Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors, Warriors win 123-107
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 31 | 9 | 3 | 13/23 | 3/9 | 2/2 | 1 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 34 | 5 | 2 | 14/26 | 4/11 | 2/2 | 2 | 1 |
Key Points:
- Seems like the Golden State Warriors might be Jayson Tatum’s kryptonite. In a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals, the Warriors came out to play as the Splash Brothers combined for 64 while hitting 10-of-22 total threes. The Warriors are now 14-0 and in games where Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combine for 60+ points. Jordan Poole even got in on the action with 20 points, mainly doing his work at the free throw line (9-of-10) despite going 1-of-9 from three.
- Jayson Tatum put up a stinker and there is no other way to put it. 18 points on 6-of-21 from the field, 2-of-9 from three and he even went 4-of-7 from the free throw line. Maybe he was just rattled by the reminder of how last season ended, but in his team-high 39 minutes, his presence was not felt. Jaylen Brown came to play with 34 points and Malcolm Brogdon continues to be a steady hand off the bench as he finished with 16 points. The Celtics still sit atop the East, but this was arguably their worst loss of the season thus far.
LA Clippers vs. Washington Wizards, Clippers win 114-107
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 36 | 7 | 6 | 13/27 | 5/12 | 5/5 | 3 | 2 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 15 | 5 | 8/20 | 2/4 | 12/13 | 0 | 2 |
Key Points:
- Paul George showed all-around dominance as he led the LA Clippers to a victory over the Washington Wizards. This was the return of John Wall to the team that he started with, and although he didn’t pop off, he played well. Wall was one of six Clippers players to finish in double figures, as he had 13 points while getting the start after spending most of the season coming off the bench. Notably, Kawhi Leonard did play in this game, and he continues to look rusty as he readjusts to playing significant minutes. In 30 minutes, Leonard finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Although many still consider Leonard to be a top talent in this league, this may not be the best year to bet on him in fantasy.
- Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma were on their own for the Wizards. The two combined for 65 points and 27 rebounds. Kuzma was on fire from beyond the arc as he had 7-of-11 threes, but it just wasn’t enough. Jordan Goodwin got the start at the point guard and got his second straight double-digit scoring game with 17 points, four rebounds, and six assists. This was one of those games with Beal being out that shows how valuable having a closer is.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, Cavaliers win 110-102
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 2 | 3 | 7/13 | 0/2 | 9/9 | 2 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 21 | 12 | 3 | 8/14 | 2/3 | 3/5 | 0 | 0 |
Key Points:
- The Cleveland Cavaliers gave Caris LeVert the start in the absence of Donovan Mitchell, and he did not disappoint. LeVert led the team with 22 points and knocked down 4-of-9 threes while playing a team-high 38 minutes. The frontcourt also dominated as the dynamic duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley each posted 21-point double-doubles. Just seems like when in doubt, throw it to the big fellas down low and let them get some touches because those two have both had their fair share of 20+-point double-doubles this season.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder got the expected 20+ points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but the most impressive player for them was Aleksej Pokusevski, who finished the night with 16 points, and 14 rebounds, hit all three of his threes and even had three blocks. Pokusevski is a volatile player, considering you never know what you’re going to get on a night-to-night basis, but he has taken significant strides this season to the point that he is starting to blossom into a real NBA player.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Chicago Bulls, Bulls win 144-115
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 27 | 4 | 5 | 9/15 | 3/6 | 6/7 | 1 | 0 |
Demar DeRozan
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 28 | 9 | 5 | 9/13 | 1/2 | 9/9 | 0 | 0 |
Key Points:
- Last night, the Dallas Mavericks made Luka Doncic’s MVP case. Doncic missed the game with a right quad sprain and in turn, the Mavericks got blitzed and lost by nearly 30 points. Spencer Dinwiddie did manage to shoulder a good portion of the offensive load as he led the team with 27 points, but the Mavericks’ bench made this even remotely interesting to watch. Rookie guard Jaden Hardy was instant offense off the bench with 15 points in 22 minutes along with JaVale McGee who had 18 points in 17 minutes. But otherwise, this was a rough night for Dallas, and only further proved that they are too Luka-centric.
