What an unusual week it’s been for NBA schedules, am I right? Typically smaller slates were a bit more eventful, so we’ve got six games to cover on Thursday. Let’s not waste any time with small talk and get right into it!
Timberwolves 128, Pistons 117
This was a tight contest from start to finish, but Minnesota pulled away in the fourth quarter, and Patrick Beverley (11/7/6/2) nailed a game-clinching three with 29 seconds remaining to put the Wolves ahead 125-117.
Taurean Prince stayed hot and went off for a second-straight 23-point effort. He averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 dimes, 1.7 swipes and 3.3 triples in three games prior, and he’s a guy who should be rostered in 12-team leagues at least until D’Angelo Russell returns. Even when D’Lo gets back, Prince should maintain deep-league value.
The usual suspects did their thing in the win, as Anthony Edwards scored 25 and bounced back nicely from his five-point dud against the Pelicans on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns notched 21 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks to mark the first time all season he’s double-doubled in three consecutive contests. He’s averaged better than 20/10/6 over his last five.
Jerami Grant played well in his second game back, scoring 20 points to go with five boards and two blocks. He logged just 29 minutes and attempted only 13 shots in Tuesday’s return, so it was encouraging to see his minutes and shot attempts trend up. As long as he isn’t shut down or traded to an unfriendly fantasy situation, he should be a top-50 player for the rest of the season.
Saddiq Bey roasted Minnesota with 21 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, three triples and a steal, accounting for his first double-double since New Year’s Day. He can dominate games or completely disappear, and it’s never certain which route he’ll go on any given night. Frank Jackson went off for 25 points to lead his team in scoring, and he added five triples, three assists and three boards. The 25 points match the second-highest scoring output of the season for F-Jax, and he’s scored in double-figures in five straight games. If you’re in a points league or looking for scoring with minimal peripherals, Jackson could be your guy.
Heat 112, Spurs 95
Miami absolutely cooked the Dejounte Murray-less Spurs in this one, though there wasn’t one Heat player who really went off. This was a true team effort, exactly the way this group was constructed to play. After nine games off due to a personal matter, it was good to see Kyle Lowry back on the court. Lowry logged just 25 minutes and totaled two points, four assists, three boards and a steal. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt as he re-acclimates to NBA play. Tyler Herro led the way for Miami with 24 points off the bench, accounting for his highest-scoring night in his last eight appearances.
Bam Adebayo continued his strong play with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four swipes after averaging 19.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.0 steals across his last four games. It’s safe to say he’s back to his pre-injury form. Duncan Robinson broke out of a frigid shooting spell. In three games prior, he totaled just 11 points while shooting 15.8% from the field and 16.7% from three. In this one, he scored 17 on 5-of-10 shooting and went 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He’s not a guy who holds any fantasy value when his shot isn’t falling, as his peripheral contributions are minimal.
Thaddeus Young started his first game of the season and made just his fourth appearance in the last 26 games. Thadgic Johnson had a strong showing with seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, and he was surely a chalky DFS option for Thursday’s slate. Thad can be streamed for as long as Jakob Poeltl and Jock Landale are out with concussions. After those two return, it’s back to the waiver wire for Thad.
There wasn’t much else to take away from this one on the Spurs side of things other than Tre Jones’ strong performance. Jones put up 16 points, three assists, two steals and a rebound and was one of only two Spurs to score in double-figures (Derrick White). In three prior starts, Jones averaged 11.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.7 boards. He would be an intriguing option if he were to get more consistent playing time.
Hawks 124, Suns 115
The Suns came into this one on an 11-game winning streak while Atlanta was riding high on a 7-1 record across its last eight games. Despite the strong all-around play from Phoenix, Trae Young ended the Suns’ win streak with a monster performance. After missing the Hawks’ last game due to a shoulder injury, Ice Trae scored 43 points and hit 6-of-11 triples.
John Collins went for 19/10 but injured his shoulder in the second half and didn’t return. We should learn more about the severity of the injury Friday, but it’s possible the Hawks hold him out on the second night of a back-to-back. If he’s unable to go or limited, Danilo Gallinari (12/6/3/1 Thursday) would likely see an uptick in usage.
Atlanta’s center battle tipped squarely in favor of Clint Capela, as he went for 6/12/4/1 in 25 minutes compared to Onyeka Okongwu’s 1/4/1/1 in 15 minutes. For those concerned with Capela, Thursday’s showing has got to be encouraging, but it’s unlikely Okongwu fades away any time soon. Kevin Huerter finished with 19 points, three dimes, three boards and five triples after going for 26 points and five triples in his last game out. He’ll remain a useful fantasy option for as long as he remains a starter.
No surprises from Phoenix’s elite backcourt as Chris Paul totaled 18 points, 12 assists, four rebounds and three steals. He averaged 18.1 points, 11.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals with eight double-doubles and a triple-double during the Suns’ 11-game win streak. Devin Booker closed with 32 points, three assists and a steal. He too had a fantastic stretch of play over his last 11 games, averaging 30.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals with six 30-point games.
Mikal Bridges had another stellar performance with 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. In two games prior, he averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks while posting his highest-scoring games of the season. Bridges only scored at least 20 points in a game five times before his recent three-game heater. He’s been a top-90 guy all season thanks in large part to his peripherals and percentages, but consistent scoring should boost his value significantly.
