Utah Jazz vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Jazz Notes:
- Joe Ingles is finally kicking it into gear after a slow start to the season. Ingles is back to canning threes and dropping dimes—he amassed three of the former and seven of the latter on Thursday—and has scored in double digits in five of his last seven. Over that span, he’s averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.7 3PTM. Those numbers may seem modest, but paired with close to 60 percent shooting, it’s made him a top-100 player over the past 14 days. He’s trending in the right direction, and I would scoop him up now if you need treys and dimes (39 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 11 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4-9 | 0-0 |
- Hassan Whiteside was re-inserted into the rotation last night and recorded a double-double (14 and 10) to go along with a pair of rejections in just 15 minutes. Whiteside has seen his stock plummet recently. He was a DNP-CD in Utah’s last two games, and in the five games prior to that, he totaled 18 points, 18 boards, and three blocks. Last night’s re-emergence was probably just a matchup play with behemoths like Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond on the other side, so I’m not jumping back in on Whiteside (17 percent rostered) yet.
Want the best tools and projections to help dominate your league? Check out the Stocktonator, the byproduct of Rudy and machine making love. Click HERE for a FREE 3-day trial.
Sixers Notes:
- It was a disappointing blowout home loss for the Sixers and another quiet outing for Tyrese Maxey. The second-year pro scored 11 points, handed out two assists, picked up two steals, and didn’t even attempt a three. Maxey has struggled a bit of late, ranking outside the top-180 over the past seven days, with averages of just 8.6 PPG, 4.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, and 0.4 3PTM over his past five contests. That said, the opportunity should still be there and I trust him to bust out of this slump soon. Try to buy low if you can.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5-10 | 1-2 |
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Lakers Notes:
- Outside of the Lakers’ Big Three (Two and a Half??), no one on the roster is really fantasy-relevant. Malik Monk was a hot pickup last week after stringing together three 20-point performances in four games, but he’s gone quiet again, scoring just six points on 2-for-7 shooting, with three turnovers. I like Monk as a player and think he can be a great sixth man for LA, but he’s streaky and shouldn’t be anything more than a streamer in anything other than a deep league (40 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2-7 | 0-0 |
Grizzlies Notes:
- With Dillon Brooks entering the league’s health and safety protocols, De’Anthony Melton got called back up to the starting five. Melton delivered a solid evening, with 12 points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two triples. He contributes across the board, especially in harder-to-find cats like assists and defensive stats. He’s a must-add while Brooks is sidelined (54 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4-9 | 2-2 |
- A wild Jarrett Culver was spotted on the floor in non-garbage time! Culver got a taste of actual rotation minutes and acquitted himself well with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting, a couple of assists and steals, and a block. He’s usually nailed to the bench unless the Grizz are up by 70 or so (hi, OKC), and although I’ve always been curious to see what he would actually do in a steady role, I don’t see his usage changing much on a deep Memphis squad. Ignore him like you have been (zero percent rostered).
Denver Nuggets vs. San Antonio Spurs
Nuggets Notes:
- Aaron Gordon has been up to the task of being the third option for Denver in the face of all their injuries. He dropped an efficient 25 points last night on 9-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line. Gordon has been in the mid-teens or higher in scoring quite often in the last three weeks, and he’s done it while shooting a high percentage. He’s been a top-100 player over the past month averaging 15 a night on 50 percent from the field, but I still don’t like the mix of stats he brings to the fantasy table. I’d see what he can fetch on the market while he’s hot.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 25 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9-12 | 7-8 |
- With all the absences in Denver’s backcourt, Facundo Campazzo has been thrust into a more prominent role. The diminutive guard has had some nice outings, including on Thursday when he scored 12 points to go along with four treys, three assists, a steal, and a block. Since stepping into heavy minutes in mid-November, Campazzo has averaged 9.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.1 3PTM, and 1.2 SPG. He’s not a must-add, but he should be on everyone’s streaming radar and rostered in more than six percent of leagues.
Spurs Notes:
- Lonnie Walker poured in 21 points off the bench, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, making all four of his foul shots, and canning three triples. It’s the second time in four games Walker has put up a 20-spot, but he’s far too inconsistent to be anything other than a streaming consideration for me (14 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 21 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7-12 | 4-4 |
- I’d much rather have Devin Vassell, who returned from injury last night to score nine points in 17 minutes with a steal, a three, and two blocks. Vassell was really playing well before getting hurt and ranked in the top-90 overall. He’s got a fantasy-friendly game with efficient scoring, lots of threes and steals, and even some blocks from the guard spot. I’d pick him up in a heartbeat to round out my roster (30 percent rostered.
