We're one month into the NBA season, so how are we rewarded? By another long-term injury to an All-Star, with DeMar DeRozan going down with a torn groin tendon for at least the next month. Injuries are a bummer. On a brighter note, the Cavaliers are looking ominous and we have Jeff Adrien and his superb hair back in the NBA. It's time to break down those box scores.
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With the injury news about Tony Wroten coming to light recently, someone would have to pick up the slack for the Sixers. Enter, K.J. McDaniels. The second-round pick had the best night of his short career, scoring 21 points (8-17 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), grabbing 13 rebounds and adding one steal and two blocks in 32 minutes. With the way he is playing right now, he's worth an add in all leagues, at least until Wroten returns.
M.I.A.
These guys all sat out Saturday's action, for one reason or another.
- Mavericks
- Jameer Nelson (back)
- Raymond Felton (ankle)
- Dirk Nowitzki (rest)
- Sixers
- Tony Wroten (knee)
- Pelicans
- Eric Gordon (shoulder)
- Wizards
- Martell Webster (back)
- Nene (foot)
- Hornets
- Marvin Williams (shoulder)
- Gary Neal (shoulder)
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (foot)
- Pacers
- Roy Hibbert (ankle)
- George Hill (quad)
- Cavaliers
- Anderson Varejao (ribs)
- Matthew Dellavedova (knee)
- Rockets
- Patrick Beverley (hamstring)
- Dwight Howard (knee)
- Isaiah Canaan (ankle)
- Bucks
- Zaza Pachulia (personal)
CASUALTY WARD
Thankfully, no new injuries to report, except for the diagnosis on DeMar DeRozan. He has suffered a torn left adductor longus tendon and he is out indefinitely. This sort of injury normally needs at least four weeks recovery, but until we hear word on what the treatment will be, a more concrete timetable can't be established. A number of players will be set for a bump. Lou Williams must be owned in all leagues, while Greivis Vasquez, Terrence Ross and James Johnson could all get a significant bump. As to which one gets the bigger bump, it remains to be seen, but as Ross is already starting, I can see him benefitting the most along with Williams who will likely move into the starting lineup.
FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT
It was always expected that without Patrick Beverley and Isaiah Canaan, James Harden would have to go off. And go off he did. Harden had 34 points (9-14 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 12-13 FT) with six rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and one block in 38 minutes. He's been and will continue to be awesome for the remainder of the season. The fact that he's averaging over one block per game is an added bonus for his owners.
BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES
Tyson Chandler continued his dominant form, scoring a season-high 20 points with 13 rebounds, three assists and four steals. That's 48 rebounds in the last three games for Chandler in his second stint back in Dallas and is so far outplaying his draft slot. He has also shot under 50 percent from the field just once this season.
Starting in place of Jameer Nelson, Devin Harris had a productive night with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in 31 minutes and continues to be worth looking at as long as Nelson and Raymond Felton remain out.
Brandan Wright bounced back from a couple of poor performances, scoring six points and blocking four shots in just 19 minutes. He did grab just one rebound and his value in 12 team leagues is a little tenuous.
With no Tony Wroten, Michael Carter-Williams exploded. Carter-Williams had his third career triple-double with 18 points (4-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 10-12 FT), 10 rebounds, 16 assists, and one steal in 35 minutes. It was far and away his best performance since returning from shoulder surgery and serves as a reminder of how amazing he can be in the counting stats.
Alexey Shved had himself a big night as well, scoring 18 points with four rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 26 minutes, but his value is limited to deep leagues.
Anthony Davis failed to block a shot for the first time this season, but did have 30 points, more than his last two games combined, and 13 rebounds.
Tyreke Evans couldn't hit the water if he had have been standing on a pier Saturday, going 2-for-15 for just four points. He did add five rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block, so it wasn't all bad.
Uncharacteristically, Omer Asik missed all four of his field goal attempts and ended with just a solitary point in 28 minutes. He also added nine rebounds.
Marcin Gortat had himself a big night, scoring 24 points (12-20 FG) while grabbing 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and four blocks in 41 minutes. This was the best night of the season for Gortat, but he's otherwise been very steady.
Starting in place of Nene, Kris Humphries grabbed 11 rebounds, his second double-digit rebound performance in the last three starts. He's a guy to add if you need boards while Nene is out, but will offer not much else.
Garrett Temple after starting the first 13 games of the season, was a healthy scratch and can be dropped in almost every format.
Rookie P.J. Hairston led the hapless Hornets with 15 points (5-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), adding four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 27 minutes. With this game an abject disaster for Charlotte, the minutes were all over the place making it hard to determine what Hairston's role may be going forward. The opportunity is there though with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Gary Neal and Marvin Williams all out.
