Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Boogie getting technical
DeMarcus Cousins returned, went off, then got a technical foul that could leave him suspended for Friday, while the Kings shocked the Wizards and the Lakers stunned the Heat. Derrick Favors and Andrew Wiggins got banged up, and the Spurs set a franchise record in wins by beating the Pelicans. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Raptors 105, Hawks 97 – The Raptors finally slowed down the Hawks and are responsible for two of their last three losses, which is not a good sign since there’s a good chance they’ll eventually meet at some point in the playoffs if both teams get through Round 1. This was the 50th win for the Raptors, which is a franchise record. DeMar DeRozan had a big game, Kyle Lowry, who recently had his elbow drained, double-doubled despite hitting just 4-of-19 shots, and Jonas Valanciunas hit 9-of-13 shots for 19 points and nine boards. Starter Norman Powell quietly had 10 points, four boards, two assists, two steals and two 3-pointers, and might be worth grabbing in your league. But he does lose some appeal now that Terrence Ross is back and Ross had 13 points in 23 minutes off the bench.
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Jeff Teague was the only Hawks’ starter in double figures with 18 points but had just three assists, while Paul Millsap, Kent Bazemore, Al Horford and Kyle Korver all struggled, combining to hit just 11-of-33 shots. Tim Hardaway Jr., who has really been struggling, had 15 points and four 3-pointers, Dennis Schroder scored 13 points and Mike Scott added 12 points and eight boards off the bench. The Hawks had won four straight and have played very well for a month, but fell flat in this one. It was also the first time in 10 games Atlanta failed to score 100 points.
Nuggets 109, Grizzlies 105 – Emmanuel Mudiay led the way with 17 points, five assists, three 3-pointers and five turnovers, JaKarr Sampson somehow scored 12 points, and Nikola Jokic added nine points, 14 rebounds and a block. He saw some extra run with Jusuf Nurkic out again with an illness. Gary Harris was quiet with five points on 2-of-7 shooting and Kenneth Faried was also quiet, finishing with six points and five boards in 24 minutes. Will Barton went off for 25 points, six boards and four 3-pointers, and it looks like it’s safe to get him back in your lineup. Darrell Arthur, Joffrey Lauvergne and D.J. Augustin all scored in double figures off the bench, but none are worth using in most leagues right now.
The Grizzlies are still in the playoffs, but will come limping in if they hang on to a spot. They’re four games up on the Jazz, who sit as the No. 8 seed. They’ve lost four straight and eight of their last 10, as the injuries have caught up to Memphis. Zach Randolph returned from his ankle injury and had 26 & 6 and Jordan Farmar started at point guard and had 14 points, five assists and two 3-pointers. Grab him if you need a point guard. Chris Andersen, Matt Barnes (2-of-12 shooting) and Tony Allen all struggled for the Grizzlies. JaMychal Green had 13 points, 12 boards and a block off the bench and Lance Stephenson added 12 points off the bench for Memphis. Green has quietly scored in double figures in three straight and he’s getting hot.
Bucks 105, Suns 94 – Starting point guard Jerryd Bayless played just 12 minutes for two points after leaving with a knee injury. It looks like Giannis Antetokounmpo’s move to point guard will start sooner than later. Giannis had just 10 points and six assists, but will bounce back. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 26 points, seven boards and three 3-pointers, Jabari Parker added 21 points and four steals, and Greg Monroe finished with 14 points, five boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks. John Henson is relevant again and had 10 points, five boards, a steal and four blocks, and is worth a look if you need a big man. Tyler Ennis scored 10 points in 23 minutes, and might get some starts if Bayless misses time. Greivis Vasquez returned from a 56-game absence after ankle surgery, but didn’t score.
P.J. Tucker went off for the Suns, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and Alex Len came through with 17 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. He’s back! Tyson Chandler double-doubled with 13 points, 13 boards and two blocks, Brandon Knight had 17 points, two assists and five turnovers on 5-of-16 shooting, and Devin Booker hit half his shots and a couple 3-pointers for 18 points, four boards and four assists. Booker’s been a blast to own and should be a popular 2-guard pick in next year’s drafts. Mirza Teletovic was out with a stomach illness, yet Jon Leuer didn’t even score in 10 minutes. Dump him.
