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Basketball is probably the most predictable sport out there. The vast number of possessions each game allow us to ascertain a reasonable expectation of production. But, there’s a reason why the cliche, “That’s why they play the games” exists. Shit happens. Someone gets injured. Another gets sick. A player parties too hard the night before. The ref has beef. That Instagram model is sitting courtside. I could do this all day. There are so many variables that make basketball unpredictable. And because of that, outlier events happen, both good and bad, which essentially break the game of basketball. Hakeem Olajuwon had 38 points, 17 rebounds, 12 blocks, six assists, and seven steals in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics. Scott Skiles dished out 30 assists in a game once. Wilt Chamberlain went a perfect 18-of-18 from the field to score 42 points with 30 rebounds and 10 assists. Well, last night DeMarcus Cousins joined the club and got his Boogie on.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 44 24 10 4 1 5 5/11 13/29 13/14

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Boogie had the 10th 40-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game in NBA history. Wilt did it six times, Kareem once, Elgin once, and Oscar Robertson once. The 103.5 Draftkings points scored tied him with James Harden for the most in DK history. Talk about breaking a slate. FYI, Stocktonator had Boogie as the number one play last night. Might be a good idea to listen to the Stocktonator.

Here’s what else I saw last night:

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Lauri Markkanen:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
14 17 2 1 2 2 0/4 5/12 4/5

Lauri was not the Markkman last night. Instead, he was the Finnisher. Such cool nicknames, but they don’t quite go with Lauri. Anyways, what a beast. We are all clowns. Yes, all of us because I don’t remember anyone talking positively about the Markkanen pick or trade of Jimmy Butler. The 18-29 record doesn’t show that the Bulls are exciting, fun to watch, and competitive.

Robin Lopez:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
22 4 3 0 1 5 0 10/16 2/2

To my surprise, Lopez has scored in single digits only eight times all season. He’s played 46 games. With that said, he’s only grabbed at least 10 boards in three games. Must run in the family.

Jerian Grant:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
22 5 13 2 1 6 2/2 6/7 8/8

Got the start at point guard, as Kris Dunn was out, and played 47 minutes. Fred Hoiberg for President? To be fair, if I said Bugs Bunny for President, the answer would still probably be yes.

Zach LaVine:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
19 5 2 0 0 2 1/3 7/15 4/4

Played 24 minutes. Since he’s returned, it was the first game he received over 20 minutes. I wouldn’t make anything of it, though, as the game went to double OT. Me thinks LaVine will get around 20 minutes a game for a while. There is absolutely no reason for the Bulls to push it. Even with 20 minutes, LaVine is putting up around 12 shots per game and contributing in all but blocks.

Denzel Valentine:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
8 5 2 1 3 3 2/5 3/7 0

Played 38 minutes. Has ceded some minutes and shots with the return of LaVine. With that said, he’s still contributing in all but blocks. Is that like a prerequisite to be a Bull? “You don’t like to block? You’d be a perfect fit in Chicago.”

Anthony Davis:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 34 9 5 2 1 2 0 14/23 6/8

Yawn. We just wanna Boogie.

Rajon Rondo:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 5 0 2 0 0 1 1/4 2/6 0

Played 15 minutes. The minutes have been erratic and the production has been….poop emoji. But, he’s going to have a 20 assist game soon, which will keep him off the waiver wire, resetting the Circle of Rondo.

Jrue Holiday:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 12 4 6 2 0 2 2/6 5/17 0

Has scored in single digits only three times all season. The last time it happened was back in early November. Since the start of the new year, 21.2 points, 5 boards, 5.1 assists, 1 block, 2.1 steals, and 1.4 3s. Top 30 player for fantasy right now.

E’Twaun Moore:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
15 5 3 4 0 1 2/6 6/15 1/2

It’s nice when a 3 & D player actually has the D. Moore ain’t sexy, but he gets a ton of open looks, due to defenses focusing on AD, Boogie, and Jrue. Will get around 10 shots a game and play over 32 minutes.

Willie Cauley-Stein:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
11 10 1 2 0 0 0/1 5/20 1/2

Has double-dubbed in three of the past five games. He’s also been a straight criminal, racking up nine steals during that time. He better watch out or he may have to start doing some time. Anyways, the important numbers are 37 minutes played and 20 shot attempts. As long as the Kings don’t do anything stupid and let WCS play and develop, there should be lots of fantasy goodies. Takes a deep breath and ponders what I just wrote. I have no confidence in….the line of text I just went back and bolded.

