If you like words, you'll enjoy this recap. I'm substituting for Josh today. Lloyd remains day-to-day, but much like Thabo Sefolosha filling in for DeMarre Carroll, I'm always ready to contribute 10 points and five boards in 35 minutes. More like beyond the box score. Am I right?

HOSPITAL WARD

Nene Hilario and injury. Those two go together like lamb and tuna fish. Perhaps you're more familiar with spaghetti and meatballs. Hilario suffered a right shoulder injury, giving fantasy owners a reason to replace him ASAP. While nothing is concrete in terms of duration of time off, the move was always to hold onto him until injury strikes. You're welcome to wait for the final prognosis, delaying valuable time that could be spent strengthening your roster with waiver wire goodies. In 24 minutes off the bench, Kris Humphries added 12 points (5-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. He'll likely become the main beneficiary should Hilario miss substantial time.

M.I.A

• Atlanta
  • DeMarre Carroll (groin)
  • Mike Scott (back)
• Boston
  • Marcus Thornton (ankle)
• Detroit
  • Cartier Martin (foot)
  • Luigi Datome (hamstring)
• Houston
  • Terrence Jones (leg)
  • Patrick Beverley (hamstring)
• Indiana
  • C.J. Watson (sore right foot)
  • David West (ankle)
  • Rodney Stuckey (sore left foot)
  • C.J. Miles (migraine)
• Los Angeles
  • Wayne Ellington (personal)
  • Ryan Kelly (hamstring)
• Miami
  • Justin Hamilton (groin)
• Oklahoma City
  • Perry Jones III (knee)
  • Andre Roberson (foot)
• Orlando
  • Kyle O'Quinn (ankle)
  • Victor Oladipo (face)
  • Devyn Marble (shoulder)
• Portland
  • Nicolas Batum (knee)
• Utah
  • Rodney Hood (plantar fasciitis)

ROTATION NOTES

Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson officially shed their minute restriction costumes, only to play 15 and eight minutes, respectively, during the 130-113 blowout loss to the Trail Blazers. My only caveat, just because Brian Shaw can theoretically play them unlimited minutes, he doesn't have to. Ty Lawson is the only Nugget playing more than 30 minutes per game this season, averaging 35, similar to last season. Venturing to last season, nine players averaged between 19 and 31 minutes per game, including the flourishing Evan Fournier. With 13 healthy bodies on the roster of similarly talented and skilled individuals, expect coach Shaw to stick to the script, unless last night's loss was the wake-up call needed to shorten his clown car rotation.

DeMarre Carroll sat out the game against the Jazz with a groin issue. As long as you didn't skip the intro, you know Thabo Sefolosha filled in admirably.

Jeff Teague thwarted any Dennis Schroder talk, recovering with a 20-point and 8-assist performance in 34 minutes against the Jazz. Schroder played 18 minutes and contributed five points and three assists. Rest assured, we're not dealing with the Detroit Pistons' point guard saga just yet.

Josh McRoberts played a season-high 23 minutes after two days off as he recovers from preseason toe surgery. His counterpart, Shawne Williams, is steadily losing minutes and fantasy relevance. Miami doesn't play again until Friday. Follow the minutes.

Anthony Morrow had his minute restriction lifted, and he delivered in a huge way. The three-point marksman scored 19 of his 28 points (11-16 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT) in the fourth quarter, playing 31 minutes total and chipping in five rebounds and one assist. Suffice it to say, Morrow was the most added player in Yahoo! leagues today. The proverbial hotcake provides little outside of three-pointers and points. Just know what you're investing in before you drop someone of importance, given Andre Roberson and Perry Jones III seem close to returning. I'll admit, when Morrow is on, he's great to own.

Quincy Acy started at power forward for the Knicks in their fifth unique starting lineup of the season, sending Tim Hardaway Jr to the bench. It was purely a tactical decision, one stymieing Channing Frye to 9 points (4-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt) in 38 minutes. The Knicks' starting power forward spot will remain a matchup-based revolving door for the foreseeable future.

Brandon Jennings has his best game of the season against John Wall, a growing trend (Norris Cole's 23-point opener, Brandon Knight, Donald Sloan's 31-point game, Kyle Lowry's triple-double). In 35 minutes, he amassed 32 points (11-19 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 10 assists, three rebounds, and two steals. His 21-point first half explosion had me grinning from ear to ear, as if the stock I purchased could soon be sold for a more stable investment. Only three other times had Jennings scored 30+ points, dished 10+ assists, and shot better than 50 percent. It's the type of performance that should be framed and sent to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He's more palatable in head-to-head leagues but reduced to a clearance sell item in rotisserie leagues, a predicament I find myself in at the moment. If I could receive an injured Victor Oladipo or Nicolas Batum, I'd be on cloud nine. A more realistic get would be an injured Jose Calderon or George Hill.