Clippers 99, Wolves 79 – Chris Paul had 20 points, eight boards, 16 assists, a steal and a 3-pointer, and J.J. Redick scored 17 points with four 3-pointers in the win. DeAndre Jordan was quiet with 11 points, eight boards and three blocks, while Luc Mbah a Moute and Wes Johnson didn’t do much, as usual. Jeff Green, Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford each scored 10 off the bench. Paul, Jordan and Redick have already been ruled out against the Thunder on Thursday night. Rivers, Pablo Prigioni, Crawford, Green and Cole Aldrich will all see a boost and I’m guessing Rivers, Prigioni and Aldrich will start for the Clippers. Blake Griffin is due back from his suspension on Sunday.
The Wolves’ starters didn’t show up for this one, as only Karl-Anthony Towns did anything of note with 16 points, 11 boards and two 3-pointers. Gorgui Dieng, Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins shot a combined 6-of-30 in the loss. Wiggins suffered a chin injury and didn’t return, likely because of the blowout (Sam Mitchell called it their worst game of the season). Watch for news on Wiggins Thursday. Nemanja Bjelica finally came through with 14 points, seven boards and a 3-pointer, but ignore him unless Wiggins is going to miss time. And even then, Bjelica might be a stretch. Shabazz Muhammad would be a better option in Wiggins’ absence and he had 11 points, eight boards and four assists off the bench.
Mavericks 91, Knicks 89 – Wesley Matthews led the Mavs’ starters with 16 points, a 3-pointer and three steals, while Dirk Nowitzki hit a wall, hitting just 5-of-23 shots and 1-of-8 3-pointers for 11 points. Dwight Powell started, but hit just 1-of-6 shots and played just 18 minutes. He came in hot, so this was a bummer for a lot of his new owners. J.J. Barea came off the bench, but with Deron Williams out with his ab strain, JJB went off for 26 points, five boards, seven assists and four 3-pointers. He’s a must-own player as long as Williams is out. David Lee, Zaza Pachulia and Powell all split minutes, and none of them were great, although Pachulia did have nine rebounds. And center Salah Mejri got another DNP-CD and it appears the dream is over. Sorry. Dallas tied Houston for the No. 8 seed in the West with the win.
Derrick Williams started for Kristaps Porzingis (shoulder, MRI coming) and had 15 points and eight rebounds. He’s probably worth grabbing if Porzingis is going to miss time, so watch for more news on Porzingis. Carmelo Anthony scored 31 with a big line while starters Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic were all pretty bad. Calderon left with a quad injury that could possibly put the wraps on his season. Jerian Grant started the third quarter for him and Langston Galloway might also see a boost if Calderon misses time, or is shut down. The Knicks bench, including Galloway and Grant, was terrible last night, although Grant did have three steals to go along with his six points and three assists.
Spurs 100, Pelicans 92 – The Spurs let the big dogs eat last night, although none of them was all that great. Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and a full stat line, Danny Green scored 16 with four 3-pointers in just 18 minutes, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 11 points, six boards, a steal and a block on 3-of-10 shooting. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker combined to make 5-of-16 shots, and it will be impossible to figure out which Spurs to play the rest of the way. Manu Ginobili went off for 20 points and five 3-pointers in 24 minutes, while the rest of the bench was very quiet. The Spurs are now 38-0 at home this season and have won 47 straight in San Antonio dating back to last season. And Gregg Popovich doesn’t care. “It doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “Absolutely nothing.” Don’t be surprised if Pop benches his studs in a home game at some point, as he just doesn’t care about the streak. Pop also said that Leonard’s minutes should be back to normal on Saturday, which is good news. The Spurs are now 63-12, tying the franchise record for wins in a season, but no one seems to care because – well, Golden State.
Alexis Ajinca led the way for the Pelicans with 18 points and nine rebounds in another start, Jordan Hamilton started and had 14 points, five boards, four assists, a steal and a 3-pointer, and Toney Douglas hit four 3-pointers for 12 points and five assists for the depleted Pelicans. Dante Cunningham played 38 minutes but scored just 10 points and Omer Asik had just two points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes. For the Pel’s bench, James Ennis (10-day contract) had 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and three 3-pointers in 24 minutes, Luke Babbitt had 10 points in just 19 minutes, and Tim Frazier added 11 points, seven assists and two steals in 25 minutes. The players I might take a chance on here are Ajinca, Douglas, Frazier, Ennis and Hamilton, but they’re all pretty risky. I’m probably just going to stay away from this team in DFS.
