Three games permit in-depth analysis. In other words, subjective opinions can be found below.

HOSPITAL WARD

Markieff Morris suffered a left knee sprain, and Jon Leuer started the second half. Ronnie Price also left the game with concussion symptoms. The Suns play the Nuggets and Lakers over the next five days. There's no need to rush Morris or Price back from injury.

Morris has been abominable from the field this season, sinking 37 percent of his shots and 19-of-74 jumpers. I believe his struggles coincide with the departure of his brother, Marcus. Markieff was a 50 percent shooter when sharing the court with his brother the previous two seasons, and that number dipped to 44 percent when Marcus sat. The chemistry was undeniable, and their separation has impacted Markieff precipitously.

Devin Booker and Sonny Weems also departed with dual eye lacerations after banging heads.

M.I.A.

• Golden State
  • Leandro Barbosa (personal)
• LA Clippers
  • Chris Paul (groin)
  • J.J. Redick (back spasms)
• Miami
  • Dwyane Wade (personal)
  • Gerald Green (suspension)
• Minnesota
  • Ricky Rubio (hamstring)
• Utah
  • Rudy Gobert (ankle)

ROTATION NOTES

Trey Lyles drew the start with Rudy Gobert nursing a sprained ankle. Gobert is a game-time decision for tonight's game in Orlando, and if he can't go, Trevor Booker will be the minute beneficiary. Alas, Booker fouled out in 16 minutes and was held scoreless. It was one bad game. Booker typically offers more when he's not coerced into fouls by Chris Bosh.

Alec Burks started the second half over Rodney Hood. It wasn't the first time this season coach Snyder tinkered with second half starting lineups, and Hood (38 minutes) actually played more than Burks (35 minutes). Both have been rosterable in standard fantasy leagues, and Burks has overcome his three-point deficiency. Hood leads the team with 2.9 assists per game, and Burks is shooting an unsustainable 62 percent from deep while averaging 16.6 points per game, second most on the team.

Dwyane Wade was attending to a personal matter, and he isn't expected to miss an extended period of time. Rookie Josh Richardson started to maintain rotation integrity. Many coaches employ this method. Richardson scored all eight of his points in the first seven minutes and played 21 total. He likely reverts to obscurity when Wade returns, but Heat brass is high on him, and he'll pick up low-level rotation minutes.

Beno Udrih made his Heat debut. He played 17 minutes, but the absence of Wade and Gerald Green (suspension) dispersed the minutes inappropriately. Tyler Johnson is ahead of Udrih in the rotation, as evidenced by his 29 minutes off the bench, and that caps Udrih's fantasy value. Johnson, however, is a rising stock, and he ended the night with 17 points (8-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt), four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal. Johnson has played at least 19 minutes in all of the past seven games, and that was with Mario Chalmers on the roster. Johnson's a deep league add at this point, and he's circulating standard leagues if he's going to play upward of 25 minutes a night. Pat Riley told Johnson point blank that he's the third guard. That moves him ahead of Green in the pecking order.

Kevin Garnett (rest) and Andrew Wiggins (knee) reclaimed their starting role after taking the second night of a back-to-back off two days ago. Kevin Martin and Adreian Payne resumed their customary reserve roles. Payne was glued to the bench until the final two minutes with the game over. Without Ricky Rubio (hamstring) for the second straight game, Martin led the team with six assists. All five starters recorded a negative plus/minus, and their reserves kept the game close enough to garner meaningful minutes.

Rubio's status for tonight's game is unclear. He's been nursing a hamstring strain, and the Wolves are in the midst of playing eight games in 12 days. He was considered probable entering last night's game, and that's a solid indication that this shouldn't linger much longer.

Chris Paul (groin) and J.J. Redick (back spasms) were unavailable. Austin Rivers and Pablo Prigioni started an NBA game in 2015 as a result. Paul has missed two of the past three games with this injury, but he catches a break in the upcoming schedule. The Clippers get four days off after their Saturday tilt against the Pistons. Redick, on the other hand, may miss more than last night's game. Jamal Crawford scored a team-high 18 points (7-14 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), exacerbated by Blake Griffin ejection prior to halftime after being assessed two technical fouls.

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

Stephen Curry scored 21 points in the first quarter and finished with 46 points (15-25 FG, 8-13 3Pt, 8-8 FT), five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 38 minutes. I've nothing further to add, your Honor.

ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT

Karl-Anthony Towns was the only player who qualified for this segment. It didn't matter what stats he posted, he was a lock. In 30 minutes, Towns registered 17 points (7-15 FG, 3-4 FT), 11 rebounds, one steal, and five turnovers. He's one of nine players averaging a double-double, and his six total double-doubles is third most in the league. I was wrong to insinuate the rookie required Rubio's presence to thrive offensively. Rubio or no Rubio, Towns gets his.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH

Derrick Favors made the best of playing center in Rudy Gobert's (ankle) stead. He recorded a career-high seven blocks to accompany 25 points (10-18 FG, 5-7 FT), 12 rebounds, three steals, and two assists in 40 minutes. As was the situation last season, Favors is shooting 48 percent from the field with Gobert on the court versus 53 percent with Gobert off. The largest leap in Favors' stats is his 2.4 steals per game, fourth overall and way up from his 0.8 career average. Favors displayed an improved knack for racking up steals in the preseason, averaging 1.4 in 26 minutes per game. Since only 10 players have recorded at least 2.0 steals per game over the last three seasons, it seems unlikely Favors can maintain his current pace.