Jennings' backup, D.J. Augustin, played a season-low 14 minutes, the outlier and not the norm in my opinion. There was no need for coach Van Gundy to split the minutes evenly with Jennings entering God Mode for one night. Granted, Augustin has been terrible this season and his minutes are trending downward, but one misstep from Jennings could flip the rotation on its head.

Elfrid Payton played 23 minutes a night after playing 19 minutes. He was able to squeeze in a four-second cameo at the end of the game to guard the inbounds pass, otherwise it would have been his second straight game watching the entire fourth quarter. Luke Ridnour ate most of those guard minutes for the second straight game, ceding ball handling duties to Evan Fournier. Payton did record eight assists to one turnover, but zeroed out the rest of the box score. I'm not sure why you're still holding onto him in non-dynasty formats, but feel free to acquire someone who'll help out in more than one category for the sake of your fantasy team.

Allen Crabbe started his second straight game in Nicolas Batum's customary role. He played 18 minutes and provided seven points and three rebounds, failing to reach even cheap daily games relevance. Because Batum expects to play next Monday at the earliest, look for Crabbe to start against the Nets this weekend.

Miles Plumlee is still getting considerably more run than backup Alex Len ever since Len's double-double performance the second game of the year. In three consecutive games, Plumlee has played at least 32 minutes and only blocked one shot. The softer portion of the schedule and foul trouble may have figured heavily in the early season minutes distribution.

Anthony Bennett returned after missing one game due to a knee injury. Off the bench, Bennett provided two points and four rebounds in nine minutes.

Isaiah Canaan and Donatas Motiejunas started in place of the ailing Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones. Motiejunas supplanted Kostas Papanikolaou as Beverley missed his third game and Jones missed his fourth game of the season. Dwight Howard returned after missing one game with the flu, shifting Tarik Black into a reserve role.

STAT LINE OF THE NIGHT

Paul Millsap turned in his best effort of the season, torching his Jazz replacement, Enes Kanter, to the tune of 30 points (13-23 FG, 4-8 3Pt), 17 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two rebounds in 40 minutes. That sound you hear? That'd be the buy-low window slamming shut. He was drafted in the first three rounds for a reason, and Al Horford's presence won't affect his peripheral stats much. In the 28 games they played together last season, only Millsap's scoring, assists, and shooting percentages saw a marginal decline versus the 46 he played without Horford.

ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT

Zach LaVine gets this award, not for his dismal shooting display, but for the amount of points he created. In his second career start, LaVine produced eight points (2-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine assists, and three rebounds in 34 minutes. Coach Saunders limited Mo Williams to 14 minutes with the game over by the start of the fourth quarter. If you're dead-set on owning a rookie point guard this season, Lavine's stock is on the rise while Elfrid Payton can't even get on the court over Luke Ridnour.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Garrett Temple converted just one of his last eight three-point attempts after shooting 52 percent over the first five games. He also lost a bunch of playing time to Rasual Butler last night. Off the bench, Butler scored 18 points (7-8 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT) in 27 minutes. Eight games into the season, Bradley Beal could return sometime in the next four, limiting the potential for either player.

Trey Burke accumulated a season-high 11 assists following eight assists in his previous game. He's still not getting to the rim or free-throw line at an acceptable rate, but his leash appears long, even with first round draft pick Dante Exum nipping at his heels. Exum played a combined 38 minutes over the past two games and scraped together five points, one rebound, and two assists in that time. It's a game of who wants it less, with the edge and experience in Burke's favor.

Enes Kanter hit 2-of-4 three-pointers, or one less than his season total after starting the season 3-of-11 from downtown. A scarier thought, both makes were from the top of the key. Over the past six games, he's consistently playing 27 minutes a night, but his turnovers (14) negatively outweigh his assists, steals, and blocks combined (8). He'll provided great value in leagues that count double-doubles. Just don't expect much elsewhere as coach Snyder plays him fewer minutes per game than Ty Corbin did last season.

