Before the ball dropped in Times Square to welcome in 2017, the NBA closed out 2016 with six games on Saturday night. And it turned out to be extremely entertaining and a truly historic evening.
Russell Westbrook posted yet another triple-double (before halftime!). Giannis Antetokounmpo put up some mind-boggling stats of his own. However, the brightest star on New Year’s Eve was James Harden. The Beard posted a once-in-a-lifetime line on the final night of the year…
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Grizzlies 112, Kings 98
Mike Conley entered the day questionable with a toe injury but was was able to play, and ended up playing very well. He logged 29 minutes and paced Memphis in points (22) and rebounds (eight), while also dishing out three assists and knocking down three 3-pointers. Conley only needed 11 field goal attempts to score his 22 points. He was 8-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from downtown… Unfortunately, Memphis’ other superstar, center Marc Gasol, was unable to escape Sacramento unscathed. Gasol tweaked his ankle in the third quarter and did not return to the game. He finished the game with two points, two rebounds, two assists in 21 minutes. The good news is that injury seems minor. He stayed in the game for a few possessions before getting the ankle re-taped. He was reportedly able to return to the game if needed, but with the Grizz milking a big lead, the big guy got the rest of the night off… Chandler Parsons (seven points and two assists) played 16 uneventful minutes for Memphis is his second game back… Jeff Green produced one of his better all-around games of the season. He tallied 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four 3-pointers in a team-high 38 minutes. That’s back-to-back games with at least 17 points for Green.
It was a tough night for the Kings at home, especially so for Ty Lawson, who took a Tony Allen shoulder to the face in the second quarter. Lawson left the game and was unable to return. He ended up being diagnosed with a non-displaced maxillary sinus fracture and is considered day to day. Starting point guard Darren Collison made the most of the opportunity, scoring 16 points and grabbing four rebounds in a team-high 39 minutes. Collison came into Saturday night in a nasty slump and was losing rotation time as a result. Over the Kings previous six games, Collision was averaging just 6.3 points (on 31.9 percent shooting) and 3.7 assists in 22.7 minutes a night… DeMarcus Cousins did all he could to keep the Kings close. Boogie produced another monster line, finishing with 26 points, four rebounds, five steals, five turnovers and a season-high eight assists… Rudy Gay missed yet another game with his hip injury, allowing Matt Barnes to step in and step up. Barnes scored 20 points with eight rebounds, three assists, five 3-pointers in 33 minutes on Saturday. Anthony Tolliver also chipped in 16 points and six boards. Omri Casspi is the odd man out. He played only six minutes.
Bucks 116, Bulls 96
Somehow, Giannis Antetokounmpo seems to fly under the radar in fantasy circles as the insane seasons of James Harden and Russell Westbrook seems to dominate the dialogue, the Greek Freak has been downright freaky of late, and Saturday was no exception. He scored 35 points, grabbed nine rebounds, handed out seven helpers and blocked a career-high seven shots! Per Basketball Reference, Giannis is just the second player since 1983 to tally at least 35 points, seven boards, seven assists and seven blocks in the same game. And not only is Antetokounmpo stuffing the stat sheet, he’s also been incredibly efficient. Giannis has shot over 53 percent from the floor in five of his last six games, while scoring at least 22 points in each game.
If I told you on Saturday morning that a Buck would post a triple-double on Saturday night, would anyone not have guessed Giannis? And I can safely assume not many of you would have gone with a rookie making just his second career start. Yet, Malcolm Brogdon was just that brilliant, ending his night with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Brogdon has been stellar all year long, but has taken it to the next level recently. Matthew Dellavedova may have a very difficult time getting his starting gig back once his hamstring is 100 percent healthy. If Brogdon is still on your league’s waiver wire, go scoop him up; especially if you play in a keeper league… Jabari Parker was at it again on Saturday, finishing with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting and adding five rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and one 3-pointer in 40 minutes… Solid stretches have been few and far between for Greg Monroe this season, but the Bucks big finally seems to be finding his groove. He played a season-high 34 minutes against the Bulls on Saturday, scoring 15 points with 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Over Milwaukee’s last five games, Monroe is averaging 13.0 points, 6.8 boards and 1.2 steals in 23.6 minutes. On a related note, John Henson scored just one point in 14 minutes.
