TOR @ SAC: Not only did Tyreke Evans (knee) play, he scored 23 points, and DeMarcus Cousins (25 PTS, 13 AST) also played one of his better games. Kyle Lowry 34 PTS, 11 AST, 5 REB) was almost a one-man team for Toronto, though newest Raptor Mickael Pietrus scored 21, to the delight of those who added him as a FA in deep fantasy leagues. The enigmatic, inconsistent Andrea Bargnani (8 PTS) had another stinker (3-for-14) and Jonas Valanciunas disappeared (3 PTS in 15:46) so Ed Davis (13 PTS, 11 REB) made the most of some extra minutes.
DAL @ LAC: Although Derek Fisher surprised me with 15 points, Chris Paul (14 PTS, 13 AST, 4 REB, 5 STL) won that matchup handily. Blake Griffin (19 PTS, 13 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL) was also outstanding as the Mavericks were never really in the game. Chauncey Billups sat out with a sore foot, which gave Jamal Crawford 31 minutes to score his 20 points, and even Lamar Odom (11 REB) got a chance to play extended minutes.
December 6 Games
NYK @ MIA: The Heat will be fired up after that embarrassing loss to the Wizards. It’s too bad the Knicks, old and banged-up as they are, played last night. Raymond Felton showed no ill effects of his sore left thumb in Charlotte, and Miami has run out of point guards. Mario Chalmers (finger) is out for at least a week and Norris Cole is battling a hamstring strain. It means more ball-handling for LeBron James and Ray Allen. LBJ and Dwayne Wade will put up enormous numbers. Chris Bosh’s range and Tyson Chandler’s inside game should both be effective. It all comes down to whether Melo can even suit up, let alone shoot. For deep leaguers, Shane Battier (knee) might be coming back; in his absence Mike Miller was a lot better than Rashard Lewis.
DAL @ PHO: The second half of the doubleheader is kind of an afterthought. The Suns had a day off and are finally back at home after a 1-6 road trip. They almost beat the Grizzlies on Tuesday, forcing OT despite Zach Randolph’s heroics. Meanwhile, the Mavericks got thumped in L.A. last night and their 8-10 overall record without Dirk Nowitzki (knee) is more palatable than this 1-4 slide in their last five. Goran Dragic is better than Fish in every category, unless your league counts negotiating skills. Luis Scola is thriving off the bench and Jared Dudley has turned it around. Didn’t some of us cut Dudley last year after a slow start? Will we ever learn?
Get the Spin by 9:00 EST, every morning. Follow us on Twitter — @SheridanFantasy — for updates and roster advice from Jeff Nichols. With his day job taking him overseas for a while, we won’t have Jeff’s Saturday recap and Sunday preview this week.
As they say, practice makes pefrcet . Also, it sometimes depends on the physique and athleticism of the player, but actually, anyone can shoot like them with practice and honing of the skill/art.