With only three games on Thursday, the biggest news to come out was the unfortunate revelation that Steve Nash will miss the rest of the season with recurring nerve pain. This likely marks the end of his illustrious career, and I'll deal with the fantasy ramifications later on in today's Box Score Breakdown.

STOCK RISING

Hollis Thompson -- With the Sixers sporting a roster as thin in NBA talent as has been seen in recent years, someone is going to have to step up and accumulate stats. Over the last couple of games, Thompson has been one of those guys. He's started each preseason game he's played in, but it was the games against the Pistons and the Nets where he's really stepped it up. Thursday, Thompson scored 14 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT) with one rebound, three assists, and one steal in 32 minutes. It's not eye-popping, but it's solid production for a guy you can snag off the waiver wire.

STOCK FALLING

Solomon Hill -- Hill was considered one of the front-runners to replace Paul George at small forward for the Pacers, but he hasn't looked up to the task so far this preseason. The second-year man started over Chris Copeland, but scored eight points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-7 FT) with only two rebounds in 30 minutes. He has yet to register double digits in scoring, hasn't hit a three-pointer in the preseason, averaging 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks in 25 minutes. As a late-round flier, he's losing considerable steam and will have to contend with Rodney Stuckey's return when the regular season kicks off.

M.I.A.

These guys all sat out Thursday's action.

• Dallas
  • Dirk Nowitzki
  • Chandler Parsons
  • Tyson Chandler
  • Devin Harris
  • Jameer Nelson
  • Monta Ellis
  • Raymond Felton (ankle)
• Philadelphia
  • Luc Mbah a Moute (back)
  • Arnett Moultrie
  • Michael Carter-Williams (shoulder)
  • K.J. McDaniels
• Detroit
  • Greg Monroe
  • Brandon Jennings
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (knee)
  • Jodie Meeks (back)
• Indiana
  • David West (ankle)
  • George Hill (knee)
  • Rodney Stuckey (foot)
  • C.J. Watson
• Charlotte
  • Noah Vonleh (ankle)
  • Kemba Walker (foot)
  • Gerald Henderson (hamstring)
  • Lance Stephenson (groin)

CASUALTY WARD

Aside from the news that Michael Carter-Williams is set to return on November 13th, allaying fears he would be out until the new year, the only real injury news didn't happen on the court.

I touched on Steve Nash in the introduction, and it truly is disappointing that his Hall of Fame carrer ends this way. From a fantasy point of view, firstly, hopefully you didn't draft Nash. Secondly, this opens the point guard minutes in Los Angeles, with Jeremy Lin becoming a hot fantasy prospect. He was always the most valuable guy in the Lakers' backcourt, but now, without the possibility of Nash playing 25 minutes every second game, Lin is left as the man, with only rookie Jordan Clarkson and veteran Ronnie Price to back him up. Look for Lin's average draft position to rise into perhaps the sixth or seventh round over the weekend.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

It's the preseason, so there are a ton of lines that don't always add up, but here, I'll touch on a few that stood out Thursday.

Gal Mekel had his second big night in the last three games, but once again, it came when the Mavericks sat out their entire starting five. Mekel dropped 17 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT) with two rebounds, eight assists, and one steal in 42 minutes, but it's important to keep in mind that all three of Jameer Nelson, Devin Harris, and Raymond Felton, as well as Monta Ellis did not suit up. Mekel will struggle to be fantasy relevant even in 20 team leagues.

In the same game, Bernard James pulled down 10 rebounds in 26 minutes, but like Mekel, he'll be buried deep on the depth chart.

Anthony Davis looked fine after his mildly sprained wrist earlier in the week. He scored 13 points (4-9 FG, 5-8 FT), six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks in just 21 minutes. Let's hope the injuries stay away this season.

Jrue Holiday failed to score a single point, going 0-of-5 from the field with only one assist and one rebound in 21 minutes. He's been off his game in the last two games, but there's no reason to be concerned yet, and he remains a good option as a mid-tier point guard.

