This Box Score Breakdown boils down to two categories: a recap of the Knicks/Pistons game and a short summary of everything else. Enjoy.
THURSDAY NOTES
The Knicks scored 36 points in the first half and 69 points in the second half to lose by six. They started out like a team ready for the All-Star break and closed like a team chewed out by their coach during halftime.
Jose Calderon moved back into the starting lineup after missing four games with a groin issue. I think he's not fully healed after last night's showing: zero points in 13 minutes. I won't be surprised if the Knicks rest him the three games heading into the All-Star break, save for the fact he's been on the trading block since the summer. Calderon's usefulness makes sense as the last man in a 12-team rotisserie league if you're seeking assists.
Langston Galloway, the player replaced by Calderon, fouled out in 36 minutes and scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. He clearly outperformed Calderon, but moving him permanently to the starting lineup likely won't occur until after the trade deadline. Galloway's limited in what he can provide statistically, and he's not efficient or cerebral in his shot selection. He's a streamer when the minutes are flowing, but most of his value lies in rarely turning the ball over and accumulating steals. The triangle offense doesn't lend itself to high assist totals for nominal point guards.
Robin Lopez, a player I admonished last time, recorded a season-high 26 points and season-high 16 rebounds in 35 minutes. He's becoming less expendable with Kristaps Porzingis struggling to close out the first half of the season. On most nights, Porzingis would be the one playing close to 35 minutes, not the 24 he registered last night. His shooting has dropped off, as explained in the last BSB. Lopez has played over 30 minutes on 16 occasions this season, including twice against the Pistons. As long as the matchup is favorable and coach Fisher doesn't want Porzingis to take a beating down low, Lopez will challenge for a double-double and chip in some blocks.
Arron Afflalo, another player I dismissed last time, scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half. He snapped a streak of eight games shooting less than 47 percent. I've not changed my stance on Afflalo. Although, I do think it's important to report when he plays well to balance my prejudice. He's turning in a Nick Young-type of season where the points, threes, and free-throw percentage impact fantasy leagues, but the rest of the line doesn't register a blip on the radar.
Carmelo Anthony is also struggling with his shot lately, and that can be attributed to lingering knee soreness. Amidst the inefficient nights, Anthony finds a way to lead the team in assists with 4.2 per game, and he handed out a game-high eight assists last night. Anthony's 11 rebounds helped him climb to 7.8 rebounds per game, another team high. In fact, Anthony leads the Knicks in points, rebounds, assists, turnovers, and three-pointers per game while coming in second in steals behind Calderon. He's the only player this season leading his team in points, rebounds, and assists per game. I think Anthony will be shut down before April, much like he was the last two seasons when the Knicks were eliminated from playoff contention. For that reason, as I mentioned last time, along with the Knicks' lackluster second-half schedule, it's time to trade Anthony.
Stanley Johnson started because Kentavious Caldwell-Pope injured his groin the night prior, ending his streak of 208 consecutive games played. In 44 minutes, the rookie provided a career-high 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. Caldwell-Pope is out through the All-Star break; after which he'll be reevaluated. Jodie Meeks (foot) is likely out the rest of the season, leaving Johnson as the main backup wing.
Johnson is a brute on offense and defense, but his fantasy game requires substantial minutes to translate favorably. And as much I dislike per-36-minute numbers, Johnson's in a scenario where those may be applicable because coach Stan Van Gundy exhausts his starters. In fact, Reggie Jackson recently dealt with a bout of dehydration. Speaking of Jackson, Johnson shoots 47.5 percent from the field and 39 percent on threes when sharing the court with Jackson this season, up from 36.5 percent overall and 30.5 percent on threes with Jackson on the bench. Johnson's usage dramatically decreases from 23.1 as a second-unit playmaker to 14.8 percent with Jackson at the helm. The rookie prefers to create his own offense, and that's partly why he's shooting 39 percent from the field this year. The more he dribbles, the more likely he is to miss a shot, per NBA.com player tracking data. Once teams realize he only drives to his right and rarely uses his left hand, Johnson will lose offensive potency. Until then, as the title implies, stream Johnson until he goes belly-up or Caldwell-Pope returns.
Andre Drummond was benched the final 2:31 in favor of Aron Baynes. Since Christmas, DeAndre Jordan leads the NBA with 14.9 rebounds per game. Drummond is second at 13.4, but his playing time dipped to 31.5 minutes per game, down from 35.1 minutes per the first 30 games when he grabbed 16.1 rebounds a night. Jordan overtaking Drummond in rebounds coincides with Blake Griffin's quad injury and Drummond shooting less than 30 percent at the free-throw line. Drummond sustained a nasty fall on his hip last night and played through it. I suspect he'll be fine for Saturday's game.
