Whaddup Razzball nation! Welcome back to another edition of Any Given Saturday! Last night, the Thunder walked into Cleveland and embarrassed the Cavs, dropping a whopping 148 points. It was a team effort, but Russell Westbrook was especially impressive, dropping a double dimebag and going for 23/9/20/2 on 9-for-17 FG (1-for-1 3P, 4-for-5 FT) and five TOs. Russ’s efficiency is trending up nicely after being abysmal to start the season. All of a sudden, the Thunder look like an incredibly scary team. Anyway, here’s what else I saw last night in fantasy basketball:
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Paul George: 36/7/2 on 12-for-19 FG (5-for-11 3P, 7-for-8 FT) and one TO. PG is still a superstar and is capable of popping off like this on any given night, especially now that the Thunder seem to be finding their offensive groove.
Carmelo Anthony: 29/10/3/1 on 11-for-19 FG (3-for-6 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and no TOs. Old man Melo can still ball.
Steven Adams 25/10/1/0/1 on 12-for-13 FG (0-for-1 3P, 1-for-5 FT) and one TO. The FT’s are ugly, but that’s a pretty pretty line. The Thunder as a team shot 58% from the field, to give you an idea of how thoroughly the Cavs defense was manhandled.
Isaiah Thomas: 24/0/4/1 on 8-for-14 FG (4-for-8 3P, 4-for-5 FT) with three TOs in 25 minutes. It’s been a shaky start for Thomas so far, but there’s no reason to get nervous yet, and games like this are why. The defense was obviously suspect, but IT should get better as the season goes on and he gets more comfortable in the Cavaliers system.
Kevin Love: No stats other than two missed three pointers in 3 minutes. He was sick and didn’t return to the game. I wish he just sat out from the beginning so I could’ve known to plug someone else in his spot! Oh well. I’d definitely be floating buy-low offers for Love at this point.
LeBron James: 18/3/7/0/1 on 8-for-17 FG (0-for-4 3P, 2-for-4 FT) and two TOs. Rough night for the King. He even had Enes Kanter subtweeting him for letting the Thunder drop 148 on him (which is a little rich considering Kanter is a notoriously bad defender, but whatever).
Jae Crowder: 17/4/4/1 on 7-for-12 FG (2-for-5 3P, 1-for-1 FT) and two TOs. Jae has been a pretty big disappointment this year, in fantasy and in real life, and I don’t think this game changes anything. Leave him on the wire.
Lauri Markkanen: 19/4/1 on 8-for-16 FG (0-for-4 3P, 3-for-4 FT). The Bulls got really lucky with this kid.
Zach Lavine: 8/9/1 on 2-for-9 FG (1-for-4 3P, 3-for-4 FT) and two TOs in 18 minutes. He didn’t play the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t a very close game. I’d definitely try to buy low if I could before his minutes start to ramp up.
Bobby Portis: 14/3/4/2 on 5-for-9 FG (2-for-3 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and three TOs in 18 minutes. He’s putting up great per-minute stats, but he’s still only playing 20 MPG so it’s kind of hard to trust him at this point. He’s a fringe guy unless minutes open up for him.
Nikola Mirotic: 10/7/2/1/1 on 3-for-8 FG (1-for-5 3P, 3-for-3 FT) and two TOs in 20 minutes. Mediocre game, but it’s been a breakout season for Miro so far. But I’d see if I could sell high, as I think the regression will continue a little bit.
Dewayne Dedmon: 11/11/2/0/1 on 5-for-10 FG (1-for-4 3P) in 23 bench minutes. He’s been pretty great since returning from injury. He’s definitely worth owning, at least for now.
Dennis Schroder: 18/3/5/2 on 7-for-17 FG (2-for-5 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and one TO.
Ersan Ilyasova: 9/3/1 on 4-for-12 FG (0-for-7 3P, 1-for-1 FT). Not a great game, but Ilyasova has been solid this season. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him traded away by the deadline which would probably kill his value completely.
John Collins: 4/9/4/1/1 on 1-for-5 FG (0-for-2 3P, 2-for-4 FT). Collins is the future of the franchise here, so if the Hawks were to make a trade Collins would likely be the big beneficiary.
Wayne Ellington: 26/0/3/1 on 10-for-15 FG (6-for-10 3P, 0-for-2 FT and one TO as he surprisingly led the Heat to the win over the Hornets. THRAGNOF!
Josh Richardson: 17/3/5/1/2 on 7-for-20 FG (1-for-3 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and three TOs. Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson were both out, but JRich has been great even with them in the lineup. If you weathered the storm early in the season or picked him up off waivers, you’re laughin.
James Johnson: 22/6/7 on 9-for-12 FG (1-for-2 3P, 3-for-4 FT) and three TOs.
Hassan Whiteside: 10/14/3 on 5-for-10 FG and one TO. Pretty fly for a Whiteside.
Dwight Howard: 14/15/1/1/3 on 6-for-8 FG (2-for-5 FT) and no TOs. He continues to produce at a high level (especially if you’re punting FT).
