The Knicks continue to set records for their own futility, losing their 14th consecutive game in far from competitive fashion, Gerald Henderson channeled his inner Michael Jordan, no one got traded and Deron Williams has a fractured rib cartilage. Welcome to Thursday's Box Score Breakdown.
D-MO A-GO-GO
Thought to lose a big chunk of his value when Josh Smith hit town, Donatas Motiejunas has kept his solid play going, in the most part, and did it again against the D-League Westchester Knicks. Wait, it was actually the New York Knicks? Huh, well, you learn something new everyday.
Motiejunas scored 17 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-7 FT) with seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 36 minutes and has now scored in double-digits in his last six games. Re-inserted as the starter for the last four, Motiejunas is averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals, shooting 57 percent from the field. Motiejunas is available is a large percentage of leagues, as he was dropped, justifiably, when Smith was signed, but in this new role, he's worth a look at the end of a 12 team league bench and is a must-own in any league that is deeper.
M.I.A.
These guys all sat out Thursday's action, for one reason or another.
- Hornets
- Lance Stephenson (pelvis)
- Al Jefferson (groin)
- Cody Zeller (shoulder)
- Raptors
- DeMar DeRozan (groin)
- Rockets
- Terrence Jones (leg)
- Knicks
- Carmelo Anthony (knee)
- Amar'e Stoudemire (knee)
- Andrea Bargnani (calf)
- Heat
- Udonis Haslem (DNP-CD)
- Trail Blazers
- Robin Lopez (hand)
FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT
Once again, James Harden's ability to contribute in numerous categories gets him nods as the player of the night. Against the Knicks, Harden, in just 31 minutes, scored 25 points (8-17 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 6-6 FT) with four rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. Harden's scoring has been down of late, not reaching 30 points in five straight now, but owners wouldn't want to complain, owning the second ranked player in fantasy.
ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS
With Cody Zeller out, Marvin Williams retook the starting power forward spot, played a whopping 38 minutes and was very productive. He scored 13 points with three triples and nine rebounds and if Zeller misses more time, he will have to play big minutes. I doubt there is any long-term value here for standard league players, but in the short-term, the Hornets don't have a lot of other options.
Noah Vonleh was called into action with the big men hurt, his first appearance in 2015. He scored two points n 10 minutes and there is almost zero chance Vonleh makes an impact this season.
Four of the Raptors' starters, Terrence Ross, Jonas Valanciunas, Landry Fields and Amir Johnson, all played under 22 minutes, meaning that guys like James Johnson, Patrick Patterson, Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams got extended run. This sort of rotation isn't reliable, although Dwane Casey limiting his big men is not an isolated incident.
Josh Smith managed a 1 x 5 line, far less prestigious than the vaunted 5 x 5, getting two points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and two blocks in 20 minutes. The temptation to cut Smith is high, given his poor play and bench role, but he still can be a head-to-head force and if you are in a position of power in your league, Smith is a worthwhile pickup, assuming you are punting percentages.
If you thought the Raptors' rotation was odd, wait until you see what happened in New York. The five highest minutes totals went to players off the bench, luminaries such as Quincy Acy, Shane Larkin, Travis Wear, Langston Galloway and Cleanthony Early. Galloway, a 10-day signing, scored 19 points with three three-pointers, while Wear, an undrafted rookie, dropped 21 points with a trio of threes. Early had 16 points and six rebounds in his 25 minutes. The Knicks are a mess and at the moment, only Carmelo Anthony is a must-own, and that is a tenuous situation that you should be trying to get out of as soon as possible. Cole Aldrich has 12 team value, if you can stomach the inconsistent rotations of Derek Fisher.
BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES
Gerald Henderson scored a season-high 31 points, with five rebounds and is thriving with no Lance Stephenson. He's also averaged, along with the 16.6 points, 4.4 assists in his last five games, but it's likely he loses a lot of his minimal value when Stephenson returns. He's a short-term standard league guy, despite the solid form.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had his second straight double-double, but he too is benefiting from Stephenson's, and Jefferson's, absence. Considering all he is really offering is rebounds, MKG can be left alone in the majority of leagues.
James Johnson blocked four shots, his second four block night of the season, but did not a lot else, it isn't worth grabbing him with DeMar DeRozan's return imminent.
Seven Rockets scored in double-digits in the evisceration of the Knicks. Heck, even Trevor Ariza hit 60 percent of his shots, his first shooting night over 50 percent since November 11th. If you haven't vomited in your mouth after reading that stat, you don't own Trevor Ariza. Aside from the shooting, Ariza is a decent fantasy player, having gotten 15 steals in his last four games.
Hassan Whiteside blocked another four shots with 10 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. While the numbers are nice, blocks are so available on the wire that his limited role means that I don't foresee standard league value for him in the near future. The best he can hope for is to split minutes with incumbent starter Chris Andersen. In a deep league, I like Whiteside, but you can do better in most standard leagues. He was the only member of the Heat, outside of Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to score at least 10 points.
Wesley Matthews took his place after being considered questionable, scored 18 points, added three three-pointers and five assists with one steal and one block.
Chris Kaman played 21 minutes in the start, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds and two blocks, and I 'm not running to grab Kaman either. He's fine for 14 team leagues, but his physical limitations regarding court time render him unrosterable on any of my teams in 12 team leagues or less.
NIGHTLY LEADERS
Points
- Gerald Henderson, G, CHA, 31 points
- Kemba Walker, G, CHA, 29 points
- James Harden, G, HOU, 25 points
Rebounds
- LaMarcus Aldridge, F, POR, 12 rebounds
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F, CHA, 12 rebounds
- Dwight Howard, C, HOU, 10 rebounds
Assists
- James Harden, G, HOU, 9 assists
- Kemba Walker, G, CHA, 8 assists
- Kyle Lowry, G, TOR, 7 assists
Steals
- Donatas Motiejunas, F, HOU, 4 steals
- Shane Larkin, G, NYK, 4 steals
- Kemba Walker, G, CHA, 3 steals
- James Harden, G, HOU, 3 steals
Blocks
- Hassan Whiteside, C, MIA, 4 blocks
- James Johnson, F, TOR, 4 blocks
- Chris Kaman, C, POR, 2 blocks
- Damian Lillard, G, POR, 2 blocks
- Bismack Biyombo, C, 2 blocks
- Josh Smith, F, HOU, 2 block
Three-Pointers
- Kyle Lowry, G, TOR, 4-10 3Pt
- Trevor Ariza, F, HOU, 4-6 3Pt
- Patrick Beverley, G, HOU, 4-6 3Pt
Minutes
- Kemba Walker, G, CHA, 41 minutes
- Gerald Henderson, G, CHA, 38 minutes
- Marvin Williams, G, CHA, 38 minutes