Philadelphia 76ers vs. Detroit Pistons
Sixers Notes:
- All the absences in Philly has opened the door for some new contributors to step forward. Case-in-point—Shake Milton, who entered the starting lineup and played 34 minutes on Thursday. He took advantage of the opportunity, doing a little bit of everything with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, with eight rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals and treys. Stream him (15 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues) as long as he’s getting this much burn.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 16 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7-13 | 0-1 |
- Another player making the mist of his opportunity is Georges Niang. Niang (31 percent rostered) has played 30-plus minutes in each of the past three games and he’s knocked down at least three threes in each. He’s averaging 17.7 PPG in that span. If you need triples, Niang is a great option.
Pistons Notes:
- The good news: Cade Cunningham made a three! The bad news: He’s only made one of his 21 triple tries so far this season, which is (furiously types on a calculator)…not great. He’s also under 20 percent shooting from the field, but you know it can only get better from here. For now, he’s still the future of the franchise and will have every chance to put up numbers this year. To that end, he did finish with 18 points, 10 boards, and four dimes while sinking 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. If an antsy manager is already fed up with him, then buy low if you still can.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 18 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4-17 | 9-10 |
Utah Jazz vs. Atlanta Hawks
Jazz Notes:
- With Donovan Mitchell sitting this one out, Joe Ingles moved into the starting lineup. He buried five of his six threes and shot 7-of-9 from the field overall. He’s now over 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc on the season, but his numbers overall are still down. Of particular concern is his assist rate, which is hovering around half of where it’s been the past four seasons. I’d give him some more time before jumping ship (50 percent rostered).
- Jordan Clarkson bounced back from a woeful (dare I say, Cade Cunningham-esque?) 1-for-13 shooting night with 30 points off the bench. The NBA’s premier bench gunner is a trove of points and threes if you can stomach the ugly volume shooting.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 30 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10-19 | 6-7 |
Hawks Notes:
- The Hawks wing carousel has landed on De’Andre Hunter lately. Hunter (56 percent rostered) has made a ridiculous 17 of his 20 field-goal attempts in his last two games, after shooting 7-for-9 last night. Hunter hasn’t really helped in any category besides points this season, but after his breakout last season, I’d give him some more rope before cutting bait. It looks like he may be hitting his stride again.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7-9 | 0-3 |
Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat
Celtics Notes:
- It was a team effort for Boston on Thursday, as seven players scored between nine and 17 points. Perhaps the most interesting was Aaron Nesmith, who quadrupled his season-long output with 13 points and three triples on 5-of-8 shooting in 18 minutes. Nesmith (zero percent rostered) has the potential to be a solid three-point specialist if he gets enough playing time. Last night’s performance could put him on the path to exactly that.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5-8 | 0-0 |
Heat Notes:
- Speaking of three-point specialists, Duncan Robinson has struggled to get going so far this season. He canned a season-high five against Boston, but it took him a whopping 17 tries to get there. Robinson is still averaging 3.0 3PTM this year, but he’s shooting a career-low 33.3 percent from distance. If he’s been dropped in your league (57 percent rostered) and you need threes, he’s a great bet to cash in.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5-17 | 1-1 |
Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns
Rockets Notes:
- Alperen Sengun has entered the starting lineup for the Rockets and becomes an intriguing fantasy proposition. The rookie big man has a nice blend of skills, as he displayed on Thursday when he knocked in a triple and handed out five assists to go with his 10 points. Sengun, who’s already rostered in 56 percent of leagues, is worth picking up if the Rockets are investing in his future already.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4-10 | 1-2 |
- If Jae’Sean Tate is still available in your league (61 percent roster), he merits strong consideration as someone who can help a little bit across the board to round out your roster. He did just that last night, with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a three. Tate is yet to miss from the foul line this season, and his defensive stats should get better.
Suns Notes:
- Landry Shamet (one percent rostered) broke out with 19 points in 19 minutes on Thursday, topping his combined total from his past five outings. Shamet knocked down four triples, dished out four dimes, and added a steal to a busy night. He still hasn’t played 20 minutes in a game this season, so I wouldn’t trust him just yet, but he put himself on the radar as a name to monitor with that performance.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 19 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5-9 | 5-5 |
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Thunder Notes:
- After scoring a total of five points over his previous three outings, Kenrich Williams got loose for 13 points against the Lakers, to go along with eight boards, a couple of treys, and a steal. Kenny Hustle has actually gotten pretty consistent playing time for OKC but hasn’t done a whole lot with it. Still, he brings an interesting mix of fantasy assets to the table, as a guy who can get you threes, steals, and blocks, while also boarding. Leave him on the wire for now, but don’t forget about him completely (one percent rostered).
- Another person on watch lists for deep leagues is Ty Jerome. Jerome (one percent rostered) scored more points on Thursday (14) than he had all season coming in (11). He hit three triples and added three dimes and a theft. Jerome is a good, efficient shooter who can contribute some in assists as well. If he starts playing more often he could be in streaming consideration.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 14 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4-10 | 3-5 |
Lakers Notes:
- Time has pretty much run out to scoop up Carmelo Anthony (up to 75 percent rostered) after the scoring savant notched his third 20-point game in his past four. Melo is actually a top 40 player on the season, and the Lakers have relied on him for heavy minutes. While that’s a bad sign for the Lakers, it’s great for fantasy managers because Melo has delivered. He’s drilling nearly four treys per contest, while also approaching a steal and a block each night. The scorching hot shooting will cool off, but ride him while he’s on fire.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 21 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8-18 | 0-0 |
- Thus far, Malik Monk has failed to build upon his breakout 2021 campaign. The new Laker has done nothing over the past week and has ceded playing time to the anonymous Austin Reaves. Monk hasn’t cracked 20 minutes over his past four appearances and has totaled one made basket in that span. The two points he mustered last night were actually the high-water mark for this stretch. Monk (down to four percent rostered) can be ignored in all leagues for the time being.
