NOH @ GSW: Although Stephen Curry (13 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST) was relatively quiet, David Lee (26 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST) and Klay Thompson (19 PTS, 4 AST) did enough to win the game. Once again, Jarrett Jack (16 PTS, 10 AST) and Carl Landry (16 PTS, 9 REB) were vital components off the bench. Ryan Anderson and Anthony Davis switched roles for New Orleans. The Unibrow responded with 16 PTS, 16 REB and 4 STL, while Anderson scored 28 in 41 minutes as the sixth man. Greivis Vasquez (20 PTS, 11 AST, 5 REB, 3 STL) also played very well but the Hornets have a revolving door of mediocrity at SF and Lance Thomas is not the answer.
CHA @ LAL: The Bobcats were shockingly good, only to blow an 18-point lead and lose by one for their 12th straight defeat. Kemba Walker (28 PTS, 7 AST, 5 REB, 3 STL) had his way with Chris Duhon as expected, and Bismack Biyombo (8 PTS, 11 REB, 2 BLK, +27) didn’t exactly get destroyed by Dwight Howard (16 PTS, 18 REB, 4 BLK, -17). Gerald Henderson (19 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST) and Byron Mullens (13 PTS, 17 REB, 4 BLK) also played well for Charlotte. The big news was Pau Gasol playing 29 minutes (10 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 4 BLK) after missing eight games with tendinitis in both knees. Metta World Peace (17 PTS, 7 AST) is now coming off the bench; Jodie Meeks (17) will be starting at SG and Kobe Bryant (30 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB) will slide over to SF. All they need is a quarterback, and Steve Nash might play on Saturday.
December 19 Games
BRK @ NYK: The Knicks should win if Carmelo Anthony plays, and even without him, have a slight advantage. Melo (sprained ankle) is a game-time decision. In his place, undrafted rookie Chris Copeland scored 29 against Houston. Showing great courage but not helping his fantasy owners’ FG%, Raymond Felton is playing with two sore hands.
DET @ TOR: The Pistons had last night off while the Raptors had to travel to Cleveland. However, Detroit has lost five straight and are 2-12 on the road, while Toronto is on their best roll of a disappointing season. This game has zero significance in the real NBA, but here in the fantasy world, we’re looking at Brandon Knight and Calderon, who may not be able to stop each other. Greg Monroe is another solid start.
WAS @ ORL: Rested and at home, against a weaker team that lost last night, the Magic looks good. They have won four of their last five, sophomore Nikola Vucevic is better than expected at C and PF Glen Davis is an overachiever. The Wizards might be without Bradley Beal, who took a hard fall last night, making their odds of winning even slimmer.
UTA @ IND: Both teams played on the road last night. Indiana shot just 40% and turned the ball over 20 times, so they will need to be more efficient to avoid a second straight loss. Utah improved their poor road record by winning in Brooklyn, so they have some momentum. It’s a tossup, and the Pacers are solid defensively, so it won’t be high-scoring.
OKC @ ATL: The Hawks had to work overtime last night, and Oklahoma City is a superb team seeking its 12th straight win. I’m expecting Atlanta’s ‘big’ lineup, with Zaza Pachulia at C vs. Kendrick Perkins. That puts Horford against Serge Ibaka and leaves Josh Smith trying to stop the great Kevin Durant. Of course, there’s the Russell Westbrook problem, so Jeff Teague will need to be great if the Thunder is to be silenced.