What’s up Razzballers? In one of the more surprising finishes of the night, the Nuggets went into Cleveland strong and snatched a convincing win from under the Cavaliers. The King was slain in his own castle, mostly at the hands of Gary Harris. Harris was a beast tonight, much like he has been all week, and went off for 32/2/4/1 on 10-for-17 FG (6-for-10 3P, 6-for-6 FT) and no TOs. He’s been somewhat overlooked all season but is poised for an extremely strong finish as one of, if not the main guy on offence for a team jockeying for playoff position. Anyway, here’s what else I saw last night in fantasy basketball:
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Nikola Jokic: 9/7/8/0/1 on 3-for-8 FG (1-for-2 3P, 2-for-3 FT) and two TOs. Definitely not his best game, especially with what you’ve come to expect after multiple triple-doubles not long ago, but he definitely chipped in enough dimes to make up for it a little bit.
Paul Millsap: 11/6/4/1/1 on 4-for-9 FG (1-for-2 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and one TO. He seems perfectly healthy now and will likely be ramping up his minutes as he gets more games back under his belt. As said, the Nuggets are vying for playoff positioning, so they’ll need all hands on deck in the final weeks.
Wilson Chandler: 16/2/3/0/1 on 7-for-10 FG (2-for-4 3P) and two TOs.
Jamal Murray: 16/3/5/1 on 6-for-11 FG (3-for-4 3P, 1-for-1 FT) and one TO.
Will Barton: 23/8/7 on 9-for-17 FG (4-for-10 3P, 1-for-1 FT) and one TO off the bench. He’s been hot recently, but I wouldn’t expect this level of production consistently. Barton will definitely get his looks, but he’s fairly far down the Nuggets pecking order for scoring, and will get fewer opportunities on nights where Millsap and Jokic are more personally involved in the scoring. That said, he’s still pretty solid and should stay plugged into lineups.
LeBron James: 25/10/15/2 on 8-for-19 FG (1-for-4 3P, 8-for-11 FT) and three TOs. It was a big triple-double, but it wasn’t enough to get his team the win. Good thing this is all about fantasy and not real life though, because LeBron definitely helped out the teams that owned him this week.
Cedi Osman: 13/3/1 on 6-for-7 FG (1-for-2 3P) and one TO. Seven players scored in double digits and eight played 20 or more minutes, so it was a pretty joint effort last night with no Cavs player really separating himself.
JR Smith: 19/2/2/1/1 on 7-for-12 FG (2-for-5 3P, 3-for-4 FT) and one TO. LeBron is still looking for a second scoring option while Kevin Love is out, and tonight it was JR Swish.
Tristan Thompson: 12/7/0/1 on 6-for-10 FG (0-for-1 FT) and one TO.
George Hill: 17/4/4 on 6-for-10 FG (3-for-4 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and two TOs. Hill is great for the Cavs, but he’s pretty unsexy for fantasy.
Jordan Clarkson: 11/4/1/1 on 4-for-9 FG (2-for-3 3P, 1-for-1 FT).
Larry Nance: 14/8 on 6-for-10 FG (0-for-1 3P, 2-for-2 FT) in 20 minutes off the bench. He should continue to produce while Love is out, which could be for several more weeks and into the fantasy playoffs.
Jonathan Isaac: 0/5/0/0/3 on 0-for-2 FG (0-for-1 3P). I’m somewhat surprised he even returned to play in a lost Orlando season, and in both games of a back-to-back no less. He’s raw on offence but could be a great source of low-end steals and blocks if he continues to play. The real impact he has now is how he affects the existing rotation of guys going forward as the season winds up.
Aaron Gordon: 14/8/2/2/2 on 4-for-8 FG (0-for-1 3P, 6-for-7 FT) and three TOs. Rainbow alert! AG’s spot is definitely safe at least.
Nikola Vucevic: 19/6/2/0/1 on 8-for-14 FG (1-for-2 3P, 2-for-5 FT).
