There is a lot to discuss after Friday's 12-game slate, so I'll lead off with some recent injury updates before jumping straight into game recaps.
- Caron Butler (shoulder) returned and started, but had just seven points, two rebounds and one steal in 32 minutes. Those numbers pretty much mirror his season-long production, so avoid him.
- Gerald Wallace (ankle) returned and played a whopping 38 minutes, yet had just eight points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks. He'll be better most nights but just isn't involved enough offensively to return the value fantasy owners were hoping for on draft night.
- Rasheed Wallace didn't play because of a sore foot. Marcus Camby still didn't play, however, and it feels like he is in Mike Woodson's doghouse for some reason.
- Mo Williams left Friday's game with a right ankle injury and didn't return. The injury doesn't sound very serious, but owners should ponder some alternatives in case he's not ready to play in Sunday's rematch vs. the Kings.
- Anthony Davis sat out again with a stress reaction in his ankle, and he's considered day-to-day in advance of Monday's road game vs. the Clippers.
- Daniel Gibson (elbow) returned but scored just three points (0-of-3 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs) with six assists in 25 minutes. He'll be better than this on most nights, and I like him as a cheap source of points, 3s and assists while Kyrie Irving is out.
- Gary Neal played through his cut finger, finishing a start at SG with eight points, five rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes.
- Darrell Arthur made his debut on Friday but scored just two points. His return is a huge boost for an already dangerous Grizzlies team, but it won't have much fantasy impact while Zach Randolph is healthy.
- Earl Watson (knee) made a scoreless season debut, and his role is only likely to increase if Mo Williams' ankle injury costs him a few games.
- Nene is still dinged up and was on a 20-minute limit on Wednesday, Trevor Booker remains day-to-day with a strained knee, and there is still no clear timetable for John Wall’s return to action.
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Cavs @ Magic: Dion Waiters led the way for Cleveland with 25 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Even better, he drained four 3-pointers while maintaining reasonable efficiency at 9-of-22 from the field. He's a must-own player in Kyrie Irving's absence, though owners should be prepared for him to anchor their FG percentage, and not in a good way. Jeremy Pargo, meanwhile, scored 15 points with one assist in 30 minutes. His debut in place of injured Kyrie Irving was undoubtedly fluky, and Daniel Gibson's return will steal some of his thunder, but he remains a very nice pick-and-play this month. Tyler Zeller was solid in over 30 minutes off the bench with 13 points and nine boards. He's not yet a reliable option in 12-team leagues, but his rise hurts Tristan Thompson (six points, five rebounds in 28 minutes), who I've said repeatedly does not have a fantasy-friendly game, even if he's getting 30+ minutes regularly.
Jameer Nelson looked great in the win over Cleveland, scoring a team-high 22 points on 9-of-18 FGs, with four 3s, six boards and six assists. He chipped in two steals and is must-start as long as he's healthy, though it must be noted that he was playing against Jeremy Pargo most of the night.
Hawks @ Bobcats: Al Horford continues to break out, finishing Friday's victory with 26 points (13-of-17 FGs) and 13 rebounds, while blocking three shots. Josh Smith posted his second consecutive solid game on Friday with 10 points, four rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. He shot poorly at 4-of-12, but the beauty of his versatility is that an off night from the field typically won't ruin his value. Lou Williams scored just six points in 26 minutes, and his slow start is seriously frustrating for owners. The move to Atlanta looked like it would provide a breakout opportunity, but thus far he's been more of a bust. Kyle Korver moved back into the starting five at SG and provided sneaky value with 16 points, four 3s, six rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 30 minutes, while former starter Devin Harris struggled to eight points and one assist in 18 reserve minutes.
Ramon Sessions scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Bobcats, adding four rebounds, and four assists, ensuring that Ben Gordon remains an afterthought (four points on 1-of-8 FGs). Byron Mullens had a bit of a strange line with 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and a career-high six steals. I have no idea where the swipes came from, but his owners will take it, and it's nice to see a few blocks as well. He keeps jacking up 3-pointers despite shooting around 28 percent from downtown, and is worth owning as long as he's logging heavy minutes, which he is. Jeff Taylor scored 16 points (a career-high), including four 3-pointers, while adding three steals. Unfortunately for Taylor, Gerald Henderson is expected to return this week, so his run as a starter won't last much longer. Kemba Walker shows no signs of slowing down (16 points, four rebounds, nine assists, two steals) and his 44 percent shooting has been an absolute delight for Charlotte. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is also giving the Bobcats reason to smile -- he finished Friday with 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks, and has been steadily producing after a slow start to the year. Elsewhere, Bismack Biyombo bruised his leg and is listed as day-to-day, but he shouldn't be owned outside of the deepest leagues anyway.
Thunder @ Celtics: Boston got a huge win behind big games from the usual suspects -- Rajon Rondo dropped 16 assists, Paul Pierce scored 27 points with four 3s and 7-of-7 FT shooting, and Kevin Garnett scored 18 points with nine boards and four assists. Even Jeff Green chipped in 17 efficient points off the bench, and he seems to finally be warming up.