Nicolas Batum: 26/3/6/3 on 8-for-12 FG (1-for-2 3P, 9-for-10 FT) and four TOs. Definitely his best game of the season. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
Kemba Walker: 22/3/7/3 on 10-for-25 FG (1-for-8 3P, 1-for-2 FT) and one TO. Kemba’s been rumoured to be on the trading block, but it’s hard to picture a scenario where a trade helps his value. Hopefully he stays in Charlotte.
Anthony Davis: 21/12/2/0/2 on 7-for-13 FG (7-for-8 FT) and two TOs in a win overly the lowly Grizzlies.
DeMarcus Cousins: 24/10/5/2/1 on 7-for-13 FG (2-for-6 3P, 8-for-12 FT) and four TOs. No surprise that he and Davis are all-star starters.
Rajon Rondo: 7/4/5/1 on 3-for-6 FG (1-for-3 3P) and two TOs.
Jrue Holiday: 27/5/8/1/1 on 10-for-19 FG (1-for-5 3P, 6-for-6 FT) and one TO. I guess there really was no reason to be concerned about Rondo’s presence in the lineup.
Wayne Selden: 31/2/2 on 11-for-16 FG (5-for-7 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and two TOs in 27 minutes off the bench. Huge game, but this feels like an outlier more than anything. He’s a deep league flyer if anything.
Tyreke Evans: 12/4/6 on 3-for-16 FG (2-for-9 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and three TOs. Not a great game, but Tyreke still holds plenty of value. But I’d still sell high if someone out there thinks Tyreke is a star.
Marc Gasol: 16/5/7 on 4-for-11 FG (3-for-5 3P, 5-for-6 FT) and three TOs.
JaMychal Green: 8/16/0/1 on 3-for-7 FG (0-for-2 3P, 2-for-2 FT) in 24 minutes before leaving the game with an injury.
Jarrell Martin: 11/4/2/0/1 on 4-for-9 FG (3-for-3 3P) and one TO. Martin would be the pickup if Green were to miss any time.
Joel Embiid: 29/9/1/1/2 on 11-for-19 FG (2-for-5 3P, 5-for-6 FT) and five TOs.
Ben Simmons: 16/8/9/1 on 8-for-13 FG with four TOs.
Robert Covington: 13/5/3/4/1 on 5-for-8 FG (3-for-6 3P) and one TO. He does it all!
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot: 16/3/2 on 5-for-9 FG (3-for-5 3P, 3-for-3 FT). Both Jerryd Bayless and JJ Redick are out with injury, so there was some extra run available for TLC. He’s definitely worth a look in deeper league for the next few weeks until Redick is back.
Khris Middleton: With Giannis Antetokounmpo out for this one, The Duchess went off, putting up a huge 23/14/10/1 triple double on 9-for-20 FG (1-for-5 3P, 4-for-4 FT) with three TOs.
John Henson: 11/4/1/0/1 on 4-for-6 FG (3-for-4 FT) and one TO in 23 minutes. Pretty standard John Henson game.
Eric Bledsoe: 14/0/3/5/1 on 5-for-18 FG (1-for-6 3P, 3-for-5 FT) and three TOs. Terrible game, but those defensive stats are definitely juicy.
Sterling Brown: 14/2/0/1 on 5-for-9 FG (4-for-7 3P, 0-for-1 FT) and two TOs in 39 minutes. Malcolm Brogdon didn’t play which explains the extra run for Sterling. I wouldn’t put any stock in this performance.
Donovan Mitchell: 23/5/7/2 on 9-for-16 FG (1-for-6 3P, 4-for-7 FT) and four TOs. There really isn’t anything to say about him that hasn’t already been said. He’s good.
Rudy Gobert: 16/7/0/0/3 on 6-for-9 FG (4-for-7 FT) in 28 minutes. The takeaway here is that he played both games of a back-to-back immediately after returning from injury. It’s all good.
Joe Ingles: 21/4/2/4 on 8-for-15 FG (5-for-10 3P) and three TOs. I love Ingles because he does a little bit of everything without hurting you anywhere. Rodney Hood was out, but Ingles still holds plenty of value.
Ricky Rubio: 12/6/6/1 on 3-for-11 FG (1-for-3 3P, 5-for-6 FT) and two TOs.
Derrick Favors: 14/12/3/1 on 5-for-10 FG (0-for-1 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and three TOs.
Lou Williams: 31/2/7/10 on 9-for-21 FG (2-for-8 3P, 11-for-11 FT) and three TOs. Yes, 10 steals. This dude just singlehandedly won the category for owners everywhere.
Wesley Johnson: 17/8/0/1/1 on 7-for-13 FG (3-for-9 3P, 0-for-3 FT) and one TO. Plenty of opportunity for Wes with all those Clipper injuries.
Blake Griffin: 25/8/3/1 on 8-for-15 FG (3-for-7 3P, 6-for-8 FT) with three TOs.
