JB was on a long-weekend celebrating his birthday so I’m handling Monday’s daily notes this week. Wish him a happy birthday when you get a chance!
The walking triple-double machine that is Russell Westbrook fell a little short of his usual triple-double on Monday night, but no one will be complaining about 46 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. He scored 18 points in the 2nd quarter to give the Thunder a halftime lead, before the Hawks stormed back and won the game.
Westbrook may want to talk to Andre Roberson (14 points, 5 rebounds), who shot just 1-7 after passes from Westbrook. Whether he continues to average a triple-double or not, it’s clear that Westbrook is a fantasy monster and has been well worth the first round price.
Paul Millsap – With Dwight Howard (back) a late scratch, Millsap took on the extra load to finish with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 3 threes, and 1 steal/block each. Howard doesn’t expect the back to be a long-term issue so hopefully he’s back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Kent Bazemore – Bazemore did a little of everything with a 12/5/6/2/1 line. Shooting 4-9 from the line was the only blemish on his stat line.
Dennis Schroder – Schroder knocked down 31 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds for the Hawks in their come from behind win.
Jerami Grant – Grant played 28 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points with 3 threes and 1 steal. Grant has been getting more run, with Victor Oladipo missing his 4th straight game due to a bruised wrist, but there are probably better waiver wire options.
Paul George – PG-13 went for 27 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 threes.
Myles Turner – Before fouling out, Tuner posted 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
Thaddeus Young – Young finished with a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals. No shot was bigger than this game-winning floater with a few ticks on the clock:
https://gfycat.com/EnlightenedMarriedArabianhorse
Man, the Wizards just continue to break my heart.
Jeff Teague – Teague continues to play really well with Monta Ellis (groin) sidelined. Against the Wizards, he went for 23 points, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 4 rebounds. Ellis is expected to miss Tuesday’s game and maybe more. Teague and C.J. Miles (10 points, 2 rebounds) will continue to see lots of minutes.
Otto Porter Jr. – Porter produced 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 threes, and 3 blocks.
Marcin Gortat – The Polish Hammer went for a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
John Wall – The Wall-Star did his usual thing with 19 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Bradley Beal – Beal knocked down a huge jumper to tie the game with less than 20 seconds to go. Then had a chance to give the Wizards the win at the buzzer, but his corner three was a little long. He’s been playing great lately either way, and finished with 22 points, 3 assists, and 3 threes.
Taj Gibson – Gibson was perfect from the field, knocking down all 8 of his field goal attempts en route to 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block.
Jimmy Butler – Butler was almost as efficient as Gibson shooting, going 6-7 from the field and 6-6 from the charity stripe. He finished with 19 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Rajon Rondo – In his third game back from an ankle injury, Rondo nearly produced a triple-double with 10 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 threes.
Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott – With the Bulls leading all game, Mirotic and McDermott received plenty of run off the bench. Mirotic posted 13/4/2 with 2 blocks and 3 threes, while McBuckets had a 13/3/2 line. They have been inconsistent, but show that they can score when given the green light. Mirotic hadn’t played in the previous two games (both coach’s decisions).
Jon Leuer – The Pistons would like to forget their 31-point loss to the Bulls as soon as possible. Jon Leuer of all people led the Pistons in scoring with 16 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Tobias Harris (10 points, 4 rebounds) was the only other Piston in double-figures. It was just one bad game and the usual Piston playmakers should be fine going forward.
Gorgui Dieng – Dieng scored 10 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots against the Suns.
Andrew Wiggins – Wiggins bounced back from a 5-17 shooting performance on Saturday to post 26 points (11-20 FG), 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Karl-Anthony Towns – KAT went off for a monster double-double with 28 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
Ricky Rubio – Matching his season high with 12 assists, Rubio also contributed 8 points and 2 steals. It’s his third game in December with double digit dimes.
Zach LaVine – Usually LaVine participates in All-Star weekend in the dunk contest, but the way he’s playing this season, he has a legit shot to play in the actual All-Star game. He was right in line with his season average on Monday, posting a 23 /4/3 line with 4 threes.
Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe led all Suns scorers with 27 points (9-20 FG), 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Devin Booker – Coming off of a 31 point showing, Booker produced 18 points, 3 assists, and 1 block. The scoring is there, but he just doesn’t do enough in the other categories for me to invest.
Brandon Knight – Off the bench, Knight chipped in 21 points and 4 assists.
Nikola Jokic – Jokic nearly messed around and got a triple-double with 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists. He’s been racking up the assists lately, averaging 5.8 over the last 5 games.
Danilo Gallinari – Gallo didn’t quite have his shot falling (3-9 FG), but knocked down 7-7 from the line to finish with 14 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
Emmanuel Mudiay – Mudiay had one of his more efficient games of the season on Monday. He contributed 18 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, but more importantly, hit an impressive 4-5 from downtown and only committed 1 TO.
Gary Harris – In his third game back from a foot injury, Harris has been fantastic post-injury. On Monday, he contributed 24 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 threes.
Wilson Chandler – All five Nugget starters reached double-figures and Chandler joined his friends in double-figures with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists.
Harrison Barnes – Barnes scored 19 on 9-15 shooting, but did little else with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Barnes could really up his scoring if he attempted more free throws. It was the third game in the last four where he didn’t get to the free throw line at all.
Deron Williams – Williams had one of his best games of the season with 23 points, 8 assists, and 3 threes. That was even with J.J. Barea (11/3/4 line) returning to the lineup. There’s a lot of fantasy value to be had for both of these guys if they could just stay healthy.
Dwight Powell – Coming off the bench, Powell contributed 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