Jeremy Lamb's game was so terrible, I almost dropped him at halftime in my 12-team head-to-head league for Harrison Barnes. Then I took a step back and weighed my options. Limited to three more adds the rest of the week, I took to the schedule in an attempt to maximize my games played. Barnes was my choice by default because the Warriors are the only team to play three games through to Sunday. Upon second glance, I noticed the Sixers play two games from Thursday-Friday, and the Warriors play two games Saturday-Sunday. Sitting on this valuable piece of data, I added Hollis Thompson with the intention of dropping him Friday for Barnes. The plan is contingent on Barnes playing a mediocre game tonight against the Nets. Feel free to employ a similar strategy in your league if you're streaming a spot. Beware; at the time of this publication, this four-game gambit will only succeed in leagues that allow you to start a player you add the same day. I know most ESPN league follow this protocol while most Yahoo! league transactions lock in the following day.

Shifting the focus back on Lamb, he finished the game with four points (2-10 FG, 0-5 3Pt), one rebound, and one assist in 17 minutes. Over his last three games, he's shooting 9-of-36 from the field. If you're looking for more of a long-term solution, Danilo Gallinari might fit the mold.

Solomon Hill shot 1-of-12 from the field in 42 minutes, ending the game with nine points, 10 rebounds, and one steal. He missed all six shots in the paint, knocked in a three-pointer, and converted 6-of-8 free-throws. Bear in mind, his 28-point outing occurred in the game Roy Hibbert left early with a knee contusion. The minutes are the most important takeaway from his box score. If coach Vogel willingly left him out there during such a poor shooting performance, opportunities for peripheral stats should help him retain value.

Chris Copeland is 6-of-27 from downtown over the past four games after Wednesday's 3-of-10 outing. He's shooting 38 percent on the season and has never shot better than 47 percent in any game, thanks in large part to his 7.8 three-point attempts per game. With David West returning in a week or two, be prepared to add a watch list guy to your team in favor of Copeland and his bloated box score stats.

Kobe Bryant scored 33 points on 10-of-28 shooting. For the season, Bryant misfired 120 times on 196 attempts. Only 19 NBA players have even attempted 120 shots. If you care about field goal percentage this season, please consider trading Bryant off your fantasy squad. Just think of it as lopping off a tumor, a necessary procedure removing a malignant force.

Eric Gordon scored seven points (2-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), dished five assists, grabbed one rebound, and blocked a shot in 36 minutes. Why am I talking Eric Gordon? Mainly to point out he's 4-of-24 from deep this season, knocking in as many three-pointers as teammate Austin Rivers, using 13 additional attempts. Clearly, it can't get any worse. At least, the law of averages tells me so. Gordon shot a career-high 39 percent from downtown last season, but should either be benched or dropped until he escapes this poisonous funk.

Ty Lawson scored 32 points (11-17 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT) in 42 minutes in the 130-113 massacre. It's noteworthy because it took 44 games last season before any Denver Nugget scored at least 30 points in a game. We've already reached critical mass in seven games this season. Also, Arron Afflalo played 10 minutes, reduced to a spectator in the second half.

Kevin Garnett recorded his second double-double of the season, one game removed from a near triple-double. In 27 minutes, Garnett scored 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT), grabbed 10 rebounds, and dropped two dimes. If the trend holds, look for his next double-double against the Thunder in about eight days.

Gerald Green led the Suns with a team-high 28 points (7-15 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 11-12 FT) in 27 minutes off the bench. Foolish me, I thought his fantasy value would be close to nonexistent this season given the glut of guards and forwards residing in Phoenix. Both he and Isaiah Thomas lead the team in fourth quarter scoring, 6.4 and 6.5 points respectively. Green leads all Suns in fourth quarter minutes at 9.4 per game, but only plays 21.6 minutes per contest while averaging 15.0 points, third most on the team. Thomas leads the Suns with 17.4 points per game in 24.3 minutes per game off the bench, simply obliterating second units to the point of disfiguration.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH

Rajon Rondo returned to the lineup after missing one game following the removal of a screw in his left hand. He grabbed six rebounds in the first quarter and with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Rondo needed one rebound and two assists for his second triple-double of the season. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Rondo never grabbed that elusive tenth rebound. His night ended with 20 points (8-15 FG, 4-7 3Pt), 12 assists, nine rebounds, two steals, and one turnover in 36 minutes. Unless you're in a league that doles out points for triple-doubles, you'll gladly trade that trivial rebound for the career-high four three-pointers.

Jared Sullinger joined teammate Rajon Rondo in the triple-double quest. In 34 minutes, he accumulated 14 points (7-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt), 11 rebounds, and six assists. Three of the assists were courtesy of Rondo three-pointers, an unlikely source in the future. Nevertheless, at 3.3 assists per game, Sullinger trails only Boris Diaw and Blake Griffin in power forward assists.

