Waaarriors! Can you dig it!? Harrison Barnes was diggin’ something last night. He’s struggled in the early going of his NBA career (averaging under 10 points through his first nine games), but with 18 points and 9 rebounds in 35 minutes last night its looking like he might be starting to put it all together. Harry continues to log major minutes for the Warriors and last nights performance marked the second game in a row he’s scored over 10 pts and third time in his past five games. His defensive stats have seen a bump as well, with 5+ rebounds in the past three games. He found his intensity! Coach Mark Jackson obviously has full confidence in Barnes, and maybe its about time you should, too. Owned in just over half of Yahoo leagues, Barnes has the ability and the pedigree (#Go Tarheels!) to be a bona fide All Star in this league and the Warriors are hoping Barnes can take them (and maybe your fantasy team) to the next level. Can you dig it?
Here’s what else happened in fantasy basketball Friday night:
Jrue Holiday – 26 pts, 7 ast, 6 reb, 4 TO. After shooting poorly Wednesday night, Holiday rebounded with a nice shooting performance here. You’re my boy, Jrue! Not so fast, Frank the Tank. He still had 4 turnovers and continues to lead the league with 5.4 turnovers a game. Womp womp.
Demarre Caroll – 17 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl. Demarre had the game of his life hitting all his shots (6-6 FG). He could see a few more minutes a night after his performance but that Utah bench is so crowded its hard to see him as a helpful fantasy option for now. But hey, nice game, Demarre!
OJ Mayo – 19 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 3pm. Now averaging 21.8 pts, 2.9 ast, 3.7 rpg, and is playing like a top 10 fantasy player so far. Juice has been one of this young seasons biggest surprises. Yeah, Juice, I’m bringing it back.
Nikola Vucevic – 11, pts, 13 reb, 2 blks. Forget Dwight Howard, Orlando’s got a new center now, and he’s just 70% owned. Dwight Whoward?
Kyle Singler – 14 pts, 2 rebs, 1 stl in 29 minutes. Started again as Rodney Stuckey came off the bench. Singler could be worth a look if your’re looking for scoring help at the small forward position. Which I believe we’ve mentioned before, is a vast wasteland populated by players like Kyle Singler.
JJ Redick – 23 pts, 1 reb, 5 ast, 1 3pm. The former Dukie, Redick, is still just 70% owned in Yahoo leagues, so make like a dad who’s kid just finished soccer practice, and pick him up already!
Alexey Shved – 22 pts, 7 ast, 3 reb, 1 blk. Shvedy has seen a huge bump in minutes with all the injuries in Minnesota and he has taken advantage with double digit scoring in his past three games. And, oh hello there, those 7 assists are certainly a treat. You should do that more often ‘Lexey. Can I call you “‘Lexey”? Shved is producing nicely across the board right now and took more shots than any other player on the Wolves last night. He could be worth an add while the Timberwolves guards are banged up. Word is coach Rick Adelman trusts him, so we could be seeing a lot more of Alexey.
Kevin Durant – 27 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk. He’s no Alexey Shved….no, actually he’s a whole lot better. Some might say–the best.
Kevin Martin – 27 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast. Who needs James Harden when you got the the Two Kevins scoring 40+ a night. As long as the Thunder keep a Kevin on the floor at all times they’re unstoppable! Watch out NBA!
Ryan Anderson – 15 pts, 7 reb and 3 3pm in 21 minutes. I know Anthony Davis (8 pts, 11 reb, 2 blk) is going to be great, and everyone loves him and he should be given every opportunity to play, and good lord you gotta love that eyebrow. But shouldn’t Anderson be playing more than 21 minutes a night? Do it for the tall, awkward, young white boys everywhere who look up to him.
George Hill – 15 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 2 3 PM. Oh George, really want to love you but that inconsistency is rough. His past five games’ points totals: 29, 8, 18, 3, 15. Yesterday was one of his “on” days, as he shot 5-6 last night. Y U No shoot like that every night?
Kyle Korver – 22 pts, 3 ast, 7 reb, 5 3pm. Kyle played 34 minutes in the start with five tres. I heard recently Korver’s wife, Mrs. Korver, is trying to get Kyle to move to the country, but he’s reluctant, he’s just more comfortable FROM DOWNTOWN!
Jason Thompson – 19 pts, 10 reb. I dissed J-Thoms last week, and I shouldn’t have. My bad, Jason. As long as he’s playing 30+ minutes a night he should be more than just 40% owned in leagues.
Zach Randolph – 20 pts, 15 reb. It’s called Z-bowing, all the kids are doing it. Z-Bo continues his takeover of the NBA and eventually the world, leading the the Grizz to their 15th straight road win (dating back to last season) and their league beast 7-1 record. They also managed to hand the Knicks their first loss of the season despite 20 points from Carmelo Anthony. These are not your daddy’s Grizzlies, folks.
Marc Gasol – 24 pts, 7 reb, 1 blk, 12-13 FT. Oh yeah, that’s why we drafted him so early. La Taqueta was starting to worry me for a bit there. Keep it up, Marc! My fantasy team is counting on it.
Nicolas Batum – 35 pts, 6 reb, 4 asts, 5 blks, 5 3pm, 1 stil. Heyo! I knew he could contribute across the board but this game was too good to be true. Five blocks?! Yes, please. Batum lead the Blazers to a crazy OT win over Houston so we’ll let the 7 turnovers slide this time. Five blocks! Woot!
Chandler Parsons – 19 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast. Has four double digit scoring games in his past five but still Pars is just owned in little over half of Yahoo leagues. It’s your last chance to get in on that exciting 2012 Houston Rockets basketball action while you still can so scoop him up!
James Harden – 29 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl. Contractual obligations with my inner child require me to mention James Harden in every post and just how awesome he is. Harden is currently battling for the lead in scoring. Novembeard strikes again!
Dwight Howard – 18 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk. Coach Dan Tony is set to make his Lakers debut Sunday but the system is in place and from the looks of it, the Lake Show are back to showtime. Dwight especially looked like his old self and I’m guessing he really just missed that pick and roll as the offense was there for him last night. But the rest of the Lakers weren’t about to let Dwight steal the show. Pau Gasol was in the zone with 16 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast and 2 blocks, Kobe Bryant added 31 pts and 6 asts, and Metta World Peace was all over the place posting 22 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, a block and hit five 3-pointers. They looked like the team we thought they’d be in the preseason: scary good. And Steve Nash hasn’t even (really) played yet! The Lakers are 3-1 since firing Mike Brown last week, and if this is a preview of what’s to come, the rest of the NBA is in for some serious trouble.
Join us next Saturday for another Friday recap, as fantasy basketball continues next week, all week long!