Jonathon Simmons: 11/6/1 on 3-for-5 FG (2-for-2 3P, 3-for-4 FT) and two TOs.
Evan Fournier: 19/3/3/1 on 7-for-13 FG (1-for-6 3P, 4-for-5 FT) and one TO.
Mario Hezonja: 16/2/2/1/3 on 5-for-12 FG (2-for-8 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and two TOs in 22 minutes off the bench. He’s been a great bargain recently, but it feels like Mario will be the one most effected by Isaac’s insertion into the rotation.
DJ Augustin: 16/3/5 on 5-for-7 FG (2-for-4 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and one TO.
Mario Chalmers: 15/1/3/2 on 5-for-11 FG (3-for-6 3P, 2-for-2 FT). He left the game with injury but it’s not like he usually gives you much anyway.
Ben McLemore: 20/7/4/1 on 8-for-14 FG (2-for-5 3P, 2-for-4 FT). The Grizzlies are super thin at the guard position with Tyreke Evans, Mike Conley, Andrew Harrison, Wayne Selden (and now Mario Chalmers) all out, so it was Ben’s turn. He might be worth streaming, considering he’s one of their few warm bodies, but he’s a low asset regardless.
Jarell Martin: 19/11/2 on 7-for-12 FG (1-for-2 3P, 4-for-7 FT) and one TO. Much like the guard spot, the Grizzlies front court has also been barren without Marc Gasol and Deyonta Davis. Martin has been a bright spot lately and is definitely worth owning while everyone else is out.
JaMychal Green: 10/13/7/3/2 on 2-for-12 FG (0-for-2 3P, 6-for-7 FT) and two TOs. Another rainbow! The shooting was ugly, but everything else was immaculate. Green is also definitely worth owning, probably even when the other bigs are healthy.
Kobi Simmons: 14/1/2/1 on 6-for-9 FG (0-for-1 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and two TOs. He’s a healthy guard on the Grizzlies so he’s worth a look by default.
Josh Richardson: 17/4/2/2/2 on 7-for-13 FG (1-for-2 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and no TOs. Rainbow! This line is pretty much perfect and J-Rich is the type of guy that could be your playoff fantasy MVP.
Hassan Whiteside: 8/19/1/0/1 on 2-for-10 FG (4-for-5 FT) and three TOs in 25 minutes. Bam Adebayo didn’t even play, but Whiteside still only got 25 minutes which is unfortunate. At least you can excuse the poor shooting considering Detroit’s front court is pretty dominant.
James Johnson: 14/2/1/3/1 on 6-for-7 FG (2-for-3 3P, 0-for-4 FT) and one TO. Couldn’t at least make one free throw?? Still a solid game otherwise, but Adebayo not playing certainly helped his minutes. He’s not the asset he was last year, but he’s still a solid guy to have.
Goran Dragic: 13/2/5/2 on 4-for-9 FG (1-for-2 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and three TOs.
Justise Winslow: 13/4/2/2/1 on 5-for-10 FG (1-for-3 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and one TO. So close to another rainbow!
Kelly Olynyk: 17/5/4/1 on 6-for-10 FG (3-for-5 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and one TO. He’s not terrible, but he’s just a low-end asset.
Dwyane Wade: 11/6/1 on 3-for-9 FG (0-for-2 3P, 5-for-9 FT) and four TOs. This line does an owner more harm than good. I love Wade, and his two games before this one were amazing, but he’s only a borderline hold at this point.
James Harden: 26/7/10/5/1 on 6-for-18 FG (3-for-12 3P, 11-for-13 FT) and four TOs. This was the night’s big game, and Harden solidified his MVP case with this marquee win to keep them atop the Western Conference. Considering the sparkling FT and steals, owners can probably forgive his FG for this one.
Chris Paul: 15/1/7/1 on 5-for-11 FG (1-for-4 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and one TO.
Clint Capela: 8/17/0/1/1 on 3-for-6 FG (2-for-2 FT) and one TO.
