Folding State Warriors

Another day, another Brooklyn Nets story. I suppose this news is helpful on a slow day, with minimal fantasy basketball and DFS action. Kyrie Irving has been suspended by the Brooklyn Nets, for failure to comply with team actions and simple measures. This is interesting, considering the team handed out the suspension in the wake of the news breaking that Brooklyn is nearing contract finalization with shunned Boston Celtics Head Coach, Ime Udoka.

Speaking of Udoking. Joshua Primo and the San Antonio Spurs have been sued by a former San Antonio Spurs psychologist, alleging Primo exposed himself to her an insane nine times. One time is plenty bad, but nine is unspeakable, strange, and sick. The most important thing is justice and, if these claims are accurate, that the victim is taken care of and Primo is held accountable. Noteworthy is the legacy of Gregg Popovich. My hopes are Popovich was unaware. Per this tweet, he was brought in later. It is unclear what Pop knew at this time, or when he was made aware of the allegations.

Lawsuit states that in June 2022 Spurs counsel Brandon James and human resources head Kara Allen informed Cauthen that Gregg Popovich "was aware of her complaint and accusations and that he wanted to do right by her."

Only mention of Pop in the suit.

— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) November 3, 2022

ESPN Staff Writer, Tim McMahon shared this via ESPN.com: 

Spurs CEO R.C. Buford said the franchise disagrees

“With the accuracy of facts, details and timeline presented [Thursday]. While we would like to share more information, we will allow the legal process to play out,” Buford said, adding that the Spurs remain “committed to upholding the highest standards and will continue to live by our values and culture.”

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Moving on to the two-game slate on Thursday. If you like overs, congratulations! A slow night for the NBA, thus for fantasy and DFS

Orlando Magic: 130 – Golden State Warriors: 129

The Greatest Show on Hardwood. The Warriors are literally the 2000 St. Louis Rams. Tons of offense and zero defense. Here are the point totals given up by the Warriors over their last eight games.

Golden State’s inability to get stops on defense puts them in a vulnerable position. It requires a good offense to be great every game. The Warriors’ ranks on team defense are scary. Again, they are good at scoring, however more times than not they need to not allow more than they put in.

The Warriors do, however, rank 16^th in points allowed in the paint. The perimeter shooters, Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, and Klay Thompson are weapons on one side of the floor but are being exposed on the other.

Paolo Banchero: This is why the Magic took him first overall in the draft: 22 points and 8 rebounds. He was 0-fer from downtown but turns out, it did not matter. Paolo had two bad turnovers late in the fourth quarter, but he also scored two of the last four buckets for Orlando and hit both of his free-throw attempts late in the game.

Jalen Suggs: Suggs balled out, connecting on 53% (7 for 19) of his shot attempts. He assisted on nine baskets and added 4 steals to go along with his team-leading 26 points. Along with Paolo, Suggs helped ice the game. Jalen scored 6 points with less than a minute and a half remaining, giving the Magic a much-needed victory.

R.J. Hampton: R.J. added quality production in few minutes. He finished the game with 15 points in only twenty minutes, of which nine were from behind the three-point line. He was a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity stripe and added one steal and block apiece. Hampton is a fringe pickup to stash on your bench, run in at flex, or sub in 12-man fantasy leagues. With an uptick in minutes as of late, he may be worth a flyer in deep leagues. In Hampton’s last three games, he is shooting 63% from the floor.

Stephen Curry: Beating the same drum – Steph is not Golden State’s issue on offense, and never will be. He will produce night in and night out. Last night was no different. He did all he could to carry the Warriors. Curry finished with 39 points and 9 assists in a loss. Steph hit 8 of his 15 three-point shot attempts. Unfortunately, that was not enough for a win. I don’t feel like you need this advice, but if you do: you should always start Curry in fantasy and DFS.

Andrew Wiggins: As we discussed in Tuesday’s recap, I would like to see Wiggins take more shots, and get more involved when the game is in question. Wiggins can be a go-to option, and on many teams, he would be. His twelve shot attempts resulted in six baskets. 50% is good. We will take that. Wiggins had 15 points, 2 blocks, and 3 assists.

Jordan Poole: Poole has loads of potential and is fun to watch. The streakiness does not bode well for the Warriors right now. He is not afraid to shoot the basketball. Often, Jordan enters the game as the offensive spark to give Curry and Klay a blow. He feels like he must be a deep threat if one of those guys is out. The problem with that is Poole is 12 for his last 40 from the three-point range. He cannot have the same amount of shot attempts as Wiggins in eight fewer minutes. It is not a winning formula.

Kevon Looney: Despite the loss, Looney playing like the big man they need him to be is a positive. The Warriors should be excited about this game from Kevon. He finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Looney hit season highs in minutes and points scored. Head coach Steve Kerr may want to consider working through Kevon more to open less-contested three-point shots for the Splashers.

Denver Nuggets: 122 – Orlando Magic: 110

The Magic are a fun team to watch. They are the third-youngest team in the NBA. They have a way to go before contending. If individual talent equates to a collaborative unit, over time this team will be good and will compete. The Nuggets need to win these games. These are must-wins as they warm up for the schedule hardening in the middle of the season.

Shai-Gilgeous Alexander: Stop me if you have heard this before. From me. Shai is the most underrated offensive player in basketball. Do I need to add anything else here? He is a must-play in any DFS format and, if he is not on your fantasy team, make a move for him. If you land him, I will assume you dealt Luka, Giannis or you play with idiots. In a loss, Shai shot a causal 76% from the field for 37 points. Another multi-steal game and a perfect 11 for 11 from the free throw line.

Josh Giddey: Shai was really the show, but Giddey posted a solid line. Shooting 50% from the field (7 for 14). He also converted on half of his three-point attempts (2 for 4). Josh dished out 5 assists. A nice bounce-back performance from a tough shooting night against Orlando on Tuesday.

Aaron Gordon: Gordon was stellar, connecting on 10 of his 13 shots. He added 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Gordon, not known as a great three-point shooter, had his second consecutive game making three of his four attempts from three. He finished with a season-high 27 points.

Jamal Murray: Murray went late in a lot of fantasy drafts. Understandably so, as many were gun-shy to draft him after returning from a major injury. If you did take him, it is starting to pay off. Jamal is back to regular gameplay. In 32 minutes, he scored 24 points, going 4 for 6 from downtown and added 5 rebounds. Jamal had season-highs in minutes, points, 3-point makes, and rebounds. He is a great trade option as his stock may still be considered low for some.

Nikola Jokic: The reigning two-time MVP was not needed as the primary scorer, yet he still had a good game. Jokic scored 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists. One drawback was the quadruple double. Jokic had ten turnovers. Wow! (Insert eek emoji here.) This is a one-off, as Nikola has only had one game with more than five turnovers this season.