Dose: Laker Love-Scrubs
There were only four games on Thursday night, which was actually more than we normally get, and the Bulls and Lakers put on somewhat of a fantasy feast in an overtime thriller that ended in the wee hours of the morning for many of us. Five Bucks starters played well, the Knicks are still a mess, the Nuggets were almost as bad as New York, Joakim Noah messed around and nearly got a triple-double, and Derrick Rose’s shot failed him once again. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!
Bucks 115, Magic 100
The Bucks had lost 17 straight games in Orlando, but broke that streak last night, getting solid performances from all five starters, while Jerryd Bayless and O.J. Mayo chipped in nicely off the bench. The Bucks last won in Orlando in December of 2004, and Bayless, a reserve, led the team in scoring with 19 points (13 in the second quarter), three steals and two 3-pointers on 6-of-9 shooting in just 20 minutes. Bayless has quietly been playing well, scoring 19, 15 and 15 points in each of his last three games, despite playing 23 minutes or less off the bench. Keep an eye on him. Giannis Antetokounmpo filled up the stat sheet with 10 points and a little bit of everything outside of 3-pointers, and John Henson made his first start of the season at center and had 12 points, 11 boards, a steal and two blocks. He is now officially on the fantasy radar, as Zaza Pachulia is going to miss some time with his calf injury.
Brandon Knight had 16 points, nine dimes, four steals and two 3-pointers, Jared Dudley started at power forward and came through with 17 points, four boards and three 3-pointers, and Khris Middleton added 17 points and a full stat line that included three 3-pointers in another start at small forward. Dudley is one of the pickups of the day in case he continues to start, along with Bayless and Henson. O.J. Mayo added 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and two 3-pointers in 27 minutes, and is another player worth a look for the Bucks. This game wasn’t as close as the final score, as the Bucks led by 29 at one point in the second half. The Bucks look like a poor man’s version of the Hawks, getting solid contributions across the board and have had 25-plus assists in five straight games. They’re a fun team to watch and Jason Kidd is almost becoming, dare I say, lovable?
The Magic have now lost seven straight games and 13 of their last 15, meaning coach Jacque Vaughn is officially on the hot seat. Willie Green got hot in garbage time, scoring 13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, which included three 3-pointers. Ignore him. Victor Oladipo stayed hot with 21 points and five rebounds, but hit just 6-of-17 shots and didn’t offer much else. Nikola Vucevic had another double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, but didn’t contribute elsewhere, and Elfrid Payton played well with 15 points, six assists, a steal and a block. Channing Frye started, but didn’t even score in 15 minutes, while Aaron Gordon had just four points and five boards in 20 minutes. This team is a mess, outside of Oladipo, Vucevic and Payton. Tobias Harris is somehow still coming off the bench, a role which he apparently hates, and hit just 2-of-12 shots for seven points and five boards. The buy-low window is wide open on him, but he did appear to hurt his right knee on Thursday. It caused him to go to the locker room, so watch for updates on his status before Saturday’s game against the Mavs. The Magic could have a new coach by then, which would likely do wonders for Harris’ game, assuming he’s healthy.
Pacers 103, Knicks 82
The Pacers outrebounded the Knicks 50-26 and won the third quarter 35-12 after Roy Hibbert got hot and torched New York for 18 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block on 9-of-11 shooting. He could be ready to finish the season on a high note for the banged up Pacers. Rodney Stuckey led the way with 22 points and a decent stat line, but has been unreliable. However, with George Hill completely ineffective right now, and C.J. Miles and C.J. Watson also banged up, Stuckey could be ready to make a run. Lavoy Allen left the game with a sore right knee and will re-evaluated on Friday, Watson will play the rest of the season with sore feet, and Miles lasted just 13 minutes due to his strained left groin. Hill played just 12 minutes for eight points and three assists as he continues to work his way back from a groin injury. If you’re holding Hill and want to pick up a hot free agent, it’s hard to argue against making a move based on Hill’s recent play. Luis Scola was benched for rest, which snapped his streak of 277 straight games played.
The Knicks led 27-16 after Carmelo Anthony got hot early, but they lost again in blowout fashion and are now officially the worst team in the East. Melo played 25 minutes and finished with 18 points and two 3-pointers, but didn’t do much else while on the court. And yes, the shutdown clock is ticking loudly on Melo’s season. Lou Amundson was one of the few bright spots for the Knicks and had 17 points, three rebounds and a block in 21 minutes, hitting 8-of-10 shots. Believe it or not, he’s worth a look as long as he’s starting.
Jason Smith was quietly effective with eight points, seven boards, five dimes and a steal, while a red-hot Langston Galloway cooled off with a disturbing four points and two assists on 2-of-10 shooting. He did lead the team with 35 minutes though, so it’s not the right time to be thinking about giving up on him. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit just 3-of-9 shots and two 3-pointers for 11 points, five boards and a block in 20 minutes, and just can’t seem to put it all together. Hardaway joined Melo and Amundson as the only Knicks to score in double figures, and despite his disappointing play, he’s scored at least 10 points in eight straight games. He also reportedly sprained his ankle at the end of last night’s game, but the injury doesn’t look serious. Melo should be considered day-to-day for the rest of the season, but has at least treated us to playing in two straight games. I still think his last game of the season is just around the corner, if we haven’t already seen it.
