That means more Lance Stephenson, who popped off for 13 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting in extended run on Friday. Wesley Johnson’s versatile skill set has always been intriguing, and he’s getting every opportunity to contribute with Griffin out. A poor shooting night can still result in good things (5 pts, 5 reb, 4 blk) for Johnson, and he should be rostered in all leagues with at least 12 teams.
It was a tough night for Orlando, and it wasn’t just because youngsters Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton failed to show up. Payton has now scored 10 or fewer points in four straight and five of his last six, failing to connect on at least 30% of his shots in any of his last three. There are real questions about Payton’s ceiling—in reality and fantasy—so long as he’s without a reliable jumper and playing alongside Oladipo, as both players need the ball in their hands to thrive. A victim of friendly fire, Tobias Harris went to the locker room in the beginning of the fourth quarter after Oladipo caught him with an elbow, knocking T12 out for the game and possibly longer. Harris received stitches above his left eye, and if he’s forced to miss time, Mario Hezonja, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon would all benefit. Of those three, Fournier was the only one to do anything of note on Friday, tallying 16 points, six boards, three assists and two triples. It’s also worth noting Fournier played 32 minutes, the most action he’s seen since January 25.
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Philadelphia @ Washington: Wizards 106, Sixers 94
Studs
Marcin Gortat, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Ish Smith, Isaiah Canaan
Duds
Otto Porter, Jahlil Okafor, Robert Covington
It was a welcome sight in Washington as Bradley Beal got back into the starting lineup for the first time since returning from his leg injury, scoring 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting on a night where John Wall went off for 18 points, 13 boards, 10 dimes, two steals and a block (three triples) on 7-of-13 from the field. Marcin Gortat must’ve been excited to see Jahlil Okafor opposite him when the game began, and the Polish Hammer banged on Philly all night to the tune of 21 points and 13 boards without Nene (calf) and Kris Humphries (knee) available. Otto Porter (hip, back) can say he’s 100% healthy, but his recent play tells a different and concerning story. Over his last five games, Porter is averaging just 7.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.6 3-pointers.
Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel started together in the frontcourt as the Sixers try to figure out what works, but Noel’s playing time (33.5 min), performance (9 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 4 blk) and plus-minus (even) blew Okafor (9 pts, 4 reb, 21 min, minus-27) out of the water. Ish Smith—who provided a very nice 22 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block despite shooting 11-of-25 from the floor—has shown obvious chemistry with Noel, but Okafor has struggled, has seen 25 minutes or fewer in three straight and hasn’t had a double-digit rebound game since January 16. Isaiah Canaan, Hollis Thompson and Jerami Grant got extra run on a night where Robert Covington didn’t hit a shot and went scoreless in the process, but don’t even think about dropping RoCo after one stinker. You already know what happened last time someone in your league did that.
Miami @ Charlotte: Heat 98, Hornets 95
Studs
Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Marvin Williams, Nicolas Batum, Kemba Walker
Duds
Luol Deng, Gerald Green, Jeremy Lin
Amare Stoudemire remains in the starting lineup for now, but Hassan Whiteside’s oblique clearly isn’t an issue as the big man logged another triple-double with blocks, registering trip-10s across the board…Expect Whiteside to rejoin the starting five as early as Sunday vs. DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers. Whiteside’s performance overshadowed a near trip-dub from Goran Dragic, who delivered his best game of 2016 with 12 points, eight boards, nine assists and two steals without a single turnover. You’re not going to get a return you like for The Dragon, so Gogi is still a hold and should be better in the NBA’s unofficial second half. Dwyane Wade’s decision to switch trainers this offseason may have flown under the radar, but it’s a story worth emphasizing now as Wade keeps defying the expectations others have foolishly set for him.
Kemba Walker’s sore left knee didn’t limit his production as the All-Star snub returned from a one-game absence with 20 points, five boards, six assists, two steals and four triples, and for a previously banged-up Hornets team, it was very encouraging to see Nicolas Batum log 39 big minutes en route to 21 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and four triples on 7-of-12 shooting. It was Batum’s best game in three weeks, a promising sign that we may be able to move on from his troublesome toe injury. Despite Charlotte’s improving health, Marvin Williams’ playing time and production (27 pts, 12-of-17 FG, 32.5 min) are both still very real and quite spectacular. Unlike previous go-arounds, Williams has been impressively consistent and is currently contending for a spot as one of the best value picks of the year. It’s going to be very hard for Jeremy Lin to offer sustainable production with his team’s health improving, and the guard is now averaging just 10 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 32.4% shooting. That includes a spot start for Walker when Lin went off for 24 points, five boards and eight assists.
Boston @ Cleveland: Celtics 104, Cavs 103
Studs
Evan Turner, LeBron James, J.R. Smith
Duds
Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, Kevin Love
That’s two straight bad losses for Cleveland, and Friday’s last-second loss is exacerbated by the fact that Kevin Love departed after just 21.5 minutes, 10 points and five rebounds due to a left thigh bruise. Love was able to walk off under his own power, but he had a “noticeable limp” and was ruled out pretty quickly following his exit. If Love has to miss time, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert would be asked to do more, but it would really just put an even bigger onus on LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, who combined for 49 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the defeat. Shumpert’s 34.5 minutes represented a season-high, and although he had eight boards, three dimes, five steals and a block on a night his shot wouldn’t fall, he’s not a strong speculative pickup. I’m not a J.R. Smith fan for fantasy purposes, and if you’ve been thinking about moving him, doing so after he’s hit 13 triples over his last three games would be a good time to execute the move.
Avery Bradley’s game-winner will lead highlight packages, but the three-headed monster that is the Celtics’ backcourt struggled to find the bottom of the basket with Isaiah Thomas—who briefly left to get his ankle re-taped—Marcus Smart and Bradley combining to connect on just 13-of-36 shooting. Between that and Jae Crowder (ankle) feeling like he was playing on one leg, Evan Turner got extended run and finished with a huge line of 19 points, 12 rebounds and six dimes. Turner has played well over his last three, averaging 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and a block…Use him while he’s hot, but don’t be afraid to drop him when he’s not. Jared Sullinger (12, pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk) continues to be productive in limited run, and his success is bad news for the Kelly Olynyk crowd. KO was knocked out of the rotation on Friday, playing just 12 minutes behind guys like Tyler Zeller and Jonas Jerebko…Olynyk is nowhere near a must-own player. Boston has won eight of its last nine, and Dwight Howard is the last thing this team needs right now.
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