Fantasy NBA Daily Notes: Miami’s Robinson heating up
Robinson also became the first NBA player with multiple first halves in the same season with at least seven made 3-pointers since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each did so in Golden State’s magical 2015-16 campaign. Robinson has now made an astounding 225 3-pointers, already tied with Damon Jones (2004-05) for the second-highest single-season total in franchise history. He now sits just two makes behind Wayne Ellington’s franchise record, set in 2017-18. Rostered in just 27.1% of ESPN leagues, Robinson has arguably taken the mantle as fantasy basketball’s most valuable volume 3-point specialist.
Highlights
Lonzo Ball, New Orleans Pelicans: 25 points (9-19 FG), 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 TO
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: 30 points (9-20 FG), 17 rebounds, 10 assists, 7 TO
Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers: 41 points (17-30 FG), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 TO
Lowlights
Josh Hart, New Orleans Pelicans: 2 points (1-6 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks: 3 points (1-6 FG), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 TO
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers: 7 points (3-9 FG), 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 TO
Cleveland’s Sexton has been on an awesome scoring tear of late. The second-year guard posted a career-high 41 points last night, marking the second game in a row where he’s established a new peak. Sexton joined LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as the only Cavaliers with a 40-point game before the age of 22.
Doncic recorded his 22nd career triple-double in an overtime win against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans last night, breaking a tie with Jason Kidd for the most triple-doubles in Mavericks history. Doncic has played 378 fewer games with the Mavericks than Kidd. Seth Curry is still ablaze, as he made 7-of-12 attempts from the field for 21 points — six of them from 3-point range. With the team trusting Curry to play 37 minutes in his return from a back injury, it’s clear you can invest in him as a solid streaming option going forward.
After dipping to just 19 minutes of action this past Monday, New York’s Elfrid Payton finished Wednesday’s home loss to the Jazz with 20 points and 17 combined rebounds and dimes in 28 minutes of play. Payton’s role will vary, depending on how well Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr. are playing on any given night, but he’s still a solid target in free agency — and trades, given a likely affordable price.
Detroit’s Christian Wood has officially become a fantasy force. He scored 29 points last night and is impressively averaging 22.6 PPG in his last seven appearances after having averaged just 10.9 PPG in first 52 games of the season. Those in truly deep leagues might want to notice Jordan McRae was claimed off waivers by Detroit. He led the Pistons’ bench with 11 shots and 15 points in 26 minutes on Wednesday.
Minnesota’s Malik Beasley continues to be an awesome source of scoring, as he tallied 24 points in a rare win over the Bulls. He has averaged 21.4 PPG as a starter this season versus 7.9 PPG as a reserve. With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined, center Naz Reid has posted at least 11 rebounds in three straight games and should be viewed as a helpful interim addition.
In the loss to the Wolves last night, Chicago’s Lauri Markkanen came back from a pelvic stress fracture to tally 13 points on 10 shots in 21 minutes of action. It was impressive to see rookie scoring guard Coby White continue his productive bench role, even with Chicago’s starting frontcourt back in the fold. White produced 26 points and has averaged 28.0 PPG during his past six games.
Portland’s Damian Lillard played 22 minutes in his return from a groin injury on Wednesday. That’s a positive sign for increased usage in the games ahead.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown is expected to miss at least a week with a hamstring injury. Marcus Smart could see more scoring opportunities from the perimeter with Brown out.
Charlotte’s Devonte’ Graham is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. The team has preached patience with Graham’s injury, thus it’s important to track his status heading into the game.
Draymond Green is listed as questionable with knee soreness for tonight’s matchup with the Raptors. If Green sits, Eric Paschall becomes a key player to target.
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Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Josh Richardson are all listed as out for Philadelphia tonight in Sacramento, confirming real value for Shake Milton as a streaming option and legitimate trust in Tobias Harris as a DFS building block. Milton’s usage rate has spiked in recent outings as a premier scoring source for the 76ers, while Harris has proven to be more aggressive in isolation sets as the team’s primary playmaker.
After missing 58 games with a broken left hand, Stephen Curry is set to make his return for Golden State on Thursday against the Raptors. Curry has played just four games this season and last took the court on October 30. Curry returns to a team with the worst record in the league and several fresh faces. In fact, there are five players on the current roster with whom he hasn’t played a single game. For what it’s worth, Curry is averaging 28.6 PPG against the Raptors in his career, his highest scoring average against any team.