With the news of Michael Carter-Williams' return being imminent, Tony Wroten's appeal is somewhat limited, but if there is even a whiff that MCW will sit out past his November 13th return date, Wroten is worthy of ownership in all leagues. Wroten scored 11 points (2-4 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-11 FT) with eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 25 minutes. His efficiency will hurt you, much like MCW, but the counting stats will be nice until the reigning rookie of the year returns.

Josh Smith showed a glimpse back to the Smith of the Atlanta days, closing in on a triple double with 17 points (6-14 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 10 rebounds, seven assists, and one block in 33 minutes. His percentages will hurt you, although they were good here, but he has the chance of being a near-elite counting stats player and receives a big bump in head-to-head leagues.

Spencer Dinwiddie made his professional debut after having  ACL surgery, and he acquitted himself very well in his 16 minutes. The rookie out of Colorado scored eight points (2-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT) with six assists, and with only Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin on the roster as point guards, Dinwiddie could see significant playing time should an injury befall either of the established veterans. He's a great guy to own in dynasty leagues.

C.J. Miles rebounded from two horrible games, with a 23 point outburst (8-15 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT) including five rebounds and three assists. He appears locked in as a starter at one of the wing slots, and he should be a good source of three-pointers. He's a nice late round player.

Although Gary Neal could not get a shot to drop, he finished with six points (1-11 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, and six assists in 28 minutes, starting in place of Lance Stephenson. Neal has now racked up 13 assists in the last two games, but when Stephenson and Walker are healthy, it's hard to see Neal have much of an impact for standard leagues.

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

Cartier Martin -- This will likely be the only time that Martin's name appears under the heading of anything resembling the line of the night, but being preseason with only three games on, the veteran gets the nod. Martin poured in 17 points (5-10 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT) with two rebounds and a whopping six steals in 32 minutes.He has notched a steal in all of his preseason games, and if Kentavious Caldwell-Pope isn't ready for the start of the season, Martin may be a sneaky three-pointer and steals kind of guy off the wire, but I wouldn't be looking his way in standard drafts.

ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT

Nerlens Noel -- The percentages weren't pretty, but boy oh boy, the counting stats sure were. Noel had eight points (3-10 FG, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds, five steals, and five blocks. Ten combined steals and blocks is insane in any league format, and Noel could easily be a top-50 fantasy player this year, particularly if you are punting free throw percentage. It'll be hard to find a center who gets more steals than Noel this season, so keep that thought in a readily accessible corner of your mind come draft night.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. C.J. Miles, F, IND, 23 points
2. Brian Roberts, G, CHA, 19 points
3. Kyle Singler, F, DET, 19 points

Rebounds

1. Luis Scola, F, IND, 12 rebounds
2. Andre Drummond, C, DET, 11 rebounds
3. Josh Smith, F, DET, 10 rebounds
4. Bernard James, C, DAL, 10 rebounds

Assists

1. D.J. Augustin, G, DET, 11 assists
2. Gal Mekel, G, DAL, 8 assists
3. Donald Sloan, G, IND, 8 assists

Steals

1. Cartier Martin, F, DET, 6 steals
2. Nerlens Noel, C, PHI, 5 steals
3. Kyle Singler, F, DET, 3 steals

Blocks

1. Al Jefferson, C, CHA, 6 blocks
2. Nerlens Noel, C, PHI, 5 blocks
3. Anthony Davis, C, NOP, 2 blocks
4. P.J. Hairston, F, CHA, 2 blocks
5. Jeff Withey, C, NOP, 2 blocks
6. Lavoy Allen, C, IND, 2 blocks
7. Joel Anthony, C, DET, 2 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Kyle Singler, F, DET, 4-8 3Pt
2. C.J. Miles, F, IND, 3-4 3Pt
3. Brian Roberts, G, CHA, 3-5 3Pt
4. Cartier Martin, F, DET, 304 3Pt

Minutes

1. Gal Mekel, G, DAL, 42 minutes
2. Brian Roberts, G, CHA, 41 minutes
3. Kyle Singler, F, DET, 39 minutes