Daily notes for Wednesday: Steph breaks record, Durant leads comeback, and more
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Tuesday night’s slate had four games, but the game between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons was postponed due to Chicago having 10 players in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Let’s explore some of the highlights, lowlights, and takeaways below.
Nemanja Bjelica, Golden State Warriors: 14 points (5-5 FGs), 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets: 26 points (9-10 FGs), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
Evan Fournier, New York Knicks: 2 points (1-5 FGs), 1 rebound, 1 block
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 22 points (8-19 FGs), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Jordan Poole scored 19 points (3-11 FG, 13-13 FT), had nine rebounds, and three assists in 34 minutes for the Golden State Warriors. Poole is averaging a career-high 17.8 points and 44.7% field goal percentage. In 33 minutes, Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points, collected six rebounds, and made three assists, including one that led to Curry’s record-breaking three-pointer.
On a game-by-game basis, Draymond Green continues to fill up the stat sheet, and Tuesday night was no different. In 32 minutes, the Warriors’ power forward scored eight points, grabbed 11 rebounds, handed out seven assists, had a steal, blocked three shots, and made one 3-pointer.
This season, Julius Randle‘s per game stats are down from last year, and he isn’t living up to his average draft position, however he scored a game-high 31 points against the Warriors, he also collected seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and five 3-pointers in 37 minutes.
The ability of Derrick Rose to contribute in multiple statistical categories has allowed him to become a top-100 player with the Knicks, as last night he scored 15 points, added four rebounds, six assists, a steal, and three 3-pointers against the Warriors.
In 21 minutes against the Warriors, Immanuel Quickley had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists, and a block for the Knicks. Meanwhile, Alec Burks has played well for the Knicks ever since he was named the starter over Kemba Walker. As he returned from a one-game absence due to the birth of his son, he had 14 points, one rebound, four assists, a steal and two 3-pointers against the Warriors. Burks is available in 79.4% of ESPN leagues.
Kevin Durant led the Brooklyn Nets with 34 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, one block, and two 3-pointers in 48 minutes against the Toronto Raptors. The triple-double is Durant’s 14th in his career and second with the Nets.
James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge, and five others were involved in the league’s COVID-19 protocols, which provided Patty Mills the runway to have an outstanding game. In 43 minutes, he scored 30 points, grabbed four rebounds, handed out two assists, stole a ball and hit seven 3-pointers. According to ESPN, Mills is available in 79.6% of fantasy leagues, and the Nets have three more games on their schedule this week. This was his fourth game with seven 3-pointers and fourth career 30-point game.
David Duke Jr. was given more playing time for the Nets, and he delivered to the tune of 10 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He’s on the streaming radar. The kind of stat line Cam Thomas was expected to have was that of Kessler Edwards. In 44 minutes, the Nets’ small forward tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three 3-pointers. He’s also on the streaming radar for the Nets and available in all ESPN leagues. Blake Griffin scored double-digit points for the first time since November 7 against the Raptors. He had 13 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers for the Knicks. Available in 90.7% of ESPN leagues, Griffin is worth picking up.
For the first time this season, the Raptors had three scorers with 25 or more points. In 47 minutes, Fred VanVleet scored 31 points, grabbed four rebounds, handed out nine assists, had two steals, and made six 3-pointers. His 67th career game with 20 or more points breaks a tie with Doug Christie for ninth-most in franchise history. In 44 minutes, Pascal Siakam scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds, had two assists, a steal, and a block. Gary Trent continued his excellent performance over the last week with 25 points, two rebounds, five assists, three steals and six 3-pointers.
Devin Booker, who is out with a hamstring injury, is expected to return on December 21 against the Lakers. As the team’s offensive leader, Chris Paul nearly had a triple-double with 24 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists, three steals and one three-pointer. He has exceeded expectations this season.
After missing two games due to illness, Deandre Ayton returned to the starting lineup against the Trail Blazers and delivered an epic performance. In 45 minutes, he scored 28 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, provided two assists, and stole two balls. Cameron Payne was outstanding for the Suns off the bench in 34 minutes. He finished with 17 points, three rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two 3-pointers against the Trail Blazers. Payne should continue to flourish until Booker returns.
Robert Covington has been replaced by Larry Nance Jr. in the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup. In 28 minutes against the Suns, Nance Jr. had nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. He’s available in 95% of ESPN leagues.
In his second game back after missing time due to an abdominal injury, Damian Lillard scored 31 points (11-31 FGs), two rebounds, 10 assists, one block and five 3-pointers in 47 minutes. Since the Trail Blazers have an 11-17 record and their playoff hopes are slipping away, Lillard might be worth trading away since he’ll need surgery in the future.
With 17 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and a steal in 39 minutes, Jusuf Nurkic had his second double-double in three games for the Trail Blazers. Anfernee Simons’ performance against the Suns was disappointing. Despite playing 32 minutes, he only had eight points, five rebounds, and two assists. Simons will continue to have a high usage rate while McCollum is out, and is available in 90% of ESPN leagues.
Wednesday’s NBA slate is loaded and so is injury report. Luka Doncic has already been ruled out of the Dallas Mavericks’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers, while LeBron James is officially probable. While Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are questionable to play on Wednesday.
Points per possession is the lens you should use to evaluate which teams or players to prioritize. Teams or players can increase or decrease their points per possession only by scoring more points per field goal attempted, by not turning the ball over, extending possessions via offensive rebounding, or by getting to the free throw line and converting.
Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks: In his second consecutive start in place of Doncic, Brunson reached a double-double in just 25 minutes against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. During this time frame, he averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. On Wednesday, Brunson is a good value against a Lakers team that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to point guards on FanDuel and the third most on DraftKings.