Draymond Green has been a staple in this category. The absence of Andrew Bogut has increased Green's playmaking opportunities, and it's helped Green averaged a team-high 6.6 assists per game. Against the Wolves, Green provided a season-high 23 points (8-10 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 12 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes. He's one of 11 players averaging at least one steal, one block, and one three-pointer per game, a feat he accomplished last season. You can tell he worked on his shot in the offseason because his three-point percentage and free-throw accuracy have both increased by 10 percent. All but one of his 36 three-point attempts have been open, a carryover from last year when he shot 34 percent from downtown. He'll eventually regress, but Green's percentages weren't the reason you drafted him. It something to monitor over the final 72 games.

Eric Bledsoe took advantage of the Clippers' backcourt injuries and put up 26 points (9-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and eight turnovers. It's his second straight double-double, and over the past five games, Bledsoe is shooting a robust 11-of-26 on three-pointers. He's never been an above-average shooter from deep, and I don't think he can sustain his 22.4 scoring average. Regardless, Bledsoe is the Suns' primary facilitator, and the departure of Marcus Morris and Gerald Green vacated 19 shots per game. He blatantly steals rebounds from the big guys, and he's shaping up to have a wonderful season situated next to a backcourt mate who can space the floor.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Goran Dragic was afforded the chance to spread his wings without Dwyane Wade (personal) in the lineup. Entering the contest, Dragic posted a 16 percent usage rate when sharing the court with Wade. Per stats.NBA.com's dynamic box score, Dragic was second on the team with a 24 percent usage rate, but he was a team-worst negative 14 plus/minus in 35 minutes. He finished with 14 points (5-12 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-6 FT), four assists, three rebounds, and two steals. He's outperforming his career 75-percent mark from the free-throw line by 10 percent, but the rest of his numbers are down as a product of reduced minutes. His field goal and three-point shooting should perk up, but he doesn't possess enough agency within the offense to generate gaudy stat lines.

On a personal level, Dragic has been away from his family over the past three months. His wife dealt with pregnancy complications in the summer, and Dragic only spent one day with his infant daughter. The rest of the Dragic clan will reunite with Goran this weekend, and we'll have to monitor his output from this point moving forward. Perhaps his mind was elsewhere for the first three weeks, and now he can return to focusing primarily on basketball.

Shabazz Muhammad awoke from his slumber, scoring 13 of his 16 points (6-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT) in the second quarter. He's been an afterthought this season in coach Mitchell's rotation, and he's recorded a combined four assists, steals, and blocks in 140 minutes. Other than Andrea Bargnani, who's played 114 minutes, Muhammad has the lowest combined totals in the league. He radically improved his assist rate in 13 starts last season, but he's a guard who posts up and grab some rebounds. The rest of his fantasy line is hollower than Sleepy.

Andrew Wiggins is one of the worst jump shooters in the league. That's undebatable. He's shooting 40 percent from the field while converting 23-of-76 jumpers. His three-point shooting, 39 percent, is a misnomer because he's hit 4-of-14 above-the-break three-pointers. His minutes and tertiary stats have subsided after playing over 36 minutes per game last year, second most behind James Harden. The team is being smart about his minutes, a necessity after he played all summer with Team Canada at the Pan America Games and the FIBA Americas. You may be familiar with his nine-category ranking of 246, but before I write him off completely, it's important to remember he entered the season with a sore back and now he's dealing with a sore knee.

Brandon Knight obliterated the Clippers' makeshift backcourt for 37 points (14-22 FG, 6-10 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four assists, and two rebounds in 34 minutes. He did so by making only one basket in the restricted area and four in the paint. Half his attempts were uncontested, and the absence of Markieff Morris (knee) opened up the offensive responsibilities. It was a career night amplified by a beneficial series of events.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. Stephen Curry, G, GSW: 46 points
2. Brandon Knight, G, PHX: 37 points
3. Eric Bledsoe, G, PHX: 26 points

Rebounds

1. Hassan Whiteside, C, MIA: 14 rebounds (3 offensive)
2. Derrick Favors, F, UTA: 12 rebounds (5 offensive)
3. Three players tied with 11 rebounds

Assists

1. Draymond Green, F, GSW: 12 assists
2. Eric Bledsoe, G, PHX: 9 assists
3. Kevin Martin, G, MIN: 6 assists
4. Andre Iguodala, F, GSW: 6 assists

Steals

1. Derrick Favors, F, UTA: 3 steals
2. Jamal Crawford, G, LAC: 3 steals
3. P.J. Tucker, F, PHX: 3 steals
4. Pablo Prigioni, G, LAC: 3 steals

Blocks

1. Derrick Favors, F, UTA: 7 blocks
2. Hassan Whiteside, C, MIA: 5 blocks
3. Chris Bosh, F, MIA: 4 blocks

Three-pointers

1. Stephen Curry, G, GSW: 8-13 3Pt
2. Brandon Knight, G, PHX: 6-10 3Pt
3. Three players tied with three three-pointers

Minutes

1. Derrick Favors, F, UTA: 40 minutes
2. Stephen Curry, G, GSW: 38 minutes
3. Gordon Hayward, F, UTA: 38 minutes
4. Rodney Hood, F, UTA: 38 minutes