Warriors 103, Jazz 96 OT – It looked like the Jazz were going to win this game but they couldn’t make late free throws, Shaun Livingston made some big plays and Klay Thompson hit a big three to force overtime, where Stephen Curry and Draymond Green then put the game away. Curry, Green, Thompson and Harrison Barnes all put up nice stats in the win and the Warriors now just need to go 5-2 to break the Bulls record for wins in a season. The Warriors bench didn’t do much, although Livingston finished with six points, six boards, four assists, two steals and a block in 28 minutes. He’s probably not worth picking up.
For the Jazz, Derrick Favors left early with a sore right knee after playing well. If he’s going to miss time, Trey Lyles and Trevor Booker will benefit. Rudy Gobert is finally back and had 11 points, 18 boards and two more blocks, Rodney Hood scored 20 with three 3-pointers, and Shelvin Mack stayed relevant with 12 points, six rebounds, nine assists, two steals and a 3-pointer, but hit just 5-of-17 shots in 41 minutes. Gordon Hayward scored 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting, while only four players, who didn’t do much, ever got off the Jazz bench. Keep an eye out for news about Favors on Thursday. These two teams have a decent chance of facing off in Round 1 of the playoffs.
Kings 120, Wizards 111 – Boogie Cousins was back and the Kings got an unexpected win over the Wizards, who need to win every possible game in order to sneak into the playoffs. Cousins went off for 29 points, 10 rebounds, four dimes, five steals, four blocks and a 3-pointer, but the good news ends there. Not only is he still on shutdown alert, but he picked up his 16th technical foul, meaning he’ll be suspended for Friday unless it’s rescinded. And I don’t think it will be, although he was simply mockingly applauding a call he didn’t like. Stay tuned. Rajon Rondo also double-doubled, as did Darren Collison off the bench, and Rudy Gay scored 15 points in another very quiet night. Seth Curry and Quincy Acy didn’t do much in the starting lineup and Curry played just 17 minutes. Omri Casspi had 15 points, eight boards and a 3-pointer off the bench, and Willie Cauley-Stein finally cooled off with six points, five boards, a steal and a block. WCS was on fire, but never got it going tonight. Curry was hot coming in but the return of Marco Belinelli and the strong play of Collison didn’t help him.
Bradley Beal scored 24 for the Wizards, Otto Porter had 20 and four 3-pointers (he’s hot again), John Wall double-doubled, and Marcin Gortat had six points, 12 boards, three steals and a block. Markieff Morris had 13 points, four rebounds, two blocks and a 3-pointer to stay relevant for the Wizards starters. Nene had 15 points and six boards off the bench and Garrett Temple scored 11 points in 25 minutes. Wall, Beal, Porter, Gortat and Morris all appear to be strong plays the rest of the way – at least until the Wizards are eliminated from the playoffs, or get in at the last minute.
Lakers 102, Heat 100 OT – The Lakers stunned the Heat in overtime as Julius Randle had 13 points, 14 rebounds and a steal, including the game-winning bucket with 1.9 seconds left in overtime. Jordan Clarkson scored 26 with six rebounds and D’Angelo Russell played through boos to finish with 16 points, one assist, two steals and two 3-pointers. He apologized before the game for the leaked tape that put teammate Nick Young in a bad spot regarding his fiancée. Russell looked fine and his teammates didn’t appear to be too mad at him. Roy Hibbert actually showed up with 12 points, nine boards, two steals and three blocks, so maybe he’s going to finish the season on a high note, although I can’t trust him. Kobe Bryant started, but left after hitting just 1-of-7 shots in nine minutes and never returned due to general soreness. He has three days to rest before Sunday against Boston, so I’m guessing he plays in that one. Lou Williams hit just 2-of-7 shots in 17 minutes for 11 points.
The Heat were led by Dwyane Wade’s 26 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks, and Luol Deng had 22 points, 11 boards, a steal, three blocks and two 3-pointers in the loss. Goran Dragic played through an illness and had 11 points and nine assists, and Joe Johnson added 10 points and a horrible shot attempt to try to win the game in overtime. Hassan Whiteside stayed hot with 18 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks, and is about to get paid. Josh Richardson played 29 minutes off the bench, but missed all eight of his shots and scored just one point. He should bounce back on Sunday.