Dwight Howard rejoined the starting lineup following a one-game suspension. He scored five points on four shots and grabbed 16 rebounds to go along with two steals, one assist, and one block in 33 minutes. The Rockets almost lost to the Suns, and they were so terrible that interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff subbed out the entire starting unit four minutes into the game. James Harden shot 4-of-19 in 36 minutes, epitomizing the Rockets' effort.
Markieff Morris led the Suns in shot attempts for the second straight game, but he wasn't as successful this time around like I foretold. Running an offense through Morris doesn't sound good on paper or in practicality. But the Suns possess few offense weapons with NBA skillsets, so this is the new normal. If I added Morris, I'd be looking to trade him. Either he continues his inefficient ways with the Suns the rest of the season or he goes elsewhere as the third or fourth option. Role is key, and his range of potential situations dramatically affects his fantasy value.
Devin Booker and Archie Goodwin combined for 29 points, 11 turnovers, and 16 free-throw attempts. Both younglings played at least 38 minutes. Booker shot 3-of-12 and Goodwin handed out seven assists. In nine starts, Goodwin is averaging 15.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.9 turnovers while shooting 41 percent from the field. He's shooting 43 percent inside of eight feet since joining the starting lineup, roughly 15 percent below league average. Too often, Goodwin will penetrate the defense and flip up an ill-advised shot with his non-dominant hand. If you can absorb the drastic negative impact in field goal percentage and turnovers, Goodwin holds solid value while playing 35 minutes a night. Strangely enough, both Booker and Goodwin are shooting 41 percent from the field and close to 36 percent on threes since Goodwin joined the starting lineup and the rest of their counting stats and percentages are nearly identical.
Alex Len, the walking enigma, secured a career-high 18 rebounds in 27 minutes after reaching five fouls. Just when you think he's inconsequential, Len finds a way to spark interest. He's still coming off the bench behind Tyson Chandler, and with interim coach Watson going all-in on Morris, the minute's crunch reemerges. Len didn't share the court with Chandler, who played the other 21 minutes a center, and that dynamic will likely shift based on which Len appears.
Jordan McRae played 16 minutes on the seventh day of his first 10-day contract. He'll play in the D-League All-Star game, and depending on how the trade deadline shakes out, he may no longer be on the roster, especially if Brandon Knight (groin) returns.
Norris Cole shot 1-of-10 and was limited to 13 minutes. Therein lies the problem with counting on Cole in reality and fantasy. Jrue Holiday picked up the slack with 19 points and nine assists in 34 minutes.
Bryce DeJean-Jones, on the fourth day of his second 10-day contract, scored a career-high 17 points in a career-high 43 minutes. He's an intriguing fantasy option because the Pelicans are the only team to play a league-high three games next week heading into the All-Star break. However, he may not be on the roster for that third game because his contract will expire before next Thursday. The Pelicans must sign him for the rest of the season if they want to keep him, but that will depend on the status of Tyreke Evans (knee) and Eric Gordon (finger), who'll likely return later in the month.
Kyle Lowry provided the line of the night: 30 points (10-19 FG, 7-10 3Pt, 3-5 FT), eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, two blocks, seven turnovers, 40 minutes. DeMar DeRozan added 29 points and about 80 percent of Lowry's counting stats in 35 minutes.
Norman Powell remained in the starting lineup, but coach Dwane Casey implied the situation is fluid, opening the door for someone like Terrence Ross or Cory Joseph to slide into the starting five for a few games. As of now, they're both playing more than Powell, who was limited to less than 16 minutes for the third straight game.
As semi-predicted last in the last edition of the BSB, Maurice Harkless started for Noah Vonleh (ankle) and subscribe to Vonleh treatment, closing the night with two points in 16 minutes. Allen Crabbe was the primary beneficiary, scoring 17 points in 34 minutes. Vonleh said the injury wasn't major, and he's considered day-to-day, improving the chances he suits up on Saturday.
Mason Plumlee is quickly becoming a non-factor in the fourth quarter, and it's limiting his fantasy potential. Again, this can be traced back to coach Terry Stotts preferring the Meyers Leonard and Ed Davis tandem and finding minutes to showcase Gerald Henderson prior to the trade deadline. Plumlee's played 20 minutes in three straight games and scored a total of 15 points in that time. Now's your chance to buy-low before his minutes rise up closer to 28 after the trade deadline, as long as you can handle the negative free-throw impact.