With only two games on the docket Thursday, fans felt a little let down with the blowout nature of both games. It's a good chance to catch our breath though, reassess our team and our weekly matchup, a look forward to 12 big matchups tomorrow. Who's ready to do this? Let's break down those box scores.
ADD ME! ADD ME!
One big caveat with Mario Chalmers' recent hot form is that it's been without Dwyane Wade, but even before Wade's absence, Chalmers was a guy who was brutally underowned. Sitting at just 46 percent ownership on ESPN and 65 percent on Yahoo, Chalmers is around, even in some shallow leagues. In the destruction at the hands of the Clippers, Chalmers had 13 points (4-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT) with one rebound, three assists, and three steals in 34 minutes. In his last four games, Chalmers is averaging 19.0 points, 1.0 three-pointers, 1.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 36 minutes, numbers which are good enough for a top 20 fantasy ranking. The minutes will come back down a bit when Wade returns, but with the recent injury to nominal starting point guard Norris Cole, who dislocated his finger in the loss Thursday, Chalmers' increased role may sustain. Even if Cole is healthy, Chalmers is the point guard to own in Miami.
M.I.A.
These guys all sat out Thursday's action, for one reason or another.
- Heat
- Dwyane Wade (hamstring)
- Bulls
- Derrick Rose (hamstring)
- Pau Gasol (calf)
CASUALTY WARD
As mentioned above, Norris Cole left the game early with a dislocated finger, playing just 10 minutes. He sat on the bench for the second half, so we don't know if he sat because it was a blowout or because of the injury, but regardless of his injury status, Cole is not worth owning in 12 team leagues.
Kirk Hinrich left Thursday's game against the Kings with a chest injury. X-rays came back negative, diagnosing it as a contusion, but with Derrick Rose already doubtful for Friday, Aaron Brooks should be in line for a big night if both guys sit.
FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT
It was always going to be one of the Clippers, but in the end, I gave it to Chris Paul, with 26 points (8-13 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 7-8 FT), two rebounds, 12 assists, and one steal in 33 minutes. There's not much to say about Paul, as everyone knows how great a fantasy player he is. The only drawback has been health, and for now, that's a non issue. He's almost averaging a double-double, with 18.0 points and 9.9 assists, as well as 2.1 steals and as long as he doesn't suffer a significant injury, will be a top six fantasy player all season.
ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT
Heading to Miami again, I'm going to go with Shabazz Napier as my most impressive rookie of the night. Napier was the Heat's second highest scorer with 17 points (5-9 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), adding five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 32 minutes. The points and the minutes were both career-highs and if Cole has to miss time, Napier's value increases, but not to the point where you need to grab him in standard leagues.
BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES
Both J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin had their best games in a while, with Redick hitting four triples on his way to 14 points and Griffin putting up 26 points, seven rebounds and three steals on a much improved percentage.
Jamal Crawford stunk it up with his shooting, scoring just five points (1-6 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), but did add nine assists. Neither of those stats are something which will be consistent over the course of the season.
With the injuries to Wade and Cole, Shannon Brown played 21 minutes, scoring nine points with two steals. While valuable, especially the steals, Brown's value is almost non-existent and this was just the third game he's played this season.
Josh McRoberts made his return from a toe blister, but played just 14 minutes off the bench, scoring two ponts, with two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. His minutes were slowly increasing before the blister, so we can expect him to ramp up his playing time over the next week or two, but I don't think he's a must add in 10 team leagues. Once he does get back to normal, Shawne Williams' run is likely over.
Jimmy Butler continued his stellar start, scoring 23 points (11-18 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT) with eight rebounds, and two steals in 37 minutes. Butler is playing at an All-Star level so far this season, and could be a sell high candidate, but I'm actually buying some of this production, so I'd be holding onto him as productive shooting guards are as rare as hen's teeth.
Aaron Brooks scored 12 points in 25 minutes and if you are looking for a streaming option Friday with both Rose and Hinrich doubtful, Brooks is a great option.
With no Gasol, Nikola Mirotic was afforded a bigger role, and looked good, scoring seven points with five rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes. This is how it will go for Mirotic, needing two frontcourt injuries to hoist him into 12 team league relevance.
The Kings' big three of DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison, all had big games, as we've come to expect most nights.
Omri Casspi has now scored 27 points in his last two games, but his line Thursday is a little skewed by the fact he hit all five of his field goals, an unsustanabke stat. Still, If Gay were to miss time, Casspi is likely to be the guy you'd want to look at.
Ben McLemore bounced back from a poor night, to provide solid value, scoring 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 3Pt) with one rebound and one steal in 30 minutes. Nik Stauskas was limited to just 25 seconds of game time, further illustrating that McLemore has this job locked down.
NIGHTLY LEADERS
Points
- Chris Bosh, F, MIA, 28 points
- Chris Paul, G, LAC, 26 points
- Blake Griffin, F, LAC, 26 points
Rebounds
- DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC, 14 rebounds
- Joakim Noah, C, CHI, 11 rebounds
- DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 11 rebounds
Assists
- Chris Paul, G, LAC, 12 assists
- Darren Collison, G, SAC, 12 assists
- Jamal Crawford, G, LAC, 9 assists
Steals
- Blake Griffin, F, LAC, 3 steals
- Mario Chalmers, G, MIA, 3 steals
- Jimmy Butler, G, CHI, 2 steals
- Shannon Brown, G, MIA, 2 steals
Blocks
- Nikola Mirotic, F, CHI, 2 blocks
- James Ennis, F, MIA, 2 blocks
- Seven players tied with 1 block
Three-Pointers
- J.J. Redick, G, LAC, 4-8 3Pt
- Chris Paul, G, LAC, 3-5 3Pt
- Ben McLemore, G, SAC, 3-4 3Pt
Minutes
- Darren Collison, G, SAC, 40 minutes
- Jimmy Butler, G, CHI, 37 minutes
- Joakim Noah, C, CHI, 37 minutes