Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Westbrook another TD
The Warriors improved to 60-6, the Cavaliers suffered a setback, Jimmy Butler is back, Shelvin Mack, Doug McDermott, P.J. Tucker and Zach LaVine came through, Gordon Hayward and Lance Stephenson were out, and Russell Westbrook bounced back with another monster triple-double on Monday night. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!
Warriors 125, Pelicans 107 – Stephen Curry dropped 27 points and a nice line on 10-of-16 shooting, Draymond Green came through with 14 points and 12 boards, and Klay Thompson added 18 points and a couple 3-pointers as the Warriors improved to 60-6 in their dream season. The Spurs are in the midst of their best season ever, but you wouldn’t know it given the way the Warriors are ripping up the rest of the league. My man Marreese Speights came through with 14 & 7 off the bench in just 18 minutes, and I like him as a deep-league add down the stretch, as the Warriors may give Andrew Bogut plenty of rest in preparation for the playoffs. Bogut played just 15 minutes last night.
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The Pelicans got 22 points, 12 boards, a steal and two blocks from Anthony Davis, which was a bit disappointing considering his big DFS salary. It could have been worse. Toney Douglas started again with Norris Cole (back) sitting out and had 22 points, five boards and eight dimes. As long as Cole is out, Douglas is worth a look. Jrue holiday was quiet, hitting just 5-of-16 shots for 13 points, Alonzo Gee had a mere 10 points, and starter Dante Cunningham only scored two. Ryan Anderson had 19 off the bench, but didn’t hit a 3-pointer, and Luke Babbitt had 12 points, five boards, two steals and a 3-pointer. Anderson is the only bench player you can trust here, while Davis and Holiday are the only trustworthy starters right now. The Pelicans are now 9.5 games out of the playoffs, so I think we can turn the page on this season. Let’s just hope Davis and Holiday continue to play down the stretch in a lost season.
Thunder 128, Blazers 94 – Russell Westbrook bounced back from a mini-slump, if you want to call it that, with a 17-10-16 triple-double on a night the Thunder absolutely walloped the Blazers. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter or his stat line would have been absurd. He had his trip-dub in the first half, becoming the only player to accomplish the feat since the NBA started keeping track of triple-doubles in the 2002-03 season. Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka both had nice lines, and even Steven Adams came through with 13 points, two steals and a block. Enes Kanter enjoyed the blowout with a season-high 26 points, seven boards and two steals off the bench. He hasn’t been ripping it up, but he has been highly efficient, and makes for a solid punt play at center on most nights. He’s the only Thunder bench player worth consideration on a nightly basis.
The Blazers got 21 points, four assists and three 3-pointers from Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum added 15 points and not much else in the blowout. Meyers Leonard came in hot, but played just 19 minutes off the bench to finish with three points, six boards and two blocks on 1-of-7 shooting. He will bounce back in the next one and is worth a look in most leagues. Outside of Lillard and McCollum, the Blazers were befuddled by the Thunder and this box score isn’t even worth the paper it wasn’t printed on.
Mavericks 107, Hornets 96 – Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki, Raymond Felton and Deron Williams all played well, if not spectacularly, and Wesley Matthews curled up under a tree to hit 1-of-8 shots for five points on an off night as the Mavericks cruised to a win over the Hornets. David Lee was solid with 12 & 7 off the bench, but this is one of the most boring box scores you’ll ever see for a winning NBA team.
Marvin Williams’ carriage still hasn’t turned into a pumpkin and he had 19 points, seven rebounds, a block and a 3-pointer, while Kemba Walker (25 & 9) and Nicolas Batum (20 points, full stat line) both went off for the Hornets. Cody Zeller was disappointing with one point on 0-for-3 shooting, while bench players Frank Kaminsky, Al Jefferson and Jeremy Lin all struggled last night. In short, it was not a great night to have players from this game in fantasy, unless it was Parsons, Walker, Batum or Marvin.
Heat 124, Nuggets 119 – There wasn’t much to see here, either. Dwyane Wade played through his thigh injury and had 19 points, Goran Dragic cooled off with just 11 points and eight assists, Joe Johnson stayed hot with 18 points, five assists, a steal and two 3-pointers, and Luol Deng added 18 points, eight boards and two steals. If Joe is sitting out there in your league, grab him. He’s been on fire since moving to the Heat and even looks good on nights when Wade is out there. The Heat bench was all-world last night as Hassan Whiteside dropped an 18 & 10 double-double with a block, Justise Winslow broke out with 20 points in 33 minutes, and Josh Richardson came through with 17 points, four 3-pointers, two steals and three blocks. Richardson is officially on the radar, averaging 13.6 points, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.6 3-pointers over his last five games. He’s Wade insurance for the Heat and should be able to take advantage of his new opportunity, especially as the Heat monitor Wade’s minutes prior to the playoffs. Winslow has hit double digits in two straight games and played 30-plus minutes in four of his last five. I still don’t really trust him, but he’s been pretty solid over his last two, and the minutes are there. And as you know, Whiteside should be owned and starting in all leagues.
Kenneth Faried finally got back on track with 24 points, 11 boards and a block, and things like that will happen when you make 11-of-11 field goals. Faried’s big night helped quiet Darrell Arthur off the bench, but he still played 37 minutes. Nikola Jokic bounced back with 12 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block, Emmanuel Mudiay dropped a 23 & 10 double-double, and Gary Harris racked up 18 points and a nice line to stay hot. D.J. Augustin stayed relevant off the bench with 13 points, a 3-pointer and a couple steals, and Joffrey Lauvergne added 10 points in just 12 minutes. A couple of the bigger stories here are that Jusuf Nurkic sat out with a sore knee and Will Barton missed all six of his shots and failed to score a single point for the first time all season. He’s still worth owning, but is far from the player we all grew to love over the first half.