De’Aaron Fox:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
16 3 7 1 0 1 1/3 6/13 3/5

Played 31 minutes. As long as the Kings don’t do anything stupid and let Fox play and develop, there should be lots of fantasy goodies. Takes a deep breath and ponders what I just wrote. I have no confidence in….the line of text I just went back and bolded.

Skal Labissiere:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 23 4 2 0 1 2 1/3 10/15 2/3

Played 29 minutes. As long as the Kings don’t do anything stupid and let Skal play and develop, there should be lots of fantasy goodies. Takes a deep breath and ponders what I just wrote. I have no confidence in….the line of text I just went back and bolded.

And now, to my favorite part of writing about the Kings. An update on the Trading Places bet between Vivek and Vlade. Bogdan Bogdanovic played 29 minutes, while Buddy Hield played 27 minutes.

BogBog:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 10 2 7 1 0 1 2/4 3/10 2/2

Vivek’s Buddy:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
18 5 2 0 0 1 4/6 6/13 2/2

I’m Team BogBog, but you can never count out the owner’s horse.

Dwight Howard:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
14 16 1 1 6 4 0 4/8 6/9

Some view Dwight as a queen, so it’s only fitting that he dominated the Kings. You may think that’s a diss, but here are a couple of things to ponder. The most powerful piece on the chess board is the queen. I’ve seen my wife deliver not one, but two babies into this world. Women are the strongest living things on this planet. With that said, neither are perfect. Women have issues with time and Dwight struggles from the free throw line. I’m just glad the Universe decided to handicap them, although, I would’ve been good if women didn’t have issues with time.

Kemba Walker:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 26 6 9 1 2 6 5/14 6/20 9/10

So, Johnnie Walker has red, black, double black, green, gold, and blue labels. Definitely need a Kemba label. Straight fire, but only recommended at home.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did not play, so Treveon Graham got the start.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
3 2 1 1 0 1 1/2 1/3 0

Only played 21 minutes. The main beneficiary of MKG’s absense was….

Jeremy Lamb:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 18 5 2 1 1 0 3/6 7/12 1/2

He’s a baaaad baaaaaad man. Normally, Lamb gets around 21 minutes of run a game. He can score, grab some boards, make 3s, and get the occassional 211. With that said, please refer to the bolded text above.

TJ Warren:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
23 3 1 2 2 2 0/2 11/20 1/1

The only thing he doesn’t do is shoot 3s. Did he and DeRozan play on the same AAU team? With that said, Warren is still a Top 85 player.

Dragan Bender got the start at power forward and played 28 minutes.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
7 3 2 0 0 2 1/1 3/4 0

Making those that rostered him go on a Bender. Has played 28, 29, 33, and 30 minutes the past four games. 7, 3, 6, and 0 points respectively. Bartender! Make it a double!

Greg Monroe got the start at center and played 30 minutes.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 19 7 4 2 0 5 0 9/11 1/1

REVENGE!!! Gotta love the narrative games. Kudos to Triano for allowing it to happen.

Devin Booker:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 14 4 8 3 0 5 1/6 2/14 9/9

Terrible shooting night, but these games make me giddy inside. Look at the periphery stats. Ok, not the turnovers, but this is a floor game for Booker. He’s scored single digits in only two games this season. In both those games, he scored nine points. To think that he didn’t even start on his college team! Anyways, for shits and giggles, take a look at the 2014 UK team: Andrew Harrison, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Tyler Ulis, and Devin Booker. Ha! And they lost a game that year!!

Speaking of Tyler Ulis, he played 15 minutes and did not score. Isaiah Canaan, on the other hand, played 28 minutes and went:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 7 4 3 2 0 0 1/3 2/8 2/2

I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.

Speak numbers speak!!! This is your opportunity!!! No wonder there are people out there that say stats are for losers.

Jason Kidd was fired as head coach of the Bucks. Let’s cut to footage of……well, everyone.

It must be written that Giannis wasn’t too happy about the move. Checks his contract. Whew, if you are a Bucks fan. Signed through the 2020 season.

Khris Middleton:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 35 6 3 2 0 2 2/4 13/19 7/8

Khris has a 35.3% usage rate with Giannis off the court, an increase of 9.2%. Numbers! Speak damnit! This is your….Feel the hairs on the back of my neck tingle, as something whispers into my ear, “You primitive ape. We do not need to waste energy on speaking. All we need to do is show.” I am now curled up in my chair with a blanket pulled up to my chin. I don’t think I’ve blinked in two hours.