Cody Zeller couldn't replicate his big game from Friday, scoring just four points with three rebounds in 24 minutes.
Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Lance Stephenson all had poor nights, but the blowout was a factor in their limited minutes.
Much like for the Hornets, the Hawks minutes were mixed up due to the ease of their victory. When Kent Bazemore plays 22 minutes and grabs eight boards, you know it's hard to read to much into what happened in this game.
David West took a team-high 16 shots for 14 points, showing that he will be an offensive focus this season. He added only six rebounds, but he looks in line for a productive season.
C.J. Watson outplayed Donald Sloan, scoring eight points with four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes, while Sloan played just 23 minutes as the starter. Watson should overtake Sloan as the point guard to own until George Hill returns fairly soon.
Kyrie Irving pulled down a season high 10 rebounds to go with 24 points (9-17 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five assists and three blocks. He is shooting 46 percent from the field this season, up from the 43 percent he shot last season. That's what happens when your teammates are LeBron James and Kevin Love.
Love was also very solid, scoring 28 points with 10 rebounds and two steals. He still isn't playing at the same level as last season, and probably won't all year, but a night like this pleases his owners.
Tristan Thompson started in place of Anderson Varejao and had a double double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, with one block. As long as he starts he's a guy to look at in 12 team leagues, but when Varejao returns, Thompson's relevance wanes.
Jason Terry started in place of both Isaiah Canaan and Patrick Beverley, and lit it up, scoring 18 points with four three-pointers, six rebounds, and five assists. As long as Beverley and Canaan remain out, Terry will be useful for fantasy leagues, but once they return, his value drops back to deep leagues only.
Donatas Motiejunas had his second 20 point night in his last three games, adding six rebounds and four assists. He's been great without Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard, but remember that his impact will be lessened when Howard returns. He's still worth owning in most formats for now.
Jabari Parker led the Bucks in scoring with 29 points, getting to the line an impressive 14 times, converting 13 of them. He added nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in 32 minutes and now seems to have found his groove at power forward.
Ersan Ilyasova is on a scoring run, dropping another 18 points in 24 minutes Saturday. He's now scored in double digits in his past eight games, but his lack of peripheral stats and the variable minutes limit his usefulness. In a 12 team league, I'd have no issue with owning him for the time being though, especially if you have a points shortage.
Larry Sanders bounced back from an off night Friday to score 11 points with three blocks in 24 minutes. The minutes are still an issue, but the production is there. Sanders has averaged 1.8 blocks per game this season.
Chris Paul had a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists with two more steals and continues to be reliable.
Gordon Hayward's free throw struggles continued, hitting only four of his eight attempts Saturday n his 30 point outing. Hayward started the season off by going 35-for-36, but is now just 43 out of his last 64 attempts. This will turn around, no doubt, but it's frustrating for Jazz fans and his fantasy owners.
Trevor Booker had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench in 24 minutes, outplaying Enes Kanter. Kanter has been playing solidly before this game, so there's no need to panic if you own him.
NIGHTLY LEADERS
Points
- James Harden, G, HOU, 34 points
- Anthony Davis, F, NOP, 30 points
- Gordon Hayward, F, UTA, 30 points
Rebounds
- Marcin Gortat, C, WAS, 13 rebounds
- Anthony Davis, F, NOP, 13 rebounds
- Tyson Chandler, C, DAL, 13 rebounds
- K.J. McDaniels, F, PHI, 13 rebounds
Assists
- Michael Carter-Williams, G, PHI, 16 assists
- Chris Paul, G, LAC, 10 assists
- Jeff Teague, G, ATL, 10 assists
Steals
- James Harden, G, HOU, 4 steals
- Tyson Chandler, C, DAL, 4 steals
- Tyreke Evans, G, NOP, 4 steals
Blocks
- Marcin Gortat, C, WAS, 4 blocks
- Brandan Wright, C, DAL, 4 blocks
- Kyrie Irving, G, CLE, 3 blocks
- DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 3 blocks
- Larry Sanders, C, MIL, 3 blocks
- Paul Pierce, F, WAS, 3 blocks
- Joey Dorsey, C, HOU, 3 blocks
Three-Pointers
- James Harden, G, HOU, 4-5 3Pt
- Gordon Hayward, F, UTA, 4-5 3Pt
- Jason Terry, G, HOU, 4-8 3Pt
- Jamal Crawford, G, LAC, 4-9 3Pt
- Trevor Ariza, F, HOU, 4-12 3Pt
Minutes
- Marcin Gortat, C, WAS, 41 minutes
- Trevor Ariza, F, HOU, 41 minutes
- Anthony Davis, F, NOP, 40 minutes