Kyle Korver strolled into Utah as if he had unfinished business. Not only did he drop 17 points (5-10 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT) and a season-high 10 rebounds, the former Jazz dished out a season-high six assists to boot. The double-double was the seventh of his career and first since November, 2007. He's the perfect rotisserie specimen, providing high percentages and low turnovers.

FOUL TROUBLE ALLEY

Iman Shumpert fouled out in 26 minutes. He still contributed 10 points (5-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt), eight rebounds, and three assists to the cause.

Andre Drummond and Josh Smith were limited by the foul bug. Drummond picked up three fouls in his first nine minutes of court time, playing 23 in all. Smith accumulated three fouls in the first half as well, playing just 27 minutes after picking up 5 fouls. I honestly think you could offer Kelly Olynyk or Andrew Bogut for Drummond at this point and the other owner would seriously consider the deal.

THE KATE UPTON PRINCIPLE

I developed a half-baked theory last season involving model Kate Upton. During Spring Training, she attended Orlando Magic basketball games with her boyfriend, pitcher Justin Verlander. On more than one occasion, players from either squad exponentially outperformed their expected production. It's 100 percent confirmation bias mixed with hard data and too much free time.

Upton and her boyfriend attended the Knicks-Magic game in Madison Square Garden. Given her intrinsic motivator status, third-year guard Evan Fournier scored a career-high 28 points (8-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 10-14 FT), including the final three points to cinch the 97-95 win. While Upton's presence doesn't entirely explain Fournier's performance, you're probably kicking yourself if you didn't add him earlier this season. He's scored double figures in every game and over the last two second halves, he's become the primary ball handler with Luke Ridnour forced to play spot-up shooter. The red flags are evident (62.9 percent true shooting; 51 percent three-point shooting; Victor Oladipo's absence), but he's staking his claim to stick in the starting lineup when the squad is fully healthy.

DAN FORDEN AWARD *

Damian Lillard helped the Blazers, in their fourth game in five nights, jet out to an 84-50 halftime lead. Playing just 30 minutes in the blowout victory, Lillard scored a team high 27 points (10-16 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), created nine assists, pulled down five boards, and secured two steals. I suppose it's easy to score when the opposition is in shambles and doesn't care about defense. The Nuggets next play the Pacers. I'll be surprised if Chris Copeland doesn't attempt ten threes against them.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. Kobe Bryant, G, LAL: 33 points (10-28 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 8-8 FT)
2. Brandon Jennings, G, DET: 32 points (11-19 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 7-9 FT)
3. Ty Lawson, G, DEN: 32 points (11-17 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT)

Rebounds

1. Paul Millsap, F, ATL: 17 rebounds (6 offensive)
2. Roy Hibbert, C, IND: 15 rebounds (4 offensive)
3. Nikola Vucevic, C, ORL: 13 rebounds (2 offensive)
4. Marcin Gortat, C, WAS: 13 rebounds (5 offensive)
5. Omer Asik, C, NOP: 13 rebounds (3 offensive)
6. Nikola Pekovic, C, MIN: 13 rebounds (4 offensive)
7. Lance Thomas, F, OKC: 13 rebounds (5 offensive)

Assists

1. Rajon Rondo, G, BOS: 12 assists (1 turnover)
2. John Wall, G, WAS: 11 assists (1 turnover)
3. Tyreke Evans, G, NOP: 11 assists (2 turnovers)
4. Trey Burke, G, UTA: 11 assists (2 turnovers)

Steals

1. Evan Fournier, G, ORL: 4 steals
2. John Wall, G, WAS: 3 steals
3. James Harden, G, HOU: 3 steals
4. Jeff Teague, G, ATL: 3 steals
5. Trey Burke, G, UTA: 3 steals
6. Chris Bosh, C, MIA: 3 steals
7. Markieff Morris, F, PHO: 3 steals
8. Alonzo Gee, F, DEN: 3 steals

Blocks

1. Anthony Davis, F, NOP: 6 blocks
2. LaMarcus Aldridge, F, POR: 6 blocks
3. Samuel Dalembert, C, NYK: 5 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Damian Lillard, G, POR: 5-6 3Pt
2. Kobe Bryant, G, LAL: 5-11 3Pt
3. Nine tied with four three-pointers

Minutes

1.  Ty Lawson, G, DEN: 42 minutes
2. Solomon Hill, F, IND: 42 minutes
3. Paul Millsap, F, ATL: 40 minutes
4. Reggie Jackson, G, OKC: 40 minutes
5. James Harden, G, HOU: 40 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!"