Malcolm Brogdon got the start at shooting guard and played 35 minutes.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 32 4 2 3 1 5 3/4 11/14 7/8

Malcolm is sick of being in the middle. He wants to escape the bourgeoisie and get to the top.

Eric Bledsoe:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 19 3 7 4 1 4 0/2 6/13 7/11

REVENGE!!! Tied with Paul George for the most steals per game at 2.16.

The Wizards scored 75 points in a loss to the Mavericks. No blurbs for you!!!! There were two players that scored in double figures: John Wall with 11 and Bradley Beal with 18. The only other item of worth was that Kelly Oubre Jr. played 32 minutes. He’s carved out a significant role for himself.

Harrison Barnes:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 20 10 0 1 1 1 1/4 9/16 1/1

The greatest meh player of our generation. He’s a Top 85 player for fantasy right now. Will score, grab some boards, chip in a 3, and dish out a few dimes. He’s really a volume play, as he gets a ton of run each game. I really don’t care what Barnes does for the rest of his career because I will always remember him for altering the course of NBA history. If he doesn’t completely melt down in the 2015 Finals, Golden State re-signs him and Kevin Durant never joins the Warriors.

Dennis Smith Jr.:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
17 3 6 2 0 3 2/6 7/16 1/2

My boo.

Dwight Powell:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 7 6 1 0 3 0 0 2/3 3/4

Played 23 minutes. Someone to keep an eye on, like “guy swiping through Tinder” eye. Could be a cheap source of blocks and boards if he gets consistent run.

With Devin Harris out, the guard rotation was down to two: Yogi Ferrell and JJ Barea.

Yogi played 31 minutes.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
14 5 2 2 0 0 2/6 6/16 0

JJ played 21 minutes.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
7 4 2 0 0 1 0/2 2/7 3/3

JJ has had the higher ceiling this year, but Yogi has been getting more minutes and shot attempts. Yaba daba doo!

Jusuf Nurkic:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
19 12 1 2 3 2 0 7/13 5/6

REVENGE!!! Played 27 minutes and balled out against his former team. I really like his prospects for the second half of the season, but I still have some concerns with his minutes. Hopefully, Stotts alleviates those concerns.

Damian Lillard:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 25 2 8 0 0 3 4/8 10/18 1/2

Y’all know what time it is.

Ed Davis:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
9 10 2 1 1 0 0 3/6 3/4

Played 21 minutes. Back-to-back games with 10 rebounds. Will block the occassional shot, but won’t contribute much else. Also, won’t play a ton of minutes, but if one of the front court players goes down or you are desperate for boards, Mister Ed could be your horse.

Shabazz Napier:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 7 0 1 2 0 1 1/4 3/7 0

Played 22 minutes. With both Dame and CJ healthy, Napier slides back into his reserve role. There will be times when all three are on the court together. So far, it’s been for five minutes a game.

Mason Plumlee got the start at power forward and played 29 minutes.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
11 7 5 1 2 1 0 5/7 1/2

Plumlee sucks but Malone has a hard on for him. But Malone is also fickle and does weird shit with his lineups. More suited for DFS or daily leagues.

Nikola Jokic:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 16 12 5 1 1 3 2/5 5/17 4/7

Jokic got the better of Nurkic. Me thinks Nikola has a big second half. No Jokic. You know what’s not a joke? Stocktonator, as it loved him last night.

Jamal Murray:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
38 5 6 0 0 1 4/6 14/19 6/6

Murray was flat lining there for a bit, scoring 7 and 2 points in consecutive games. Then, Malone sat his ass down on the bench, hooked him to an AED machine, and….voila. Back-to-back 30 point outings. The floor is super low with Murray, but the ceiling is sky high. If you can’t stomach the volatility….grow a pair. I keed. Wesley Matthews is probably more your speed then.

Trey Lyles:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 9 6 1 2 2 2 1/3 3/7 2/2

Starting Trey should be easy as uno, dos, tres. But, Malone gonna Malone. He did get 24 minutes of run and contributed across the board.

Wilson Chandler:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
6 5 1 2 3 2 0 2/5 2/2

Played 31 minutes. What would you wish upon your worst enemy? Having them roster Wilson Chandler in fantasy or listening to Wilson Phillips on perpetual loop?

Dario Saric:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 22 10 2 0 1 4 3/4 7/11 5/5

Has scored double figures in 23 straight games. Will get his share of boards, dish out some dimes, and get his 211 on. For a big guy, he’s a very good shooter from downtown.

Joel Embiid:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
15 14 1 0 0 4 0/2 5/13 5/9

‘Twas a tough matchup, as Marc Gasol is a very good defender.