Eric Gordon: 29/3/1 on 8-for-13 FG (7-for-11 3P, 6-for-8 FT) and one TO. He is the premier gourmet THRAGNOF.
Trevor Ariza: 21/3/1/3 on 8-for-18 FG (4-for-13 3P, 1-for-1 FT).
Kyrie Irving: 18/3/6/1 on 6-for-17 FG (2-for-7 3P, 4-for-5 FT) and three TOs. He had some really pretty buckets, but he couldn’t carry his team in this one. The Celtics are battling the Raptors for first in the East so all the Celtics players should at least be giving it their all down the fantasy stretch run.
Jayson Tatum: 12/4/3 on 4-for-7 FG (2-for-2 3P, 2-for-2 FT).
Al Horford: 10/6/3 on 4-for-12 FG (0-for-1 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and three TOs.
Greg Monroe: 18/6/1/0/2 on 6-for-9 FG (6-for-6 FT). It the bench keeping the Celtics alive in this one, with Monroe going for a team-high +23 versus Kyrie and Horford’s -17 and -22 respectively. That said, Monroe is just a deep-league option.
Terry Rozier: 17/3/1 on 7-for-10 FG (3-for-3 3P) and one TO.
Marcus Smart: 11/6/5/0/1 on 4-for-12 FG (0-for-2 3P, 3-for-3 FT) and one TO.
Marcus Morris: 21/4/1/3 on 8-for-13 FG (5-for-7 3P, 0-for-1 FT) and one TO.
Lonzo Ball: 18/7/11/1/2 on 6-for-12 FG (6-for-10 3P) and two TOs. Lonzo caught fire in the fourth quarter and led the Lakers to the surprising road win over the Spurs. As an aside, the Spurs’ playoff situation is looking extremely tense. It’s looking increasingly likely that they’ll finish in the bottom half of the Western playoff standings for the first time in forever. It’s even very possible that they miss the playoffs entirely, which would just be inconceivable. It’s easy to take the Spurs for granted, but they definitely need Kawhi Leonard back. From top to bottom, the playoff race in the West will definitely be one to watch.
Isaiah Thomas: 21/1/7 on 6-for-16 FG (1-for-5 3P, 8-for-8 FT) and five TOs. With Josh Hart out indefinitely, there’s even fewer people for IT to need to share the ball with. He’s been playing much better as of late and should hopefully continue this down the stretch as he plays for his offseason payday.
Julius Randle: 25/6/3/1/1 on 8-for-15 FG (9-for-11 FT) and one TO.
Kyle Kuzma: 11/8/1/2 on 4-for-13 FG (2-for-6 3P, 1-for-4 FT) and two TOs. This one feels like a big missed opportunity considering Brandon Ingram was out.
Brook Lopez: 14/2/2/1 on 6-for-12 FG (2-for-4 3P, 0-for-1 FT) and two TOs. Two rebounds???
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 18/13/2/3 on 7-for-13 FG (3-for-5 3P, 1-for-1 FT) and one TO. KCP is also playing for a payday, and also no longer has to share the ball with Josh Hart. He should have a great stretch run.
Pau Gasol: 19/10/8/0/3 on 8-for-17 FG (0-for-3 3P, 3-for-6 FT) and two TOs. This was a huge, vintage Pau game against his former squad in a matchup with another former star big man. Pau’s been consistently fine lately and the Spurs will definitely need that as they fight for their playoff spot.
Davis Bertans: 11/5/2/1 on 4-for-9 FG (3-for-8 3P) and three TOs. LeMarcus Aldridge was also out, which helped. I like Bertans, but the Spurs really really need Kawhi.
Patty Mills: 14/2/3 on 6-for-12 FG (1-for-5 3P, 1-for-1 FT) and two TOs.
Dejounte Murray: 12/7/1/3 on 5-for-11 FG (2-for-2 FT) and two TOs. He’s been on fire lately, and you have to love a point guard that averages nearly twice as many rebounds as assists and is still really valuable.