Milos Teodosic: 8/2/4 on 3-for-11 FG (2-for-8 3P) with three TOs.
Karl-Anthony Towns: 22/10/2/0/1 on 6-for-7 FG (2-for-2 3P, 8-for-9 FT) with one TO. He’s great.
Andrew Wiggins: 29/5/3 on 11-for-21 FG (1-for-4 3P, 6-for-6 FT) and four TOs. It’s a great line, but it still feels a bit empty. Keep in mind Jimmy Butler didn’t play in this one so Wiggins had some extra touches.
Jeff Teague: 5/3/10 on 2-for-11 FG (0-for-2 3P, 1-for-2 FT) and two TOs.
Taj Gibson: 14/8/0/0/2 on 5-for-8 FG
Kyle Lowry: Obviously jealous that DeMar was chosen as an all-star starter, Lowry had to go and show off by dropping a 40/5/5 line on 14-for-25 FG (6-for-10 3P, 6-for-7 FT) with no TOs. Unfortunately, the Raptors lost, but this is a pretty perfect line from Lowry.
DeMar DeRozan: 20/3/5/3/1 on 7-for-16 FG (2-for-5 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and five TOs. He does it all!
Jonas Valunciunas: 0/3/1 on 0-for-1 FG and one TO in 11 minutes. He does nothing! He had foul trouble and he’s been solid this season. This one’s an aberration.
Serge Ibaka: 13/5/0/0/1 on 6-for-11 FG (1-for-4 3P) and one TO.
Damian Lillard: 31/5/9 on 10-for-15 (7-for-9 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and four TOs. I wonder if he’s upset about continually getting snubbed for the all-star game.
CJ McCollum: 26/4/2/1 on 11-for-23 FG (2-for-6 3P, 2-for-2 FT).
Jusuf Jurkic: 10/6/1/0/1 on 4-for-6 FG (2-for-3 FT) and four TOs. His season has been a fantasy rollercoaster, and definitely not the fun kind.
Evan Turner: 17/3/1 on 7-for-13 FG (2-for-4 3P, 1-for-1 FT) and one TO.
Dirk Nowitzki: 21/4/0/1/2 on 8-for-12 FG (3-for-4 3P, 2-for-2 FT). The man is ageless!
Wesley Matthews: 23/5/2/1 on 7-for-15 FG (3-for-9 3P, 6-for-8 FT) with two TOs. Premium THRAGNOF! Sell high while you can, Wes is a veteran and the Mavericks are headed towards their youth movement (other than Dirk of course).
Dennis Smith Jr: 21/6/6/3 on 8-for-15 FG (1-for-1 3P, 4-for-5 FT) with three TOs. The kid is poised to have a huge second half.
Maxi Kleber: 10/1/3/1 on 4-for-6 FG (2-for-3 3P) in 16 minutes as a starter. Don’t bother unless you’re desperate.
Harrison Barnes: 8/10/1/0/1 on 3-for-13 FG (0-for-4 3P, 2-for-3 FT) and one TO.
Chris Paul: This was the CP3 show, as he led the Rockets to the impressive win over the Warriors. Paul posted a 33/11/7/3 line on 10-for-20 FG (6-for-11 3P, 7-for-8 FT) with four TOs. He hasn’t missed a beat since leaving the Clippers for the Rockets.
James Harden: 22/2/8/2/2 on 8-for-16 FG (5-for-9 3P, 1-for-2 FT) and six TOs. Solid rainbow line, but a little disappointing otherwise. Thank goodness for CP3!
Clint Capela: 18/5/0/4/1 on 7-for-12 FG (4-for-8 FT). DeAndre Jordan has been linked to the Rockets in trade rumours which is pretty funny, but it would also be pretty detrimental to the value of both him and Capela. Should be an interesting trade deadline.
Ryan Anderson: 5/13/1/1 on 2-for-3 FG (0-for-1 3P, 1-for-2 FT) and one TO.
Eric Gordon: 6/3/2/1 on 2-for-14 FG (0-for-9 3P, 2-for-4 FT). Yikes!
Draymond Green: 21/7/6/2/1 on 7-for-9 FG (2-for-3 3P, 5-for-6 FT) with five TOs.
Kevin Durant: 26/7/5/0/2 on 9-for-17 FG (4-for-6 3P, 4-for-5 FT) and four TOs. Durant is averaging roughly 26/7/5 with 2 blocks on the season, so this is a pretty ho-hum performance really.
Nick Young: 16/1/0/1 on 6-for-10 FG (4-for-7 3P). Only a THRAGNOF for the deepest of leagues.
Steph Curry: 19/1/8/2 on 6-for-20 FG (5-for-15 3P, 2-for-4 FT) and six TOs. Harden really cooked Curry in the final minute of the game, first wetting a stepback three in his face and then blocking Curry’s own three point attempt. It was a good night if you’re into Warriors/Steph Curry schadenfreude.
Anyway, that about does it for this edition of Any Given Saturday. As always, leave your comments/questions/concerns down below. Cheers guys!
