DeMar DeRozan didn’t have his usual backcourt mate, with Kyle Lowry given the day off for rest, but it didn’t matter. After starting slowly, Double D took over after halftime, producing a game high 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. He was also a perfect 10-10 from the line.
And the guy replacing Lowry in the starting lineup, he was pretty good too. Cory Joseph slid into the starting lineup and responded with a career high 33 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
DeRozan is playing some of his best basketball of his career. That is now 20+ points in 13 straight games, a span that features all three of his double-doubles. While DeRozan should still remain a great player, the lack of threes and defensive stats will keep him from being elite. Now is a great time to see what you can get for him.
As for Joseph, he will return to the bench for the next game, but has shown top 150 value over the last 14 days for deep leaguers.
Terrence Ross – Coming off the bench Ross, knocked down 3-7 from three to go along with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. He’s scored double figures in three straight games.
Brook Lopez – After receiving Sunday’s game off for rest, Lopez looked refreshed, finishing with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Sadly, the 8 rebounds are the most he’s grabbed in 8 January games.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – RHJ scored 14 points in back-to-back games, giving owners 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal/block each.
Caris LeVert – LeVert reverted back to double figures, with 14 points, 4 assists, 2 threes, and 2 steals. He was much more effective than Joe Harris (0/0/0 line in 18 minutes) so perhaps LeVert or Hollis-Jefferson will be replacing Harris in the starting lineup soon.
Hassan Whiteside – Whiteside started a new double-double streak with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 1 block.
Goran Dragic – Dragic led the Heat to an upset over the Rockets, snapping a 4 game losing streak. He posted a 21/8/8 line in the victory.
Dion Waiters – Starting again for Josh Richardson, Waiters served up 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. With Richardson already ruled out for the next two weeks, Waiters will remain in the starting lineup and makes a wise pickup.
James Johnson – One of the top waiver wire adds of the season, Johnson continues to produce, collecting 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals on Tuesday. Hopefully you were smarter than me and didn’t drop him in the midst of this hot streak…
Tyler Johnson – It was a good night to be a Johnson. Tyler scored 16 points and collected 3 assists and 3 steals each off the bench.
Wayne Ellington – Ellington caught fire off the bench, knocking down 5-9 from downtown to finish with 18 points and 4 rebounds.
James Harden – Harden picked up another 40-point triple double, collecting 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He shot only 12-30 from the field, but knocked down 12-13 from the line.
Patrick Beverley – 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Not your typical point guard, Beverley continues to fill up the stat sheet and is especially helpful for steals and rebounds.
Clint Capela – Capela returned from a fibula fracture and surprisingly started for the Rockets. He was scoreless in 9 minutes, grabbing 5 rebounds and 1 block, as his minutes should be monitored after the time off. Coach D’Antoni indicated that the starting center would be matchup dependent so Montrezl Harrell (13 points) may still see some starts. In addition, Ryan Anderson (flu) did not play so this is a situation to monitor when all of the Rockets’ bigs are finally healthy.
Dirk Nowitzki – Nowitzki went for a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. More importantly that’s 8 straight games, after a lengthy absence from an Achilles injury. Owners should look to deal him before he’s shutdown or injured again.
Harrison Barnes – Barnes bounced back from a 13 point showing on Sunday, to post 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 threes.
Deron Williams – D-Will posted 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists, including the game winning dish to Wesley Matthews (11/4/2 lines) for a three with 12 seconds left.
Seth Curry and J.J. Barea – Steph’s younger brother posted a 18/2/2 line with 3 threes, while Barea went for double figures in back-to-back games, posting 12 points, 6 assists, and 2 threes. The minutes need to rise above 20 a night for Barea, but Curry or Barea could be options on the waiver wire for Chris Paul (thumb surgery) owners who missed out on Raymond Felton or Austin Rivers.
Jimmy Butler – Butler carried the Bulls with 24 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds, knocking down an impressive 14-16 from the charity stripe. Dwyane Wade (17 points, 5 rebounds), who? This is Butler’s team.
Robin Lopez – Taj Gibson sat with ankle soreness, allowing Paul Zipser (5 points, 3 rebounds) to start, but it was Lopez who benefited the most. Lopez made 10-15 from the field, scoring 21 points and 5 rebounds.
Nikola Jokic – Jokic wasn’t joking around on Tuesday, going off for 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He’s been an absolute beast in January with 23/11/4.8 averages in 6 games.
Kenneth Faried – Another Faried sighting?!?! Receiving his second straight start, Faried posted 20 points again, to go along with 7 rebounds and 2 assists. With Jusuf Nurkic (3 points, 3 rebounds) playing single digits in the last three games, hopefully this is a sign that Faried can be trusted going forward.
Danilo Gallinari – Gallinari did his usual thing with 14 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 threes.
Emmanuel Mudiay – Posting a similar line to Gallo, Mudiay (14/6/2 and 2 threes) has picked it up in his last three games. Pick him up, if this is a start of a hot streak.
Will Barton – Fighting off an illness, Barton collected 26 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 5 threes. He’s a little up and down on a nightly basis, but the averages look great.
Wilson Chandler – Chandler generated 14 points, 6 rebounds, and an uncharacteristic 4 blocks. Owners are going to be especially happy about those 4 blocks.
Brandon Ingram – Taking advantage of Luol Deng’s wrist injury, Ingram had a nice all-around game with 15 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. With Deng out indefinitely, Ingram should see 30+ minutes going forward.
Nick Young – That moment when you see your own meme. Swaggilicious bounced back from some poor shooting performances to score 22 points on 8-16 shooting and 4-11 from deep
Ivica Zubac – Spending most of his rookie year in the D-League, Zubac exploded for 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks off the bench. This was only his 10th NBA game, but there’s no reason why the Lakers shouldn’t give Zubac more playing in the second half of the season with low upside veterans Tarik Black (14 points, 8 rebounds) and Timofey Mozgov (4 points) playing ahead of him.
Jordan Clarkson – Outplaying starter D’Angelo Russell (5 points, 3 assists), Clarkson posted 19 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 threes on Tuesday.
Lou Williams – Instant offense. Lou Williams heats up quicker than a bowl of Ramen: 24 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 threes in 31 minutes off the bench for the Lakers. Lou Will now has back-to-back 20-point games.
Kawhi Leonard – Posting his 4th 30-point game in a row, Leonard finished with 34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 threes.
LaMarcus Aldridge – Leonard’s fellow All-Star mate, LA put together 29 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
Gorgui Dieng – Dieng posted an all-around line of 17/6/3 with 4 blocks. Nemanja Bjelica (6/4/3 line) has been cutting into his minutes lately, but Dieng should still have tons of value.
Karl-Anthony Towns – Playing a whopping 43 minutes, KAT produced 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 2 threes.
Ricky Rubio – Not known for his scoring, Rubio exploded for 21 points, 14 assists, and 2 steals. Rubio got to the line early and often, knocking down 13-14 from the charity stripe. It was the first time this season Rubio reached the 20-point threshold.
