Dose: Mr. Whiteside
Friday night was filled with a load of intriguing stories in the fantasy world. The Gordons, both Eric and Hayward, were on fire, while Donatas Motiejunas took over for Houston. The young kids in Philadelphia came to play but the biggest story may be the continued hot streak of Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside continues to dominate
Miami center Hassan Whiteside put in another tremendous performance on Friday, grabbing a career-high 24 rebounds and scoring 16 points as Miami fell to Dallas. Despite the loss, Whiteside’s performances have become almost must-see. After notching a triple-double earlier this week, he’s racked up back-to-back double-doubles and set the fantasy world ablaze in the process. He’s probably not available in your league but if he is, grab him. If you own him and can get a high quality return, now is a great time to sell high.
Gordon lights up Clips
Eric Gordon scored a season-high 28 points thanks to five triples as the Pelicans sunk the Clippers. The shooting guard added seven dimes and was a nuisance for the Los Angeles defense. Teammate Ryan Anderson also banged in five three-pointers on his way to 24 points, adding nine rebounds for good measure. Gordon missed all of December but is averaging close to 15 per game in January and hitting two three-pointers per contest. He’s a shaky guy to own due to his injuries but he could be useful going forward if you’re in desperate need of triples.
For the Clippers, Chris Paul did his best to keep the Clips involved, scoring 24 points with eight boards, seven assists, three steals, and three triples. DeAndre Jordan had a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds with three blocks,
Curry and Hayward duel in Utah
The Jazz upset the Warriors on Friday thanks to a stellar outing from Gordon Hayward, who scored 26 points and grabbed a surprising 15 rebounds. He added six assists and three steals to round out a fine fantasy line. Stephen Curry on the other hand, hit five triples on his way to a game-high 32 points, seven boards, six assists, and three steals. Curry didn’t get much help on the offensive end as Klay Thompson put scored just 12 points and the Golden State frontcourt racked up a paltry 15 points.
Shootout in Brooklyn
The fantasy juices were flowing in Brooklyn on Friday as the Raptors outlasted the Nets in overtime. Jarrett Jack scored a career-high 35 points to go along with 13 assists, and eight boards while Brook Lopez came off the bench for 35 points, 12 boards, three steals, and three blocks. It was quite a showing for the two and while they’re both playing solid ball, performances like these are few and far between.
The Toronto contingent had some similar performances. Lou Williams racked up his second straight 20-point game by scoring 25 points while Amir Johnson scored over 20 points for just the third time all season by dropping 24. DeMar DeRozan was the only performance that wasn’t out of character as he tallied 26 points. DeRozan hasn’t been as potent scoring wise this season but he’s notched over 20 points in three of his last four games so he could be getting on a roll.
Cavs Big Three come to play
LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving all had solid outings on Friday as the Cavaliers defeated the Kings, earning their ninth straight victory. Love led the way with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds while Irving notched 21 points and six boards. James piled in 19 points, seven assists, four steals, and two blocks, however he did turn the ball over six times. LBJ’s point total was his first under 20 points since December but it’s nothing to be concerned about.
On the opposite end of the floor, DeMarcus Cousins shined for Sacramento. Despite his poor 5-17 shooting, Cousins still put together a quality fantasy line of 21 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, five steals, and one block. In addition, his 11-12 from the charity stripe helps offset his shooting from the field a bit.
Donatas’ world
With Dwight Howard out, Donatas Motiejunas stepped up and scored a season-high 26 points on Friday. He hit 11-16 shots including three triples and added 12 rebounds to cap a stellar line. On a night where James Harden shot a putrid 4-21, the 24-year-old dominated the Celtics and led Houston to victory. Just as James Harden won’t be this bad on most nights, Motiejunas won’t be this good. However, with coach Kevin McHale not expecting Howard back for a quite some time, Motiejunas is a good add in most formats.
Backcourt battle
The duo of Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic led the Suns over the Bulls on Friday. The two combined for 44 points and 10 assists. That, combined with Markieff Morris’ double-double of 12 points and 14 boards was enough to get the Suns a win. Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler combined for 45 points, 12 boards, and seven assists but Rose’s poor 8-23 shooting was a factor in the loss. Aaron Brooks was a bright spot once again off the Chicago bench. The guard tallied 21 points with three triples and has actually been quite serviceable as of late.
Aldridge fills it up but Hawks prevail
After going for 38 and 11 on Wednesday, LaMarcus Aldridge was at it again on Friday as he tallied 37 points and 11 rebounds against Atlanta. The big man was on a tear but Damian Lillard struggled, shooting just 6-20 from the field. The point guard did tally a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists but also racked up six turnovers in an ugly performance.
On the other side of the court Al Horford and Paul Millsap led the Hawks to their 18th straight victory. Horford filled it up everywhere, racking up 17 points, eight boards, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Millsap wasn’t too shabby himself, scoring 21 points with eight rebounds and three steals. Both of these big men have been producing high end fantasy value all season so don’t move either unless the offer blows you away.
Philly duo sinks Wolves
Michael Carter-Williams posted a triple-double and Nerlens Noel blocked six shots as the Sixers downed the T-Wolves on Friday. MCW just missed a triple-double on Wednesday but nailed it on Friday as he notched 17 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. Noel, who’s coming off three straight duds, looked very good in scoring 14 points, six boards, and four steals in addition to his career-high in blocks. After a shaky start to the season, MCW has been better as of late but his poor shooting and sketchy scoring outputs make him a risky player in head-to-head leagues.
