WAS @ MIA: The Wizards were technically in the building, though you could say they never showed up, or got blown out. Bradley Beal (19) and Cartier Martin (18) kept them from losing by even more than 30; Martin is suddenly a nice pickup in deeper leagues. LeBron James (23 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST) played less than 31 minutes and the other Heat starters, while very efficient, also got plenty of rest. Udonis Haslem (13 PTS, 7 REB, 2 STL in 24 minutes) had his best fantasy line in a very long time.
LAC @ MIL: The streak is nine wins and counting, as the Clippers relentlessly pounded the defenseless Bucks. DeAndre Jordan (15 PTS, 11 REB) dominated Larry Sanders (4 PTS) in the paint, Chris Paul (10 PTS, 13 AST, 2 STL) outplayed Brandon Jennings (9 PTS, 4 TO) and Matt Barnes (21 PTS) has developed a killer instinct off the bench. It was 55-35 at halftime and that L.A. second unit keeps the pressure on. Even Lamar Odom (10 PTS, 5 REB) looks fitter and more focused; he might eventually be a fantasy asset again in deeper leagues. Marquis Daniels (16) ‘led’ Milwaukee, whose ownership should offer the 13,691 witnesses an apology, if not a refund.
BRK @ CHI: This was a pitcher’s duel — low-scoring and intense. Rookie Marquis Teague (8 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST) has played his most significant minutes as a pro the last two games, with Kirk Hinrich (knee; day-to-day) sidelined and Nate Robinson unable to guard the likes of Deron Williams. D-Will led all scorers with 24, but missed a key jumper near the end. Brook Lopez (18 PTS, 10 REB) got 25 minutes in a back-to-back, good news for his nervous owners. Joakim Noah (12 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK) and Luol Deng (17 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL) did a bit of everything, while Marco Belinelli scored a team-high 19 — his sixth straight excellent start.
IND @ DET: As we thought, the Pistons were drained from a double-OT road loss the night before. Greg Monroe (18 PTS, 8 REB) and Brandon Knight (14 PTS) were the only effective starters; Rodney Stuckey (15 PTS, 7 AST, 5 REB) and Andre Drummond (11 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK) got extra run off the bench to no avail. David West (23) led the Pacers, but Paul George put up a juicy stat line ( 15 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST, 4 STL) and George Hill (18 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB) had another solid outing. Roy Hibbert left after 15 minutes with a deep thigh bruise; he has until Tuesday to recover.
BOS @ SAS: Anyone could see this coming. The Celtics were tired and the Spurs were fired up to end a rare two-game losing streak. Tony Parker (22 PTS, 8 AST) was +17, Rajon Rondo (6 PTS, 9 AST, 5 REB and 7 TO) was -17. Tim Duncan shot an uncharacteristic 2-for-13 but added 12 boards and two blocks; Tiago Splitter (16 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST) made the most of his start at center. Gary Neal (20) found the range after a couple of off-target games and hit three triples. Paul Pierce and Jason Terry led Boston with 18 each, but fatigue became a big factor in the second half.