With no trades happening Saturday, it feels like a bit of a slow day in the NBA. But, fear not, there were still games played, there were still big numbers accumulated and there was still a case of the Popovich's going on down in Dallas. Let the break down begin.
GREEK FREAK STREAK
Although the Milwaukee Bucks have unfortunately lost their prized rookie, Jabari Parker, for the season, there is a silver lining, in that their another young budding star is blossoming before our eyes. Giannis Antetokounmpo is owned in just 64 percent of ESPN leagues and 76 percent of Yahoo leagues, but his form of late, is making somewhat of a mockery of those figures. Against the Clippers, Antetokounmpo scored 18 points (8-12 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT) with nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 38 minutes and has been looking more and more comfortable as each week passes in his second season. Over the past two weeks, Antetokounmpo is shooting 59 percent from the field, which compared to his 41 percent last season, is astronomical. He has improved in every statistical category this season and when we look back at the 2013 Draft, the fact that the Greek Freak went at number 15 will be laughable. For now, with the opportunity presented and the diversity in his stat lines, Antetokounmpo should be owned in all leagues.
M.I.A.
These guys all sat out Saturday's action, for one reason or another.
- Knicks
- Iman Shumpert (hand)
- Andrea Bargnani (hamstring)
- Amar'e Stoudemire (rest)
- J.R. Smith (heel)
- Trail Blazers
- Robin Lopez (hand)
- Pelicans
- Eric Gordon (shoulder)
- Hornets
- Lance Stephenson (pelvis)
- Hawks
- Jeff Teague (hamstring)
- Rockets
- Corey Brewer (trade)
- Terrence Jones (leg)
- Spurs
- Manu Ginobili (rest)
- Tiago Splitter (rest)
- Tony Parker (hamstring)
- Kawhi Leonard (hand)
- Tim Duncan (rest)
- Danny Green (rest)
- Mavericks
- Raymond Felton (ankle)
- Pacers
- C.J. Watson (illness)
- Ian Mahinmi (foot)
- George Hill (quad/knee)
- Nuggets
- JaVale McGee (leg)
- Randy Foye (quad)
- Bucks
- Ersan Ilyasova (face)
- Clippers
- Spencer Hawes (knee)
FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT
Well, it seems like Monta Ellis enjoyed his first game with Rajon Rondo as a teammate! Ellis dropped 38 points (15-23 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 3-5 FT) with one assist and four steals in 40 minutes against the Spurs, and while it is great to see the fantastic efficiency, scoring, three-pointers and steals, the drop in steals is something that draws a little bit of concern moving forward. A lot of Monta's appeal as a fantasy player was that he was a shooting guard who could get five assists a game and with Rondo in town, those assist opportunities are likely to shrink. The increase in scoring and efficiency may stick, but if you like Ellis for his assists, this may be an opporutnity to sell high, because we know that people love seeing juicy numbers in the points column.
ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS
Quincy Acy replaced Amar'e Stoudemire in the starting lineup for the Knicks, but as usual, didn't contribute much to the box score. This is only Stoudemire's second rest for the season and if this occasional miss keeps him healthy and viable, then I'm okay with it.
Wes Matthews played just 22 minutes, with Steve Blake getting 25 minutes in preference. This is likely just due to the fact that the Blazers played a triple overtime game Friday and by no means should be considered a look to the future with the Blazers' rotation. That and the fact that the game was a blowout.
Nicolas Batum returned from his one game absence, demoting Allan Crabbe back to the bench.
Rudy Gobert played 30 minutes, double-doubled with 11 points and 12 rebounds, adding two blocks, while Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter played just 18 and 20 minutes respectively. The Jazz lost by almost 20 points, so factor that in when considering Gobert. I don't think he's worth an add in standard leagues as this is the exception, rather than the rule.
Dennis Schröder played 30 minutes with Teague out, in preference to Shelvin Mack who played just 18 minutes. If Teague continues to miss time, Schröder is the guy in seasonal leagues and daily fantasy lineups.
If I was to delve deep into the Spurs' rotation quirks, you may not finish reading this until Monday. It's safe to say that with their top six players out, things got a little weird and there is no long-term value to take out of what happened. What you can note is that whenever Tony Parker and Tim Duncan miss time, Cory Joseph and Aron Baynes become great stream options and super daily fantasy plays.
Rajon Rondo, thankfully, replaced Jameer Nelson as the starter in Dallas and will remain there all season, naturally. In his Dallas debut, Rondo handed out nine assists with six points and seven rebounds and that gives us a pretty clear indication of what we can expect No scoring, great dimes and boards, same as in Boston.
Donald Sloan replaced the ill C.J. Watson as the starting point guard for the Pacers, but did nothing to suggest he will hold onto the job when Watson is healed. If you added Watson, I'd hold on.
Danilo Gallinari played 28 minutes, while incumbent starter Wilson Chandler played just 29 minutes. It's not like a change is imminent, but Gallinari is playing a lot better after sitting those three games last week and we could see him in the starting lineup at some stage this season. For now, I'm just watching how this scenario develops.
Johnny O'Bryant started his second consecutive game, but lasted just six minutes, with the majority of the minutes being spread between Jerryd Bayless (28) and Jared Dudley (30). Dudley scored 16 points with eight rebounds and as much as it pains me, he needs to be looked at in 12 team leagues as this is too extremely productive games in a row off the bench. Beware the Jason Kidd rotational whims, though.
BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES
It was Goran Dragic's turn to miss out in the Phoenix guard medley, scoring only 10 points with two assists. I'll maintain my stance that I want to trade away Dragic and Eric Bledsoe when they string together some good games. Bledsoe had 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals, so that qualifies as a trade away moment. The consistency just won't be there.
Alex Len blocked three shots in 21 minutes, grabbing eight rebounds and while the minutes aren't ideal, he's still a guy I like for 12 team leagues.
Carmelo Anthony returned, scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and three steals, and now I'd try to trade him away. The knee issue doesn't feel like it's going away, and although I recommend trading Melo, make sure you don't sell too low. There's a fine line to tread.
Jose Calderon had his best game, hitting five three-pointers for 21 points. He can do this occasionally, but early returns have shown the inconsistency, in this entire team to be honest.
LaMarcus Aldridge went off for the second straight night, scoring 27 points with 12 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
Chris Kaman, while not starting, had his best game with Robin Lopez out, scoring 16 points with six rebounds, If you owned Kaman while Lopez was playing, I suggest holding. If not, don't make a big move to add him, as his playing time is likely to remain the same.
Alexis Ajinca had a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds in just 15 minutes. He'd been a healthy scratch the last three games, so let's just call this a fluke.
Anthony Davis couldn't buy a bucket, going 3-for-14, but still chipped in with a steal and five blocks.
Gerald Henderson scored 17 points in a start for Lance Stephenson, but if you added Henderson, it won't last. Just be happy you got one good game from him, although the Hornets did look a lot better without Lance in the lineup.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had his best game since his return from injury, scoring 13 points, with 11 rebounds and three blocks. He can be a guy who has standard league relevance, it's just not at that point at the moment.
Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson are enjoying life with Stephenson, posting back-to-back big lines. If you are worried, now is the time to cash in and Stephenson will be back just after Christmas.
Paul Millsap and Al Horford both had big games and it feels like they have sorted out any chemistry issues they may have had early on. Both guys blocked three shots and shot in excess of 54 percent from the field. If an owner is still shopping Horford, your buy low window is closing rapidly.
Dwight Howard hit five of his six free throw attempts. That happened.
Patrick Beverley hit four three-pointers for 14 points with seven rebounds, The assists won't be there as James Harden is the distributor for this team, but he's a great guy to add of the wire, considering he is averaging 2.6 triples per game this season.
Donatas Motiejunas played just 25 minutes and the return of Kostas Papanikolaou has impacted his production. I'm holding for now, for not too much longer.
Chandler Parsons got his first double-double of the season, grabbing 11 rebounds to go with 16 points. When asked about his season-high rebound total, Parsons said
They were chanting Rodman in the crowd tonight for me. You didn't hear that?
So yeah, don't be expecting that too often.
Roy Hibbert stunk. It's as simple as that. He played just 24 minutes, went scoreless, grabbed five rebounds and amassed five fouls. He's still a hold, but the return of David West has definitely stifled the big man's good start.
Timofey Mozgov blocked a season-high five blocks to go with 15 rebounds, showing us yet again what he can do when given the minutes. Unfortunately, Mozgov is coached by Brian Shaw, so minute consistency is somewhat of an unknown phenomenon. If you have to own a Denver center, Mozgov is clearly the one and he should be owned 12 team leagues.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin both had big nights in the Clippers' narrow victory, scoring 27 and 24 points respectively. Griffin also added eight assists with 59 percent shooting, but we both know these guys are good.
Matt Barnes burned a lot of the goodwill he'd built p with some solid form, putting up only five rebounds and four assists, while failing to notch a single point. His form had been good though, so if you added him, I'd hold for one more game.
NIGHTLY LEADERS
Points
- Monta Ellis, G, DAL, 38 points
- LaMarcus Aldridge, F, POR, 27 points
- Chris Paul, G, LAC, 27 points
Rebounds
- DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 16 rebounds
- Timofey Mozgov, C, DEN, 15 rebounds
- Tyson Chandler, C, DAL, 14 rebounds
Assists
- James Harden, G, HOU, 14 assists
- Ty Lawson, G, DEN, 10 assists
- Chris Paul, G, LAC, 9 assists
- Rajon Rondo, G, DAL, 9 assists
Steals
- Monta Ellis, G, DAL, 4 steals
- Kemba Walker, G, CHA, 4 steals
- Seven players tied with 3 steals
Blocks
- Timofey Mozgov, C, DEN, 5 blocks
- Anthony Davis, F, NOP, 5 blocks
- Al Horford, C, ATL, 3 blocks
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F, CHA, 3 blocks
- Paul Millsap, F, ATL, 3 blocks
- Alex Len, C, PHX, 3 blocks
Three-Pointers
- Monta Ellis, G, DAL, 5-6 3Pt
- J.J. Redick, G, LAC, 5-8 3Pt
- Jose Calderon, G, NYK, 5-6 3Pt
Minutes
- Dwight Howard, C, HOU, 41 minutes
- Patrick Beverley, G, HOU, 41 minutes
- Cory Joseph, G, SAS, 41 minutes
- Trevor Ariza, F, HOU, 41 minutes