With four games on the docket, I was able to use a fine-tooth afro pick to comb through the box scores. Each game's victor won by six points or less, and Carmelo Anthony joined the 20,000 point club. With just two more days of free NBA League Pass, I'll have my eyes on the Houston-Philadelphia matchup tonight. During last season's November tilt, Tony Wroten recorded a triple-double (18 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) in a Sixers 123-117 overtime victory against Patrick Beverley and the Rockets.

SLEEVED JERSEY SIGHTING

I'm not saying sleeved jerseys are terrible, I'm just going to present a very skewed argument using facts and numbers buffering my opinion. The Los Angeles Clippers wore their baby blue sleeved jerseys in an afternoon tussle with the Sacramento Kings. Hedo Turkoglu was the only Clipper to shoot better than 50 percent from the field, 3-of-3 overall. As a team, the Clippers shot 29 percent (9-of-31) from downtown and 37.5 percent (33-of-88) overall. The biggest culprit, Blake Griffin, shot 6-of-20 from the field, was blocked three times, and missed all eight shots outside of 11 feet. The Clippers lost, 98-92, even after attempting 20 more field goals, 21 more three-pointers, and turning the ball over 11 fewer times. Give credit to the Kings for not wearing sleeved jerseys yesterday afternoon.

HOSPITAL WARD

Chris Paul sprained his left foot in the first half when Rudy Gay inadvertently pinned it to the floor with his own foot. Paul left briefly a few possessions later to get it checked, but returned and played 37 minutes in total. He finished the game with 16 points (6-12 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 assists, five rebounds, four steals, one block and zero turnovers against his apprentice, Darren Collison. Much like Taj Gibson this past weekend, check the news bin before tonight's game against the Jazz in the event Paul's ankle swells up. Because it'll be the Clippers' fourth game in five nights, the team could exercise caution.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's body slammed to the court after getting caught going one way and Shane Larkin went the other as both players grabbed the rebound. He finished out the quarter before leaving the game for good. A CT scan revealed a rib contusion and he's considered day-to-day for the time being. Gary Neal started the second half and finished with 17 points (5-10 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, and three assists in 31 minutes. Part of me thinks coach Steve Clifford rewarded Neal with the second half start because he helped the team dig themselves out of a hole offensively after Kidd-Gilchrist's exit. The Hornets play 4 games this week and 17 games in the month of November, tied for most with the Orlando Magic. Should Kidd-Gilchrist miss extended time, Neal could be in line for a semi-permanent move to the starting lineup with Lance Stephenson shifting up to small forward.

M.I.A.

If you didn't play last night due to injury, you made this list.

• Golden State Warriors
  • David Lee (hamstring)
• Los Angeles Clippers
  • Jamal Crawford (ribs)
  • Glen Davis (strained right groin)
• Miami Heat
  • Chris Anderson (ribs)
  • Udonis Haslem (quadriceps)
• New York Knicks
  • Andrea Bargnani (hamstring)
• Toronto Raptors
  • Amir Johnson (ankle)

STAT LINE OF THE NIGHT

DeMarcus Cousins kept the fouls in check long enough to contribute 34 points (15-23 FG, 4-5 FT), 17 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in 34 minutes, all season-highs. Cousins displayed a refined midrange game, sinking 5-of-6 outside the painted area in the first quarter, and then used his opponent's closeouts to get to the rim with ease. Not to mention the passing, coming off a season where he averaged a career-high 2.9 assists per game, and overall disdain for anyone not on the Kings. After starting the season 10-of-33 from the field against Robin Lopez and Andrew Bogut, Cousins met little resistance from the highlight block-artist DeAndre Jordan. And if you don't like that, you don't like NBA basketball.

ROTATION NOTES

Brook Lopez practiced Sunday and expects to make his season debut Monday against the Thunder. This will likely send Mason Plumlee back to the bench. Not having played a regular season game since December 20, 2013, a minute restriction wouldn't surprise me.

Amir Johnson did not suit up because of a sore left ankle. Patrick Patterson started at power forward for the Raptors and failed to score in 15 minutes of action. The Raptors don't play again until Tuesday, and Johnson has a history with ankle injuries, making it difficult to throw him into your weekly lineups with 100 percent confidence.

NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE

Dwyane Wade played the second night of a back-to-back, a sight seen only three times last season. After shooting a putrid 4-of-18 from the field in Philadelphia the first game, he logged 19 points (7-11 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks in 31 minutes against the Raptors. Wade asserted earlier this season his plan to play 75 games, but the biggest test this week is the two separate back-to-back sets. As long as he can clear that hurdle without draining his categorical production, Wade could be in line for his first 70 game season since 2010-11.

Lance Stephenson bedazzled the Madison Square Garden patrons with 14 points (4-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-7 FT), a team-high nine rebounds, team-high eight assists, and team-high three steals in a team-high 38 minutes. His ball dominant ways have capped Kemba Walker's assists, 3.3 per game, and Al Jefferson's rebounds, 6.7 per game, through three regular season games thus far. The potential absence of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist should boost Jefferson's rebounds in the interim, but Stephenson's yearlong presence and stat-chasing behavior make me weary of Walker and Jefferson's value moving forward.

DAN FORDEN AWARD *

Klay Thompson hit the game winning 9-foot jumper over Wesley Matthews with 8.7 seconds left. He finished the game with 29 points (11-22 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three steals, one block, one assist, one rebound, and one monster flush over Robin Lopez.

Thompson is currently ranked third in standard Yahoo! leagues on a per game basis, behind only Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry. He leads the NBA in scoring at 29.7 points per game, and his 10 three-pointers leads the league as well. It really makes him a great sell-high candidate, currently shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 91.3 percent from the free-throw line, but I'd expect nothing short of Kevin Love back in a trade. Alright, that last bit was a joke, but part of me knows he can't keep this up and the other part of me that owns him in three leagues can already smell the championship trophy. Given the Warriors' outstanding head-to-head playoff schedule and dearth of quality NBA shooting guards, I'd be hesitant to acquire anything short of Chris Bosh, which won't happen based on perceived value. I trust Steve Kerr, and Thompson's preseason was a precursor to a solid season. He doesn't miss games, sans one following the death of a loved one last season, and plays huge minutes on a nightly basis. I would be looking to acquire Thompson in leagues, rather than cash in so fast.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC: 34 points (15-23 FG, 4-5 FT)
2. DeMar DeRozan, G, TOR: 30 points (11-22 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 7-12 FT)
3. Klay Thompson, G, GSW: 29 points (11-22 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT)

Rebounds

1. DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC: 17 rebounds ( offensive)
2. LaMarcus Aldridge, PF, POR: 13 rebounds
3. Andrew Bogut, C, GSW: 12 rebounds

Assists

1. Chris Paul, G, LAC: 11 assists (0 turnovers)
2. Lance Stephenson, G, CHA: 8 assists (4 turnovers)
3. Dwyane Wade, G, MIA: 7 assists (3 turnovers)

Steals

1. Chris Paul, G, LAC: 4 steals
2. DeMar DeRozan, G, TOR: 4 steals
3. Klay Thompson, G, GSW: 3 steals
4. Lance Stephenson, G, MIA: 3 steals

Blocks

1. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC: 4 blocks
2. DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC: 3 blocks
3. James Johnson, F, TOR: 3 blocks
4. Festus Ezeli, C, GSW: 3 blocks
5. Nik Stauskas, G, SAC: 3 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Gary Neal, G, CHA: 3-3 3Pt
2. Klay Thompson, G, GSW: 3-7 3Pt
3. Shawne Williams, F, MIA: 3-7 3Pt
4. Wesley Matthews, G, POR: 3-9 3Pt

Minutes

1. DeMar DeRozan, G, TOR: 41 minutes
2. Rudy Gay, F, SAC: 39 minutes
3. Darren Collison, G, SAC: 39 minutes

*The Dan Forden Award is given to the player with the best long-distance shooting performance. It is named the Dan Forden Award after Dan Forden, audio technician for the Mortal Kombat series and the guy who popped up from the bottom right corner of the game and excitedly proclaimed "Toasty!"