Kevin Martin finally crashed to earth in a loss to Boston, scoring a mere three points on 1-of-7 shooting, with zero rebounds or assists and three turnovers. Ouch. He's been on fire lately, however, and one off game from a designated-gunner reserve player doesn't give me much pause. Kevin Durant did his thing with 29 points, while Russell Westbrook did his thing with 26 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block. Don't look now, but WB is nailing 1.4 threes per game, easily a career-high.
Raptors @ Pistons: Andrea Bargnani erupted for a season-high 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting vs. the Pistons, draining 3-of-5 from downtown. He even chipped in five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block, and he's now scored at least 22 points in three straight games. Sadly for Toronto, his big night couldn't prevent yet another heart-breaking loss, this time a one-point defeat to the lowly Pistons. Jose Calderon disappeared into the bench with just five points and three assists in 16 minutes -- I recommended trying to hang onto him in my live chat on Friday, but I may have spoken too soon. If he's stuck as a strict backup PG he's not going to return sufficient value in 12-team leagues.
For Detroit, Andre Drummond had a mini-breakout with 13 points (6-of-11 FGs), 13 rebounds (eight offensive) and two steals in 24 minutes. This comes on the heels of Lawrence Frank saying he'd try to play Drummond more, and he looks like a nice stash in case the playing time becomes a trend. Just beware his awful FT shooting -- he made 1-of-6 from the stripe on Friday and that's not a fluke. The rest of team went pretty much by-the-book, though Jason Maxiell vanished with six points and six rebounds in 20 minutes, and Rodney Stuckey (eight points in 22 minutes) shows no signs of retaking the starting SG job from Kyle Singler (six points in 29 minutes). Brandon Knight had just three assists vs. five turnovers, but he scored 16 points with three 3-pointers, and gained major confidence by hitting the game-winning layup.
Clippers @ Nets: The Clippers' starters combined for 52 points in a lackluster game, while Lamar Odom went scoreless in five minutes and Matt Barnes (who played 44 minutes on Wednesday) had just one point in 16 minutes. Caron Butler was very quiet in his return from a strained shoulder, and this was a game most Clippers fans would like to forget.
Meanwhile, Brook Lopez carried the Nets' offensive load with 26 points on 13-of-24 shooting, with three more blocks. His lack of rebounding remains conspicuous -- he grabbed just five boards tonight -- but that's easier to overlook when he's putting up 20+ points and multiple blocks every night. Kris Humphries' slide into oblivion got a bit of extra grease on Friday, as he posted two points and three rebounds in 24 minutes.
Knicks @ Rockets: For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony dropped 37 points in a losing effort, making 14-of-24 FGs, including 7-of-12 from downtown. He also coughed up seven turnovers, however, and the Knicks' typically stalwart defense yielded 131 points to the Rockets. Ronnie Brewer was invisible in 15 minutes, J.R. Smith finally cooled off with a 2-of-13 shooting performance, and Jason Kidd chipped in another understated across-the-board line of seven points, one 3-pointer, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks.
James Harden made 16-of-16 FTs to highlight his 33 point outburst vs. New York, adding four rebounds and nine assists, but it was Chandler Parsons who opened the eyes of most fantasy owners. Parsons erupted for 31 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including four 3s, while grabbing five rebounds, handing out four assists, swiping four steals and blocking a shot, all without a single turnover in 34 minutes. He's been awesome lately and although he may cool off, I like him to retain serious season-long value. Even Omer Asik got in on the fun, posting 18 & 14 with three assists, and the Rockets used an avalanche of scoring to bury the hype around Jeremy Lin vs. the Knicks.
Spurs @ Pacers: Tony Parker's tear continued vs. the Pacers with 33 points, 10 assists and two steals, as he torched George Hill and co. for 15-of-23 shooting. I still can't believe how dominant Tim Duncan has been in the early going, and he notched another 22 & 17 on Friday. Eventual DNP-CDs feel like a pretty vague concern in the face of this elite production. The Spurs' third veteran cog, Manu Ginobili, finally got going with 19 points, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 28 minutes.
The Pacers out-rebounded the Spurs 49-37, but they shot just 41 percent as a team to fall to 6-8. Roy Hibbert (10 points, 11 boards) and Paul George (15 points) both cooled off after a crazy Wednesday, but that was to be expected, and both guys are trending upward.
Lakers @ Grizzlies: Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol both scored single-digit points for a second straight game. Incredibly, Pau had just four rebounds in 27 minutes, while Dwight had just four rebounds in 39 minutes. Major credit goes to the Grizzlies physical frontcourt and team defense, but I doubt that Dwight and Pau will have another two-game stretch like this all season. Dwight has attempted a grand total of 11 field goals over those two games, something that simply should never happen -- Kobe wound up launching 23 shots (making just seven) for his 30 points on Friday, and Steve Nash's absence has never been felt more keenly. As for Gasol, he didn't play down the stretch, and when asked for an explanation, Mike D'Antoni said, "I'd like to win the game." That doesn't sound good at all, but Pau is too talented to anticipate a major drop-off in minutes or touches in an up-tempo offense, so don't panic and unload him for the first mediocre offer that comes your way.