Robert Covington:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
18 6 3 0 1 3 4/11 5/14 4/5

That’s the Covington I know. Just chucking and ducking. The floor for the Lord is high because he contributes across the board on a nightly basis. But, in order to access his ceiling, he needs to shoot.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 20 0 2 0 1 3 6/8 6/9 2/2

Got the start at shooting guard and played 30 minutes. You don’t need me to tell you that he probably won’t shoot 6-of-9 every game, right? Well, just in case….

Ben Simmons:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
6 3 7 1 0 4 0 3/8 0

Dude really needs to get a J. How much those things be going for these days?

TJ McConnell:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 7 6 3 0 0 4 1/2 2/7 2/2

Played 28 minutes. Continues to get run and continues to contribute. Won’t break any slates or win any weeks, but he provides a little something something every night.

The 76ers should be embarrassed. Losing to a team starting Andrew Harrison at shooting guard, Dillon Brooks at small forward, and Jarell Martin at power forward. Harrison played 23 minutes and scored four points. Brooks played 29 minutes and scored seven points. Martin played 32 minutes and scored 12 points and pulled down eight boards. The Grizzlies had so many injuries that Myke Henry played 16 minutes and scored 12 points. Who? Exactly.

Mario Chalmers:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
17 3 0 3 0 0 1/4 5/9 6/6

Played 21 minutes. He’s no longer super, but can be competent when given minutes. With the plethora of injuries for the Grizzlies, Mario could be given more run.

Marc Gasol:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 19 6 0 1 0 2 3/6 6/14 4/4

Hasn’t been great, but does just enough to keep you from doing anything rash. Still a Top 50 player for fantasy.

Tyreke Evans:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
18 4 8 1 0 2 1/5 6/16 5/7

I think Tyreke is a time traveller. Everytime he injures himself, he just travels back to the time of injury….and does what is necessary to prevent it. I’m pretty sure there are clips on YouTube showing Tyreke suddenly calling a timeout. Ha! Made you look.

Hassan Whiteside:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
22 13 2 3 0 7 0 11/16 0

A double-dub in eight of the last nine games. The minutes have been a little erratic, though. Me thinks Mt. Whiteside is primed for a huge second half.

James Harden:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 28 2 5 2 2 6 5/13 10/26 3/4

Played 35 minutes. That’s back-to-back games with 35 minutes of run. Me thinks maybe a week or so before he starts geting close to the 40 he was getting pre-injury. All his owners just got Harden excited.

Gerald Green was a DNP-CD. With Harden back in the mix, Eric Gordon slides back to the second unit, neutering Green.

With Rodney Hood out due to injury….Shocker….Alec Burks played 23 minutes.

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
17 1 2 1 0 1 1/1 5/10 6/7

Burks showed what he can do when he was getting consistent run back in December. Unfortunately, he’s buried on the depth chart when the Jazz are healthy. With that said, Hood is always getting dinged up so…..

Rudy Gobert:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
6 10 1 3 3 3 0 2/6 2/3

Played 28 minutes. Kind of surprising Gobert wasn’t able to manhandle the Hawks, but 10 boards, 3 steals, and 3 blocks beg to differ. Oh, now the numbers want to speak.

Ricky Rubio:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
2 4 6 1 0 4 0/3 1/8 0

Variance shall be Rubio’s new nickname.

Ersan Ilyasova:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 5 11 1 1 0 3 0/2 2/4 1/1

Played 24 minutes. Hasn’t received 30 minutes of run in five straight games. Makes no sense for the Hawks to hold onto Ilyasova. He gone….that is if anyone is willing to buy.

Taurean Prince:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
17 1 3 3 0 2 2/4 6/11 3/3

Should start to get more run as the Hawks go with the full youth movement. Prince has the ability to contribute across the board, but he’s inconsistent.

Kent Bazemore:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 11 0 1 2 1 2 3/5 4/9 0

Top 70 player for fantasy. The steals and assists have been at a career-high level.

Dewayne Dedmon:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 7 9 1 0 1 2 1/3 3/10 0

Played 21 minutes. He gone, if someone is willing to buy. Even if he gets minutes in the low-20s, Dedmon still has the ability to double-dub with points and rebounds. An added bonus is that he drains the occassional 3 and shoots well from the charity stripe.

John Collins:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 8 7 1 0 1 0 1/1 3/4 1/1

I am most bullish and excited for Collins. He played 21 minutes last night, which is what he’s been getting on a nightly basis. Hopefully, the Hawks are able to unload their vets and free their youngins.