- For the Bulls, this was hopefully a “get right” game for them. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 28 points as they finished with seven players in double figures, and it seemed like everyone was involved. Patrick Williams had 16 points and hit 4-of-5 threes. Ayo Dosunmu had 16 points off the bench. Derrick Jones Jr. and Goran Dragic combined for 30 points in their time off the bench. Just seemed like everyone got a piece and hopefully, for them, this can be the kind of win to get them jumpstarted after a lackluster start to the season. Something to monitor is the health of Alex Caruso, who only played six minutes before suffering a back injury that ended his night.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat, Spurs win 115-111
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 21 | 6 | 2 | 7/15 | 0/2 | 7/7 | 0 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 2 | 4 | 11/16 | 0/1 | 8/10 | 0 | 0 |
Key Points:
- It was Coach Gregg Popovich’s coaching anniversary, and the Spurs gave him the perfect present as they squeaked out the close win. Six players in double figures but a standout for the Spurs was Devin Vassell, who has been quietly balling this season. Vassell finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds, and three steals in 26 minutes off of the bench. For a tanking team that is going to play a deep rotation, Vassell might be a solid budget pickup if you need a guard that can give you 10-15 points on a semi-nightly basis.
- The Miami Heat had all of their top seven guys in the rotation score double figures, but it wasn’t enough. This team just seems to lack real offensive juice outside of Jimmy Butler and most disappointing is Bam Adebayo, who still isn’t as aggressive offensively as he should be. Adebayo finished with 12 points and nine rebounds on 11 shots in a game that Jakob Poeltl didn’t play for the Spurs. Tells you everything you need to know.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers, Nets win 136-133
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 33 | 3 | 0 | 13/20 | 3/3 | 4/6 | 0 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 35 | 1 | 9 | 12/15 | 7/8 | 4/4 | 2 | 0 |
Key Points:
- No Kevin Durant. No Kyrie Irving. No Ben Simmons. Not even Seth Curry or Nicolas Claxton played in this game. Yet Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets still came out with the win on the road as four players finished with 20 points or more. But of all four, the one to keep an eye on for the long term is Day’Ron Sharpe, who played a season-high 32 minutes and finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. The center position is the team’s biggest hole both offensively and defensively. Sharpe has had spurts where he has looked like the best two-way option ahead of Nicolas Claxton. Not sure how much Jacque Vaughn believes in him just yet, but last night was a good display of productivity in Sharpe’s increased role.
- The Indiana Pacers got the All-Star special stat line from Tyrese Haliburton last night: 35 points in 36 minutes along with night assists, while hitting 7-of-8 threes, all four free throws, and grabbing three steals. The man had the full package last night. The Pacers had six players finish in double figures, Haliburton was the only Pacer to eclipse 20 points. The next highest scorer on the team was Buddy Hield with 17 points.
Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets, Nuggets win 115-110
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 27 | 3 | 2 | 9/16 | 5/10 | 4/5 | 0 | 1 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 31 | 12 | 14 | 11/20 | 1/4 | 8/10 | 1 | 4 |
Key Points:
- Nikola Jokic continues to put up video game numbers as he recorded his 80th career triple-double, finishing the night with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. Jamal Murray added 30 points of his own. The Denver Nuggets’ offense was clicking, but defensively, they kept the Utah Jazz in the game all night.
- The Jazz were without four of their top six scorers and still managed to make this a game. Most notably, Talen Horton-Tucker had 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. He is still a long-term project, but a guy whom the Jazz are probably going to start feeding more minutes as the season progresses. He might be a smart “buy low” pickup as he will likely be one of the remaining guys on this roster post-trade-deadline when this team starts to commit to the tank.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trailblazers, Blazers win 124-118
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 26 | 6 | 7 | 10/20 | 4/8 | 2/4 | 2 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 36 | 3 | 8 | 9/22 | 3/11 | 15/15 | 2 | 0 |
Key Points:
- The backcourt of Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons continues to display why they may arguably be a top-5 offensive duo in the league right now. The two combined for 67 points while taking 22 shots apiece and they both did it in different ways. Lillard was struggling from beyond the arc but had no problem getting to the line as he alone had 15 of Portland’s 28 free throw attempts. Simons had the torch from three as he shot 5-of-10.
- 26 points from Anthony Edwards. 24 points apiece from D’Angelo Russell and Rudy Gobert. They even got 15 points in 14 minutes from Naz Reid off the bench. It just wasn’t enough despite having a ten-point lead entering the second half. Unlike the Portland Trail Blazers, the Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled all season finishing strong in close games. That more than anything is going to hurt them this season. Nonetheless, these two teams face off again on Monday, so maybe they can get their get back.