Deandre Ayton ended with a meager 6/9/4 line in 24 minutes, JaVale McGee played 16 minutes, Jalen Smith played four and Bismack Biyombo was a DNP-CD. After his incredible play recently, Biyombo didn’t see a single minute on the court, and that is truly baffling. He can’t be played unless Ayton is sidelined.
Raptors 127, Bulls 120
Another overtime against an Eastern Conference contender, another victory. After downing Miami in triple overtime Saturday, Toronto won its second overtime game against a quality opponent Thursday.
Ayo Dosunmu managed 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds and a block while continuing his strong play in an 11th straight start. He’ll likely go down as one of the best waiver wire pickups of the season when it’s all said and done, so if you were one of the lucky ones, keep celebrating.
Nikola Vucevic did it all and contributed 30 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, four triples, a steal and a block for his eighth double-double in his last nine games. He’s ranked 19th in 9-cat leagues over the last 14 days, and his early-season struggles are fading like a bad dream.
Javonte Green started again and totaled 13 points, six boards and four stocks. As long as he’s in the starting five, he can be streamed for his strong defensive numbers. DeMar DeRozan was excellent as usual, finishing with 28/7/6 and two steals. He’s averaged 28/7/7 over his last five games.
Pascal Siakam posted 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting, 13 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block. Despite the poor shooting night, he was magnificent once again. He’s averaged 21.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.3 stocks across his last 10 games, and he’s the 17th ranked player in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks. Early-round value looks pretty certain for Spicy P to finish the season.
Gary Trent’s 30-point/five-triple streak was snapped at five when he posted 16 points and three triples Thursday. Despite the cooldown, he still hit the dagger three to seal the win for Toronto in overtime. Fantasy managers were treated to a Chris Boucher sighting, as the big man put up 16 points, 10 boards and three stocks. He had totaled just 15 points and 15 boards over his last four games, so there’s never a way to tell when he’ll erupt or when he’ll do very little. Boucher is still a must-roster player in 12-team leagues, but he’s one of the most boom-or-bust players in all of fantasy hoops.
Clippers 111, Lakers 110
The Lakers just aren’t the same team without LeBron James, and the team deficiencies certainly showed in this one. In the Battle for Los Angeles, this game was truly exciting, as there were six lead changes in the final 1:03. In the final 12 seconds, Anthony Davis stuffed an alley-oop to go up by one, but Reggie Jackson scored the go-ahead bucket with 4.1 seconds to play. Davis missed the game-winner as time expired.
As expected, Anthony Davis had his way with the Clippers’ vulnerable frontcourt defense to the tune of 30 points, 17 boards, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Despite the loss, it was a tremendous individual effort. He’ll be asked to carry a hefty load while James is out of commission, especially with the Lakers sitting three games below .500.
In addition to the game-winner, Jackson scored 25 points to go with eight boards, six assists and two stocks. He’s played well as of late, and this was one of his best all-around games of the season. Amir Coffey disappointed with just three points, four boards and an assist after averaging 19.4 points and 2.8 triples across his last five games. He’s been a top-90 player in 9-cat over the last month, so we’ll cut him some slack.
Serge Ibaka had himself a night, scoring a season-best 20 points to go with nine boards and two swats. In his two most recent starts, he’s averaged 17 points, 10 boards and 2.5 stocks. He’ll make a fine streamer whenever he gets the starting nod. Marcus Morris went off for a season-high 29 points, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minute. He’s averaging 15.3 points, 5.1 boards and 1.9 triples this season, though he’s enjoyed some big nights when he heats up.
Malik Monk scored 21 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists. He’s an undervalued fantasy option who’s quietly put up top-85 numbers over the last month. As long as LeBron James is out, consider Monk a must-play option in all formats.
Warriors 126, Kings 114
It was a hard-fought game for Sacramento, which found itself down by double-digits on many occasions throughout this game but kept clawing back. Only two of the Kings’ starters scored in the first half as the Kings went to halftime down 73-54 thanks in large part to Klay Thompson’s 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. After that monster first half, Klay scored just three points in the second half, though he finished the game with a season-best showing. He shot 7-of-9 from three after going 3-of-16 over his last two combined.
Moses Moody made his third straight start, though it was fellow rookie Jonathan Kuminga who had the better game. Kuminga ended with 18 points, seven boards, an assist and a steal after going 19/3/3 across 29 minutes in his last game out. Moody has flashed his upside too, but neither has been particularly consistent despite each receiving meaningful opportunities and each shining at different times.
Tyrese Haliburton had an off-night shooting, as his first point didn’t come until midway through the third quarter on a technical free throw. He shot 3-of-11 on his way to 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Damian Jones had a big game with 17 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal after going for 12 points, eight boards and two blocks in the game prior. Jones looks like an add, especially with Richaun Holmes struggling.
The biggest storyline of the night from this game was Davion Mitchell’s tremendous performance. He set a career-high in scoring with 26 points and matched his career-high in assists with eight. In four prior starts, the rookie out of Baylor averaged 17.8 points, 5.0 assists, 2.8 triples and 2.8 boards. If he hasn’t caught your attention yet, go consult your local optometrist and check the waiver wire to see if Mitchell is still available. He could be a league-winner if De’Aaron Fox continues to miss time or is traded at the deadline.