Grizzlies 99, Nuggets 69
Mike Conley missed his second straight game with a sprained left wrist, but the Grizzlies didn’t miss him in one of their easiest wins of the season. Tony Allen returned from a two-game absence with a left ankle sprain and had eight points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench, while Vince Carter left in the second quarter with a foot injury and didn’t return. Zach Randolph had 15 & 17 to stay hot for the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol added 10 points and seven rebounds, Jeff Green scored 13 points with two 3-pointers, and Courtney Lee scored 11 points without a 3-pointer in the win. Beno Udrih started again for Conley and had 11 points, three assists and a 3-pointer, as all five Grizzlies starters scored in double figures. Udrih’s run should be about over, as Conley is expected back soon. Nick Calathes came off the bench for 11 points and five assists, but like Udrih, will become an afterthought once Conley is back. Gasol’s line was quite disappointing, as I was expecting him to torch the Nuggets for a much bigger game.
How Brian Shaw still has a job is beyond me. His team clearly doesn’t like playing for him and despite having some talent, the Nuggets are just 19-28 on the season. Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler led the team in scoring with 10 points each, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Jusuf Nurkic was a disaster, missing all seven of his shots and failing to score in 22 minutes, but had been playing well in his previous few games. Memphis plays tough defense, so don’t panic on Nurkic. JaVale McGee (leg strain) played for the only the second time since Nov. 23 and had two points and five rebounds.
The Nuggets are a mess and I’m not sure what to tell you if you own Faried, Nurkic, Chandler, Ty Lawson or Arron Afflalo. Lawson hit just 3-of-11 shots for nine points and six assists, and Afflalo played just 23 minutes for seven points in the blowout. Shaw sounds like a guy on the ropes, saying his team isn’t playing hard for him on a nightly basis. "I didn't feel like we came and competed from the very beginning of the game," he said. "In these kinds of situations, I'd have more respect if guys just told me that they didn't feel like playing from the start. I'm just sick and tired." So are the fantasy owners of your players, Brian. Not to mention actual Nuggets fans.
Lakers 123, Bulls 118 2 OT
Jordan Hill forced a second overtime with a jumper, which allowed the Lakers to win, and rocked the Bulls for 26 points, 12 rebounds, a steal and two blocks in 41 minutes. Jordan Clarkson made another start and racked up 18 points, four boards, four assists, two steals, two blocks and a 3-pointer on 6-of-15 shooting in 43 minutes, and Wayne Ellington stayed hot with 23 points, five boards, three assists, a steal and a 3-pointer on 9-of-19 shooting in 46 minutes. Hill is officially hot again after cooling off in midseason, and along with Clarkson and Ellington, should be three of the hottest pickups in fantasy right now. Robert Sacre added nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and is also worth a deep-league look if you need a center. Ed Davis is coming on again and had 10 points and nine rebounds in just 16 minutes, and Carlos Boozer added 16 points, eight boards and two blocks in 28 minutes off the bench. With Davis and Boozer around, I have no answer for why Ryan Kelly (3 points) is starting for Byron Scott.
Wes Johnson played 37 minutes off the bench, but just can’t seem to get on track. He hit just 3-of-9 shots for seven points and five rebounds. The Lakers snapped a nine-game losing streak with the win, avoiding a 10-game losing streak. Magic Johnson was coaching when the Lakers lost 10-straight games in 1994, which is a franchise record. This was also the Lakers’ first win since Kobe Bryant shut it down for the season with a rotator cuff injury. Nick Young missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle, and Ellington and Clarkson both benefit when he’s in street clothes. Jeremy Lin had 11 points and five assists off the bench, but the Lakers are all about Clarkson at point guard right now, and you should be too.
For the Bulls, Jimmy Butler tied his career high with 35 points in the double-OT loss, but has a sore left knee that will leave him iffy for Friday’s game against the Suns. My guess is that the newly named All-Star will play tonight, but owners will want to watch for news throughout the day on Friday. He missed Tuesday’s game with an illness and had just five points and five rebounds on Sunday, so it was nice to see him return to form against the Lakers. Derrick Rose hit just 7-of-26 shots for 17 points, four rebounds, six assists, a steal and a 3-pointer, but at least he’s playing and looks healthy. He had a wacky stat line in his last game too, hitting just 13-of-33 shots for 30 points, one assist and 11 turnovers. He’s hit just 34-of-93 shots over his last four games, but owners should gladly take the shaky play and heavy minutes over the DNPs that could have taken their place.
Pau Gasol was big with 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assist and four more blocks, and Joakim Noah added nine points, 17 rebounds, nine assists and a block, just missing a triple-double. He looks healthy again and should be ready to go on a roll for the Bulls. Nikola Mirotic started at small forward, but was an unmitigated disaster, missing both of his shots and getting benched in the second half after playing just 12 minutes. I think it’s time to move on, and the Bulls are probably hoping Mike Dunleavy (ankle) is nearing a return after missing 15 straight games. Tony Snell came off the bench for 10 points, a steal and a 3-pointer in 23 minutes, and Aaron Brooks got hot with three 3-pointers and 15 points in just 22 minutes. Taj Gibson was quiet with eight points, five rebounds, two steals and a block, and is a tough play right now with Gasol and Noah rolling.