Close your eyes and picture an average Grizzlies boxscore. Yes, you're correct, that's exactly what they did last night.
Kings @ Jazz: For the Kings, it finally happened -- Isaiah Thomas picked up a DNP-CD, while Aaron Brooks scored 17 points with three 3s and three assists in 32 minutes as the starting PG. Whatever your feelings about the move, it has clarified some roles for the Kings and works for the benefit of Tyreke Evans, who posted 19 points, five assists and two steals.
Marvin Williams (20 points, four rebounds) returned to Utah's starting five, replacing Derrick Favors, a move I presume will stick -- the Jazz won their past two games with a 'big' lineup featuring Paul Millsap at SF, but they never quite looked comfortable and it seems Tyrone Corbin was merely experimenting. Regardless of who starts, it's clear that Favors will get 25-30 minutes a night, and on Friday he cashed in for 16 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Meanwhile, Gordon Hayward looked very comfortable and aggressive coming off the bench for 23 points, including a game-winning jumper, and his ostensible demotion isn't the end of the line for his fantasy owners. Keep an eye on how Paul Millsap's role fluctuates with Utah's new rotations -- he had just 10 points again on Friday, which is reason enough to be mildly concerned.
Warriors @ Nuggets: Harrison Barnes flopped on Friday with just four points in 15 minutes, the victim of foul trouble, while fouls also limited Stephen Curry to just six points in 26 minutes. Curry has been playing great lately, and his ankle hasn't been an issue, so don't read too much into this random dud. The Warriors' bench stepped up with Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry combining for 36 points, with Landry also chipping in eight rebounds, four assists and one block.
Andre Iguodala scored a season-high 29 points vs. the Warriors, and seems to be getting more comfortable in every game he plays alongside Ty Lawson (18 points, nine dimes) and Danilo Gallinari (20 points on 8-of-20 FGs). At the center position, the timeshare between Kosta Koufos (19 minutes) and JaVale McGee (25 minutes) shows no signs of abating, but owners should hang tight on McGee, who is returning low-end value despite his diminished playing time.
Hornets @ Suns: Greivis Vasquez exploded in an overtime loss to the defenseless Suns, notching a career-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, with five rebounds and a career-high 14 assists. His huge night was equaled by fill-in starter Ryan Anderson, who also scored a career-high with 34 points and 11 rebounds, while draining a ridiculous 8-of-13 from downtown. A fine game was also had by Al-Farouq Aminu, who posted 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block on 6-of-7 shooting.
The Suns new starting PF, Markieff Morris, continued to impress with a career-high 23 points, two 3-pointers and three rebounds in 35 minutes. One of his 3s was a dagger with 50 seconds left in OT, a stark contrast to moribund Luis Scola, who had just 10 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Morris needs to be owned, while I'd give Scola another week, furiously try to trade him, and if all else fails, cut bait. Someone who looked like Jermaine O'Neal had a big game off the bench...oh, that was J.O. posting 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks off the Suns' bench on Friday, and he's been quite effective in limited minutes early in the season. Amazingly, O'Neal had a +/- rating of +29, while Marcin Gortat was -26 in just 24 minutes. Oh, and if you haven't cut Michael Beasley (two points in 17 minutes), do yourself a favor and get it over with.
Wolves @ Blazers: Kevin Love's hand is still sore but he's been assured that it's healed enough that he won't re-break it, so he should be fine going forward. He had 24 & 13 on Friday and needs to be active in all lineups. Nikola Pekovic posted 18 & 10 (seven offensive rebounds) and seems fully recovered from his ankle injury. Keep an eye on recently acquired Josh Howard, who had 10 points and seven rebounds in Friday's loss, and could start at SG before long -- current starter Malcolm Lee (seven points, one assist) isn't exactly putting up much resistance. J.J. Barea (foot) has returned, but he's doing more to hurt Alexey Shved than anything else, and neither guy cracked 20 minutes vs. Portland.
LaMarcus Aldridge got into early foul trouble vs. Kevin Love and the Wolves, reducing him to just 13 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes. Wesley Matthews picked up the slack, scoring 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting, with five 3-pointers and four steals, while Damian Lillard chipped in 28 points and J.J. Hickson had 14 & 13. The only player who didn't get in on the act was Nicolas Batum, surprisingly, though his quiet night (nine points, four rebounds, five assists, and four turnovers) shouldn't diminish what he's done so far this year.
That's it for this week! I say this every week, but future columns probably won’t be this long, for my sake and for yours. I hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend, close friends and family, a feast of leftovers, and of course, discount electronics.