NICK YOUNG HIT A GAME-WINNING THREE FOR THE LAKERS!!!!!
Yes, this Nick Young. The Shaqtin’ a Fool Hall of Famer hit the game-winning 3 for the Lakers. Granted, the play wasn’t designed for him, as he intercepted a pass intended for Lou Williams (13 points, 5 assists) to get the shot off. But he finished with 17 points (6-12 FG, 4-7 3pt), 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Heading into the game, he was leading the league in free throw percentage.
Under new head coach Luke Walton, Swaggy P has looked like a different player. While Walton may be the main reason, I think he’s playing better because he is no longer engaged to Iggy Azalea. Just like in her rap career, she was taking down everybody associated with her, forcing even T.I. to drop her from his label.
Whatever the reason, the Lakers are happy for the resurgence and fantasy owners should grab him for scoring, threes, and FT shooting because he’s ain’t no mediocre.
Jose Calderon – In a spot start, Calderon knocked down 4-5 from three to post 12/6/4. The starts will be short lived with D’Angelo Russell (knee) out, but Calderon should get another start or two for streamers or daily leagues.
Jordan Clarkson – Continuing to come off the bench, Clarkson posted a 18/3/4 line with 4 steals.
Russell Westbrook – Westbrook is putting up video game numbers: 34 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 threes. He needed 30 shots and turned the ball over 8 times, but fantasy owners love his first season without Kevin Durant. Westbrook looked like he committed murder on this dunk:
Steven Adams – Adams scored a career high 20 points (9-13 FG), along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.
Ed Davis – After picking up 18 fouls in the previous 4 games, Davis was able to stay out of foul trouble and saw a season high 33 minutes. He responded with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The upside is there while Al-Farouq Aminu (calf) is out, but he’ll have to stay out of foul trouble to impact fantasy rosters.
Maurice Harkless – Harkless has also benefitted from Aminu’s injury. Harkless posted 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block, steal, and three each in 34 minutes. Aminu was seen getting some shots in on Monday so it looks like Harkless and Davis should see less court time soon.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum – The usual suspects for the Blazers didn’t have their best nights, but still produced. Lillard posted 22 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 threes, while McCollum went 16/5/5 on 6-17 shooting. Not bad for “off” nights.
Kristaps Porzingis – Dunking on the Blazers left and right, KP finished the night with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 threes.
Derrick Rose – Rose hit some key baskets down the stretch on his way to 18 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Brandon Jennings dished out 11 assists, along with 4 points and 2 steals. BJ has been dishing ‘em out left and right, but really needs an injury to Rose to be rosterable. Knowing Rose’s history, owners should keep Jennings on their radar.
Anthony Davis – Davis (13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks in 19 minutes) banged his knee against a chair chasing a loose ball out of bounds, forcing him to miss the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Fortunately, he returned in the 4th quarter. Monitor his knee, but this looks like he avoided something serious. Before he departed the game, he had this nice alley-oop:
Tim Frazier – Even though Jrue Holiday (15/4/4 in 27 minutes) has returned from medical leave, Frazier has still been starting and had arguably his best game of the season on Tuesday: 21 points, 14 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 threes. It looks like Frazier will still hold value with Holiday back, but that window may be short lived, as Tyreke Evans should return in December.
Terrence Jones – Questionable with the flu, Jones battled for 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block/steal each. He’s a bit inconsistent, but the overall numbers are there and makes for a good pickup (54% ownership).
Dennis Schroder – It was mostly a forgettable night for the Hawks, who have dropped 3 games in a row. Schroder has been worth every penny of his offseason deal. He posted 14 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds on Tuesday.
To be quite honest, the best thing to happen to the Hawks on Tuesday was Gucci Mane’s proposal during kiss cam:
Congrats Ms. Mane!
Jusuf Nurkic – Starting at center on Tuesday, Nurkic responded with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. That’s now three games of double digits points. Here’s hoping that he’s snapped out of his funk.
Wilson Chandler – Coming off the bench, Chandler scored 16 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. He needed 23 shots to get there, but Chandler has been on a roll since he returned to the court and should be grabbed in the few leagues he’s still available (66% ownership). Chandler should maintain his healthy bench role with Will Barton (10/3/2) back starting and Gary Harris out an extended period of time.
Jamal Murray – Murray caught fire, dropping 24 points (9-13 FG, 3-4 3pt), 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in only 22 minutes off the bench. On nights like this, he shows his clear upside, but it’s hard to predict when he’ll explode on a given night.
Jimmy Butler – The Butler served up 35 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 threes. There’s been fewer hotter players over the last two weeks.
Rajon Rondo – Rondo flirted with a triple-double, going for 13/11/8 with 1 block/steal/three each on Tuesday. Rondo’s stat line and moves reminded us of his better days with the Celtics:
Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez – Chicago’s twin towers cleaned up on Tuesday. Gibson double-doubled with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Lopez went for 12/8 and 6 blocks. Both have nearly been a double-double a night.
Dwyane Wade – Wade continued his strong three point shooting, scoring 22 points (9-21 FG, 2-4 3pt) and grabbing 3 rebounds. He’s already hit more threes this season than he hit all of last year.
