A complete cavalcade of basketball awaited Wednesday, with 24 teams in action ahead of a much needed break for a good portion of the league. The upcoming All-Star break is also a great thing for fantasy owners, as it allows you to really look at your teams and work out how you're sitting, size up potential playoff opponents, and refine your punt strategy. Just don't make any reactionary moves over the next week, as a lot can change without a game being played.
M.I.A.
These guys all sat out Wednesday's action, for one reason or another.
- Knicks
- Carmelo Anthony (knee)
- Lance Thomas (undisclosed)
- Magic
- (knee)
- Hawks
- Thabo Sefolosha (calf)
- Celtics
- Kelly Olynyk (ankle)
- Wizards
- Martell Webster (DNP-CD)
- Kris Humphries (back)
- Bradley Beal (leg)
- Pistons
- Caron Butler (back)
- Heat
- Dwyane Wade (hamstring)
- James Ennis (knee)
- Shawne Williams (hip)
- Pacers
- Lavoy Allen (knee)
- Pelicans
- Ryan Anderson (elbow)
- Anthony Davis (shoulder)
- Jrue Holiday (leg)
- Grizzlies
- Vince Carter (foot)
- Thunder
- Steven Adams (hand)
- Kings
- Darren Collison (hip)
- Bucks
- Larry Sanders (suspended)
- Jazz
- Rodney Hood (foot)
- Joe Ingles (back)
- Mavericks
- Rajon Rondo (face)
- Raymond Felton (DNP-CD)
- Tyson Chandler (back)
- Lakers
- Ronnie Price (DNP-CD)
- Jordan Hill (hip)
- Trail Blazers
- Chris Kaman (ankle)
- Rockets
- Terrence Jones (illness)
- Dwight Howard (knee)
- Clippers
- Blake Griffin (elbow)
FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT
Despite the impeding coaching change in Sacramento, DeMarcus Cousins continues to put up extraordinary fantasy numbers. In yet another loss to the Bucks, Cousins had 28 points (9-20 FG, 10-12 FT) with 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in 37 minutes. Even when George Karl comes in, it's hard to imagine much changing from Cousins' perspective, he's just that good.
ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS
Tim Hardaway replaced Carmelo Anthony (knee) in the starting lineup, but was his usual disappointing self, scoring 10 points with two rebounds. Lance Thomas had been the usual Melo fill-in, but he sat out as well, allowing Hardaway the extra run, but I'm not interested in Hardaway when Melo is finally done, which will be very soon.
Evan Fournier started again with Tobias Harris out with a knee injury, but was unproductive. Fournier is a borderline fantasy prospect when starting and with Harris' injury not severe, Fournier will go back to filling a bench role sooner than later.
With Bradley Beal ruled out with a stress reaction in his leg, the Wizards went back to Otto Porter as the starting two guard. He scored just six points as the coach Randy Wittman spread the minutes between Porter, Garrett Temple and Rasual Butler. I wouldn't be rushing to grab any of that trio while Beal is out, which is likely to be a few weeks, but as I mentioned in the open, I'd avoid making any drastic moves, such as dropping Beal, while we are in the break. Let's wait for more information and assess from there.
James Johnson battled foul trouble and played just 19 minutes, scoring six points with one block, but I can't say the same for Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas played a paltry 16 minutes, but had no fouls, in yet another bizarre coaching display, scoring just six points and five rebounds. Despite Dwane Casey's inconsistencies, Valanciunas still has to be owned. Don't make a silly move by dropping him on the back of this.
Tim Duncan played just 18 minutes, but that's all he was needed in a comfortable victory, Manu Ginobili returned after missing one game due to rest. He played just 22 minutes for 13 points and is a decent deeper league play, despite his limited minutes.
After an off game, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope bounced back and scored 20 points with three rebounds, but despite his big minutes and high shot volume, owning KCP is an exercise in frustration.
The Cavaliers orchestrated an easy victory over the Heat, so don't panic when you look at the box score and see than LeBron James played only 31 minutes. He still had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but resting LeBron whenever you get a chance is also a good option. Kevin Love left the court early with a corneal abrasion, and was looking good with 12 points, six rebounds, two steals and one block in 20 minutes. He seems like he'll be good to go Thursday against Chicago. When Love limited, Tristan Thompson played 36 minutes and scored 17 points with nine rebounds and if Love were to miss Thursday's encounter, adding Thompson may help you secure a weekly win if you're in a Yahoo league.
Somewhat surprisingly, Draymond Green played against the Timberwolves, but struggled with his shot, scoring just three points, but grabbed 13 rebounds to help fill out his stat line.
All five Timberwolves' starters played over 30 minutes, which meant Gorgui Dieng was limited to just 14 minutes, for two points and two rebounds. He is just one game removed from a big fantasy performance and with a Nikola Pekovic trade or injury something that could happen in the next two weeks, if I own Dieng, which I do, I'm still holding despite the disappointing performances.
Roy Hibbert played only 19 minutes, due to the five fouls he had and this is always the risk with Hibbert. He still had six boards and two blocks in that time.