From a Chicago perspective, the most notable number of the night was zero. That was the total number of minutes Rajon Rondo played on Saturday. Yes, Rondo was slapped with a DNP-CD. Afterward, Rondo told reporters he was planning to meet with GM Gar Forman. The situation has gone from bad to worse and trade may be in the best interest of all parties involved at this point… Both of Chicago’s other point guards struggled in this one. Michael Carter-Williams started but was 1-of-6 from the floor for four points and four assists in 25 minutes. Jerian Grant played 18 minutes off the bench and was 1-of-5 shooting with one assist... Jimmy Butler was the only Bull who impressed in this blowout defeat. He tallied 26 points, eight assists and seven boards.
Cavs 121, Hornets 109
With Kyrie Irving sidelined due to a nagging hamstring injury, the Cavs knew they would need great games from their other two superstars on Saturday. And they got exactly what they needed. LeBron James (32 points, six rebounds, nine assists, four 3-pointers) was dominant, as expected. Kevin Love (28 points, 10 boards, four 3-pointers) had another huge game. The unexpected, pleasant surprise of the night was Jordan McRae. McRae started for Irving and scored a season-high 20 points, to go along with four rebounds, one assist and three 3-pointers. Rookie Kay Felder also played well off the bench, scoring 13 points (5-of-6 shooting) in 19 minutes. The Cavs will feel comfortable resting Kyrie in the future if they can get anything close to this type of performance from McRae and Felder.
Kemba Walker was the star of the show for Charlotte, finishing with 37 points, five rebounds and five assists. It was the seventh time in his career that Kemba has gone for at least 35 points, five boards and five dimes. No other player in Charlotte Hornets/Bobcat franchise history has more than two such games… Nicolas Batum (13 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and one 3-pointer) posted his typically solid line… Frank Kaminsky was second on the Hornets in scoring on Saturday. He had 15 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes.
Rockets 129, Knicks 122
The NBA has been around for 70 years, but never before in league history has there been a performance quite like the one James Harden put on Saturday night. Harden poured in 53 points, dished out 17 assists, and pulled down 16 rebounds. Seriously. Amazingly, he scored or assisted on 95 of the Rockets’ 129 points. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the first 50/15/15 game in league history. Harden also ties Wilt Chamberlain for the most points scored in a triple-double. As if all that wasn’t enough, Harden needed just 26 shots to score his 53 points. He was 14-26 from the floor, 9-of-16 from downtown and 16-of-18 from the free-throw stripe. Per Basketball Reference, Harden is just the fifth player in the last three decades to score more than 52 points on 26 or fewer FG attempts. We will be talking about this incredible individual performance for a very, very long time.
Ryan Anderson was the recipient of many of those Harden dimes on Saturday night. He scored 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Eric Gordon attempted 15 3-pointers and made five of them… Montrezl Harrell continued his very strong play, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds and four boards. Over his last five games, Harrell is averaging 15.8 points and 4.0 rebounds, while shooting 68.9 percent. He is worth a roster spot in deep leagues until Clint Capela returns.
Given the incredibly unfortunate injury crunch the Knicks are dealing with, it is remarkable they were able to stay close to the Rockets on Saturday. Not only did New York lose the game, they also lost their leading scorer. Carmelo Anthony went to the locker room after the first half, but never returned. He was questionable to play prior to the start of the game, but ended up giving it a go. However, he looked a step slow and was seen grimacing on occasion before the Knicks shut him down at halftime. The encouraging news is that Anthony downplayed the injury after the game. He said he doesn’t expect it to be a major issue and hopes to play Monday vs. the Magic.