Rudy Gay: 15/8/0/0/1 on 5-for-12 FG (2-for-5 3P, 3-for-3 FT) and two TOs.
Kyle Anderson: 8/4/5/2 on 4-for-4 FG and one TO. Rudy Gay is coming for that starting spot.
Manu Ginobili: 12/4/6/1 on 4-for-11 FG (0-for-3 3P, 4-for-4 FT) and one TO.
Donovan Mitchell: 27/5/5 on 7-for-15 FG (3-for-8 3P, 10-for-10 FT) and three TOs. I’m just salty I don’t own him in any leagues.
Ricky Rubio: 10/8/6/4 on 4-for-16 FG (0-for-3 3P, 2-for-5 FT) and three TOs.
Derrick Favors: 15/8/1 on 7-for-10 FG (1-for-2 3P).
Rudy Gobert: 16/12/2/3/3 on 6-for-10 FG (4-for-7 FT) and one TO. A towering Rainbow for Monsieur Elbow!
Jae Crowder: 14/4/1/1/1 on 4-for-11 FG (3-for-5 3P, 3-for-7 FT) and two TOs. He’s definitely played better in Utah and is worth owning at this point as long as the Jazz remain in the playoff hunt.
De’Aaron Fox: 17/4/3/2 on 7-for-14 FG (0-for-2 3P, 3-for-3 FT) and three TOs. He wasn’t better than Donovan Mitchell, but Fox is still pretty damn good.
Skal Labissiere: 12/12/3/0/3 on 4-for-10 FG (1-for-1 3P, 3-for-4 FT) and four TOs. The Kings are playing for nothing, so they’ll be developing their young guys. Skal is definitely young and raw so he should get solid playing time going forward. Just don’t expect double-doubles every night.
Bogdan Bogdanovic: 15/5 on 5-for-10 FG (3-for-4 3P, 2-for-2 FT).
Zach Randolph: 12/5 on 4-for-14 FG (1-for-6 3P, 3-for-4 FT) and one TO. I’m only now realizing that Randolph has developed a late-career three point shot. And it’s been pretty good this year! Definitely not last night though.
CJ McCollum: 28/8/6/1/2 on 10-for-20 FG (2-for-8 3P, 6-for-6 FT) and two TOs. This was a huge bounce-back game for CJ, and he’ll look to continue this as the Blazers are one of the many teams bunched up in a tight Western Conference.
Damian Lillard: 20/1/7/1/1 on 5-for-18 FG (2-for-8 3P, 8-for-9 FT) and three TOs.
Jusuf Nurkic: 9/7/1 on 4-for-11 FG (1-for-4 FT) and three TOs in 18 minutes. This should mostly just be a hiccup and Nurk should bounce back.
Evan Turner: 17/3/2/0/1 on 6-for-10 FG (3-for-4 3P, 2-for-2 FT) and one TO.
Paul George: 21/7/4/0/1 on 8-for-19 FG (0-for-7 3P, 5-for-6 FT) and three TOs. Carmelo Anthony sat this one out, but PG didn’t do anything with the extra touches unfortunately. He’ll be better.
Patrick Patterson: 12/6/0/0/1 on 5-for-8 FG (2-for-3 3P) and one TO. He’s not much more than deep-league fodder when Melo is healthy.
Steven Adams: 12/7/1/2/1 on 4-for-9 FG (4-for-6 FT) and one TO.
Jerami Grant: 13/4/2/0/2 on 6-for-9 FG (1-for-4 3P, 0-for-2 FT) and one TO.
Russell Westbrook: 30/11/6/0/1 on 12-for-31 FG (1-for-5 3P, 5-for-7 FT) and four TOs. Westbrook is good, but he didn’t get a triple double last night so how good can he really be???
Anyway, that about does it for this week’s edition of Any Given Saturday. As always, leave your comments/concerns/questions down below! Cheers guys!