With the Pacers handling the Pelicans easily, minutes for New Orleans were a bit all over the place, particularly with Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson out. Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans played just 24 minutes each and even recently signed Toney Douglas played 25 minutes. There is almost nothing we can gain from looking at this box score with much detail.
Similarly, with the Grizzlies getting destroyed by the Thunder, don't get too disheartened by seeing Mike Conley with only 18 minutes played.
Scott Brooks broke lots of fantasy owners' hearts, by playing breakout rookie Mitch McGary only 15 minutes. McGary couldn't keep his form from the previous two games going, ending scoreless with only two rebounds, while Brooks went with Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison in the frontcourt. Collison actually scored 15 points with nine rebounds and two blocks, but I most definitely wouldn't be looking at him in anything shallower than a 16 team league, despite the outburst.
Enes Kanter, who has apparently requested a trade, played just 18 minutes, finishing with 10 rebounds, but Rudy Gobert got just 27 minutes in his stead. A Kanter trade is far from guaranteed, but if for some reason Gobert is available in your league, now is an optimal time to grab him.
Monta Ellis (hip) took his place in the lineup despite being doubtful, while the Mavericks started Greg Smith in place of Tyson Chandler. Recently signed Bernard James played 22 minutes, but with the extended break, expect Chandler to be back and for these two guys to have very, very limited value. James did block three shots in his 22 minutes.
The Trail Blazers got themselves a comfortable victory, limiting all players, save Nicolas Batum, to below 30 minutes. That allowed Meyers Leonard to score 11 points with seven rebounds and three three-pointers in 24 minutes, but his playing time has been too inconsistent to recommend outside of very deep leagues.
Spencer Hawes was again limited by fouls, racking up four in 19 minutes. If you added Hawes, don't drop him based on these two poor showings.
BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES
Jason Smith scored 25 points with seven rebounds in 36 minutes and he appears locked into big minutes in New York. He's averaging 12.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his last seven games and should be seriously considered in most leagues, even if it's an unsexy pickup.
DeMarre Carroll was himself another nice night, scoring 14 points with seven rebounds, three steals and two three-pointers, and this sort of solid production should make Carroll a must-own player. That isn't the case and you may be able to find Carroll on your waiver-wire.
Lou Williams top-scored for the Raptors, dropping 27 points with four three-pointers and has been a consistent source of threes and points all season. Throw in his elite free throw percentage and Williams, in limited minutes, can help a number of teams.
Danny Green showed why you should never consider dropping him, scoring 19 points on the back of five three-pointers, with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
Hassan Whiteside played 28 minutes for a big double double of 17 points and 14 rebounds. He did go without a block, and his last two games have been a drop off from what we've seen previously. I'm not suggesting that the bubble has burst by any means, but the nagging worry is still there. Don't make any silly moves though, but I wouldn't be paying top dollar for him.
Ricky Rubio looks great out on the court, scoring 18 points with two three-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals and the only worry his patient owners have are impending back-to-back sets.
Russell Westbrook got oh-so-close to another triple double, ending with 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and is close to the best fantasy player in the game recently. He can do it with or without Kevin Durant.
DeAndre Jordan now has 47 rebounds in his last two games and is exploding for his owners with Blake Griffin (elbow). What he did do is completely destroy your free throw percentage though, hitting 12-of-26 shots at the line Wednesday. While previously a low volume free throw shooter, 4.2 per game this season, Jordan is now attempting 7.6 per game in his last eight as teams go to the Hack-a-Jordan strategy. Hopefully, you avoided Jordan in rotisserie leagues, because if not, your free throw percentage is currently taking a pounding.
NIGHTLY LEADERS
Points
- DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC, 28 points
- Nikola Vucevic, C, ORL, 28 points
- Lou Williams, G, TOR, 27 points
Rebounds
- DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 20 rebounds
- DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC, 19 rebounds
- Nikola Vucevic, C, ORL, 18 rebounds
Assists
- Chris Paul, G, LAC, 12 assists
- Russell Westbrook, G, OKC, 9 assists
- George Hill, G, IND, 9 assists
- Evan Turner, F, BOS, 9 assists
Steals
- Monta Ellis, G, DAL, 6 steals
- Nene, F, WAS, 4 steals
- Matt Barnes, F, LAC, 4 steals
- Kawhi Leonard, F, SAS, 4 steals
Blocks
- Dewayne Dedmon, C, ORL, 6 blocks
- John Henson, C, MIL, 5 blocks
- DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC, 4 blocks
- Rudy Gobert, C, UTA, 4 blocks
Three-Pointers
- Danny Green, G, SAS, 5-10 3Pt
- Kevin Durant, F, OKC, 4-6 3Pt
- Lou Williams, G, TOR, 4-8 3Pt
- George Hill, G, IND, 4-5 3Pt
- J.J. Barea, G, DAL, 4-7 3Pt
- Trey Burke, G, UTA, 4-6 3Pt
- Ben McLemore, G, SAC, 4-8 3Pt
- Marcus Thornton, G, BOS, 4-6 3Pt
- Steve Novak, F, UTA, 4-6 3Pt
Minutes
- DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 43 minutes
- Nikola Vucevic, C, ORL, 41 minutes
- Luol Deng, F, MIA, 40 minutes