Fantasy NBA Daily Notes: LaMelo Ball shines, continues to maximize his minutes
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Ball, meanwhile, played a career-high 29 minutes and delivered a rich line against Dallas that included 22 points on just 10 shots, thanks to making four of his five 3-point attempts. With 13 combined rebounds and dimes and some surprisingly deft defense, Ball became the youngest player in Hornets history with at least 20 pts, five rebounds and five assists in a game (19 years, 130 days) and the first Hornets rookie to do that since Kemba Walker in 2012. It was an undeniably impressive performance for Lonzo’s little brother, who has moved on from a zero-point NBA debut to average 13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 2.7 3PG in just 21.7 MPG during the past three games.
The minutes, touches, and shots should all continue to rise for Ball as his rookie season, and game, evolves. There aren’t too many leagues in which you can find Ball in free agency, as he’s rostered in roughly 80% of ESPN leagues, but it’s encouraging for his immediate and long-term fantasy profile that he’s been able to compile a rich assortment of statistics as the leader of the Hornets’ second unit this past week.
For a more widely available player on the Hornets making some statistical noise, versatile forward Miles Bridges can be found in free agency in more than 40% of ESPN leagues and has tallied two blocks in three straight outings and just pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds for a Charlotte team decidedly light on frontcourt size. In fact, on Wednesday Bridges became just the fourth player in Hornets history with at least 20 pts and 15 rebounds in a game off the bench and the first since Nazr Mohammed in 2008.
Highlights
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: 26 points (10-18 FG), 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 4 TO
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics: 42 points (15-21 FG, 7-10 3PT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 TO
Lowlights
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: 12 points (4-10 FG), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO
Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers: 4 points (2-4 FG), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 4 TO
• Jaylen Brown was brilliant on Wednesday night, scoring 42 points without playing at all in the fourth quarter in a blowout of Memphis, the most points by a Celtics player in three quarters of a game in the past 25 seasons. It was also the second-most points in Celtics history by a player who logged fewer than 30 minutes, trailing only Larry Bird’s 43 against the Cavaliers in March of 1986. Again evoking “Larry Legend,” Brown’s 140 points in five games this season (28.0 PPG) are the most through five games by a Celtics player since Bird’s 147 in 1989-90. Brown is enjoying another leap as an offensive force and is looking like quite the draft steal, considering his ADP of 66.7 in ESPN fantasy basketball drafts in recent weeks.
• Spurs assistant Becky Hammon filled in for an ejected Gregg Popovich on Wednesday night, becoming what is believed to be the first woman to act as head coach during an NBA regular-season game. In the loss to the Lakers, San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray netted a career-high 29 points to go with 14 combined rebounds and assists.
• Atlanta’s John Collins was the player to watch in yesterday’s edition of this column given his lackluster production amid increased frontcourt competition for opportunities this season, and he broke out with an impressive line against the Nets in delivering his 10th career game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. Collins had averaged just 14 PPG in his first three games this season. It will be interesting to see if this awesome line is part of a larger trend or merely a nice night in a friendly matchup. Sticking with the Hawks, second-year wing Cam Reddish got to the line 10 times Wednesday night and, with Kris Dunn ailing, could continue to see steady minutes as the rare quality defender among Atlanta’s regulars.
• The Nets scored the second-most points in a regulation game in franchise history and the most since scoring 147 way back in April of 1982. Brooklyn’s Joe Harris hit the first shot of the game against the Hawks and netted 23 points in the contest. With Spencer Dinwiddie out for the season with a knee injury, Harris’ offensive workload could prove bountiful, making him a potentially worthy shooting and scoring specialist in rotisserie formats.
• With Miami missing Jimmy Butler to injury yet again, second-year playmaker Tyler Herro became just the second Heat player in franchise history with 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game before turning 21, joining Michael Beasley.
• The Cavaliers will be without Kevin Love for up to a month with a calf strain, making Larry Nance Jr. a strong interim addition to fantasy rosters.
• Scoring guard Alec Burks is questionable for the Knicks with a sprained ankle that held him out of the team’s latest game. If Burks can’t go, Elfrid Payton could see a surge in touches and shots.
The Pacers will be without scoring forward T.J. Warren tonight against the Cavaliers due to a sore left foot. When Warren is off the floor this season, Domantas Sabonis sees a somewhat massive usage differential of 6.5%, making him an ideal building block in DFS play.
Teammate Myles Turner sees a comparable usage spike of 6.4% with Warren off the court this season, while his fantasy points per minute also surge in such scenarios. Stacking the Pacers’ frontcourt in an inviting matchup against a Cavaliers team without much rim protection past Andre Drummond could prove rewarding for those playing in daily fantasy competition this evening.
Deandre Ayton‘s sluggish scoring pace of just 11.5 PPG is a bit surprising given the arrival of legendary creator Chris Paul on the roster. Like with Collins, Ayton could be in a unique buy-low window early on if fantasy managers get antsy about his relatively slow start to the season. A big challenge awaits Ayton on Thursday, as he faces Rudy Gobert‘s elite interior defense in Salt Lake City.