The Daily Dose: Dose: Harden Hits 40
Week 20 Games Played
Four games: Hawks, Hornets, Cavs, Warriors, Clippers, Grizzlies, Bucks, Pelicans, Knicks, Magic, Spurs, Kings, Jazz
Three games: Nets, Bulls, Mavs, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Lakers, Heat, Wolves, Thunder, Suns, Blazers, Raptors, Wizards
Two games: Celtics
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Sunday Stars
James Harden put up yet another 40-point gem as he carried the Rockets to a victory over the Raptors on Sunday, to go with 14 assists, five boards, three 3-pointers, one steal and one turnover through 43 minutes of action. Harden was a monster during the second half, posting an insane 43.2 usage rate to go with his 58.3 assist percentage, and there was nothing Toronto could do to stop him. The Beard has gone full beastmode since the All-Star break, producing ridiculous averages of 35.4 points, 6.5 boards, 7.4 assists, 2.6 trey-bombs and 2.1 steals per game while knocking down 48.1 percent of his shot attempts and 84.3 percent of his freebies. His usage rate has also jumped to 34.4 during that eight-game span, and all of this has amounted to a top-3 evaluation in standard 8-cat leagues. Unfortunately, his value does dip to a top-8 evaluation when you factor in his 4.9 turnovers per game, but that’s hardly something to complain about given what he’s been bringing to the box score lately.
Hassan Whiteside swatted away another seven shots during Sunday’s 103-98 win over Philadelphia, to go with 14 points, 13 rebounds, one assist and two turnovers in 31 minutes. Whiteside is the only player with multiple seven-block performances off the bench this season and he’s come out of the break scorching with averages of 18.0 points, 15.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per contest. He’s also shooting at a 78.4 percent clip from the charity stripe during that nine-game span and those gaudy averages have Hassan ranking No. 4 overall in standard 9-cat leagues.
Kenneth Faried (back) went berserk during a 116-114 overtime win over the Mavericks, putting up 25 points (11-of-18 FGs, 3-of-6 FTs), 20 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block through 36 minutes of work. The Manimal registered an elite offensive rebounding rate of 26.8 in this one, and in the past four games sans Danilo Gallinari, Faried has emerged as a top-25 option in standard 9-cat leagues with averages of 17.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and just 0.8 turnovers per game. He’s also been knocking down his shots at a 65.9 percent clip during that four game span, and when looking at his shot chart, it’s easy to see why.
Consistency will be an issue, but Faried should have little trouble finishing the year as a top-50 asset in 9-cat leagues.
Devin Booker led the Suns to a 109-100 win over the Grizzlies, scoring 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting (7-of-7 from the stripe), to go with nine assists, four 3-pointers, two boards, one steal, one swat and three turnovers in 43 minutes. Booker has been crushing it over his past three games with averages of 25.0 points, 6.3 assists and 2.3 treys per game to go with his 27.2 usage rate and a 30.2 assist percentage. Like most rookies, consistency will be an issue for Booker, but he’s fully capable of producing early-round lines on any given night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up another triple-double during a 104-96 loss to OKC, scoring 26 points to go with 12 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, four swats and just two turnovers in 42 minutes. The Greek Freak has been putting up first-round value since the All-Star break behind averages of 19.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.1 blocks and 2.9 turnovers per game on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 71.4 percent from the stripe. No, he’s not offering fantasy owners any production in the 3-point category, but with production like this, who cares?
Kevin Durant made a living at the line on Sunday, knocking down 16 of his 18 freebies on his way to 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four 3-pointers, two steals, one block and five turnovers in his 40 minutes of play. Fellow stat sheet stuffer Russell Westbrook triple-doubled with 15 points, 10 boards, 11 assists, one 3-pointer, one steal, one block and seven turnovers in 39 minutes. It’s fun to own first-round talent.
The ice returned to D’Angelo Russell’s veins during Sunday’s 112-95 upset of the defending champs, as he tallied 21 points, five assists, three rebounds, three 3-pointers, five assists, four steals and two turnovers in 32 minutes of action. This was a welcome sight for his owners following Friday’s disappointing seven-point dud, and it looks like Russell could be a top-40 guy to close out the year.
On the Radar
David Lee had his best game in a Mavs’ uniform on Sunday, registering 18 points (7-of-9 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), 12 boards, three assists and a random four swats in 26 minutes off the bench. Lee has been exceeding expectations since joining the Mavericks, owning averages of 11.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 swats and 1.5 turnovers while shooting 67.4 percent from the field. The shot blocking and sky high field goal percentage isn’t sustainable, but there’s nothing wrong with swooping him up in deep leagues to see just how long he can keep it up.
D.J. Augustin drained three more triples during an overtime victory over the Mavericks on Sunday, to go with 12 points, four assists, one rebound and one turnover in 27 minutes. He’s locked into a steady 20-plus minute role with the Nuggets, and has emerged as a viable low-end point guard to own in standard leagues with averages of 12.8 points, 3.6 assists, 2.1 triples and 1.7 turnovers per game.
Gary Harris showed why he needs to be owned in much more leagues on Sunday, netting 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with three boards, three assists, two steals, one trey and two turnovers through 44 minutes of action. He’s been playing well all season long, but his value has seen a major boost since Danilo Gallinari (ankle) hit the sidelines. In the past four games sans Gallinari, Harris’ usage rate has spiked to 17.5 to go with averages of 17.0 points, 2.3 assists, 2.5 boards, 1.8 triples, 1.5 steals and 2.0 turnovers per game on 50.9 percent shooting from the field. That’s been good enough for top-40 value in standard 9-cat leagues, so go grab him if he’s available.
Mario Chalmers had another solid game off the Memphis bench on Sunday, tallying 14 points, three assists, one rebound, two steals, one 3-pointer and one turnover through 29 minutes of play. Chalmers has actually put up mid-round value over the past two weeks with averages of 11.1 points, 3.7 assists and an elite 2.1 steals per game, but unfortunately he’s also been shooting just 36.7 percent from the field during that span. He could lose some value once Tony Allen (hamstring) returns to action, but he’s on the radar as a speculative pickup in deep leagues for those seeking a low-end point guard that can rack up the steals.
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