New York was also without their second leading scorer on Saturday, as Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined due to a sore Achilles. KP also seemed relatively unconcerned with the severity of the injury and stated he does not believe it will be a long-term issue. We will have to wait for an official update prior to Monday’s game… Courtney Lee was the third Knick starter did not suit up on Saturday. His wrist is still giving him problems. Brandon Jennings started at shooting guard for NY and exploded for 32 points, seven assists, five rebounds, three 3-pointers and two turnovers in 41 minutes… Derrick Rose started alongside Jennings and had a big line of his own: 21 points with seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and one 3-pointer... Joakim Noah showed signs of life, finishing with 15 points and 16 rebounds in his fourth double-double of the season… Justin Holiday once again took advantage of extended minutes. He had 15 points, six boards and four steals in 30 minutes.
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Jazz 91, Suns 86
Rudy Gobert led the way for Utah, dominating the paint all night long, on both ends of the floor. He scored 18 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocks three shots. It was the 19th straight game in which Gobert gobbled up at least 10 boards. DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard are the only two players with longer double-digit rebound streaks this decade… Gordon Hayward chipped in 18 points and nine rebounds… Derrick Favors is quietly trending in the right direction. He had nine points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block in 24 minutes on Saturday. It was actually the first time he had scored more than eight points in a game since November 11th. Favors has also played now over 20 minutes in three straight games for the first time since early November as well.
It was not all good news for Utah, however. Starting point guard George Hill went to the locker room late in the first quarter after catching an elbow to the face in the face. Hill received 18 stitches for a lower lip laceration and did not return in the second half. The more concerning injury was one to his brain, as Hill exhibited concussion-like symptoms and enter league-mandated concussion protocol. Hill has been playing extremely well this season (averaging 19.1 points, 4.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds) but has not been able to stay healthy, missing 21 of 34 games. Shelvin Mack will likely re-assume starting duties if Hill is sidelined next week.
Outside of Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe, there was very little to get excited about from a Suns perspective on Saturday. Bledsoe need 20 shots to score 19 points, but dished out eight assists, grabbed eight boards and knocked down two treys, while only committing one turnover. Booker came in slumping but poured in 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He also chipped in three rebounds and three steals.
No other Phoenix rotation regular scored more than eight points. Brandon Knight’s up-and-down season hit rock bottom on Saturday. He missed all five shots he attempted and failed to register a single point, rebound or assist in the eight minutes he played. Things have gone from bad to worse for Knight. His minutes and corresponding production are trending in the wrong direction. If you play in a shallow league and there is talent on the waiver wire, it may be time to cut bait… T.J. Warren started for the first time since November 18th, but it did not go well. Warren was held scoreless (0-for-3) in 19 minutes and had just one rebound and zero assists. P.J. Tucker played 35 minutes, but ended up with just six points, six rebounds and one steal…
Thunder 114, Clippers 88
Because the game was so lopsided, Russell Westbrook only played 28 minutes on Saturday night. No worries, he still posted his league-leading 16th triple-double of the season, finishing with 17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds. In fact, Russ had his triple-double by halftime, in just 19 minutes of action, which is least amount of time he’s ever needed to tally a trip-dub (and the third-fastest in NBA history).
The other good news of the night for OKC was the return of Victor Oladipo, who had missed 10 straight games due to a wrist injury. ‘Dipo was solid in his return, totaling 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two 3-pointers in 29 minutes. With Victor back, Anthony Morrow went from the starting lineup to out of the rotation, and only entered the game in garbage time. However, Alex Abrines still saw plenty of time early on in this game. Unfortunately, Abrines took a nasty spill into photographer row and did not return to the game after being helped to the locker room. He was evaluated for concussion-like symptoms and will likely have to enter into concussion protocol… Enes Kanter came into this game hot, and remained so on Saturday, finishing with 23 points and eight boards. Kanter has now scored at least 19 points in five straight games.
The Clippers were once again extremely shorthanded, playing without Chris Paul (hamstring) and Blake Griffin (knee). Those that did suit up for the Clips on Saturday, did not impress. Austin Rivers was the only L.A. starter to score more than nine points. However, Rivers was just 3-of-11 from the floor, and had only three assists and one rebound to go along with his 14 points. The Clippers leading scorers were Marreese Speights (18 points, five rebounds and four 3-pointers in 25 minutes) and Brandon Bass (18 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes). Of the many Clipper duds on Saturday, the most disappointing was Jamal Crawford. He failed to score a single point (0-for-4) in 31 minutes of action.