RADIO
Basketball hasn't been this interesting in a long time, and even with a lot of players either dealing with injury, COVID protocol or re-adjusting to the "new" season, the failures of this season have been greatly over-shadowed. Despite there less records being broken and more attention to defense, this is the first glimpse of what "90's basketball" would be like within the Curry-pace-and-space era.
Realistically, nothing can bring the league back to that time, but watch one of the 11 NBA games tonight and pay close attention to the paint. This season, the toughness needed to score all over the court has exposed some players that like to shy away from contact, relying on a whistle to score. The best part about this transition to "tougher" basketball is that the rookie class was introduced to the league as it stands right now. Jalen Green, Josh Giddey, and Chris Duarte have shown sustainability in their style, but learning to absorb contact and utilize their body types will open the door even wider for their potential.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com is always ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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BOS @ CLE
Jayson Tatum (BOS) LESS 26.5 Points - Darius Garland (CLE) MORE 18.5 Points
The history behind this matchup has taken precedent. Jayson Tatum SHOULD have a rebound game, but there isn't another player in the league with Tatum's type of inconsistency. Some games, he's one of the best players in the league, other times he's detrimental to the team and a burden you can't help but give 38 minutes a night. To make it worse, he doesn't bounce back from bad nights. Since Jaylen Brown went down, he's been the only option in the frontcourt and has taken over 20 shot attempts in each of the last three games. Despite how promising that is from a numbers standpoint, continuing further, if your best performance is 25 points on 27 shots, that's borderline pathetic from an All-NBA, All-Star player with minimal support.
Darius Garland on the other hand, has been reaping in the extra usage. Garland might not of had his Ricky Rubio type performance yet, but it's coming and since Collin Sexton has gone down, Garland has been slowly building and improving nearly every aspect of his game. 20 points is starting to become his floor with how efficient he has been in the offense, and the rest of the Cavaliers respect his ability to provide stability. Alongside Ricky Rubio, the guard tandem will continuously be the focal point of Cleveland's offense every night.
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SAC @ DET
De'Aaron Fox (SAC) MORE 21.5 Points (MORE 39.5 Fantasy Points) - Jerami Grant (DET) MORE 20.5 Points (LESS 36.5 Fantasy Points)
This might look confusing, but this is all about the Pistons and their ability to get steamrolled so effortlessly. Jerami Grant, somehow, always puts up a fight, but even in big games he still usually fails to contribute across the board consistently. It's not a problem since it's become fairly easy to rely on Grant for points, but it does require some support from the rest of the Pistons to keep games somewhat competitive. The Kings have been a good team so far and Harrison Barnes has been the motor. This isn't to downplay the importance of De'Aaron Fox but there are some areas where he dropped off statistically.
After scoring 37 points against the Spurs in a loss, you can clearly see the knack for scoring is still there, however the timing has just been terrible. There's no reason for Fox to struggle against the Pistons and Sacramento needs to get off this four game losing streak. If he doesn't take control of this game from the very start, the Kings might continue this slide downwards, especially if they suffer a loss at the hands of the Pistons.
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NOP @ WAS
Brandon Ingram (NOP) MORE 20.5 Points - Spencer Dinwiddie (WAS) MORE 19.5 Points
As long as Brandon Ingram is playing, it seems the Pelicans are desperate to get him as many touches as they can and rightfully so. Seeing how they lost two games before Ingram went down, then proceeded to lose the next seven, the first game Ingram comes back, he finishes with 19 points on 17 shots, a ridiculous 36% Usage Rate and most importantly, a win over their cross-river rivals. It's only going to improve, especially if they held Ingram back until he was ready to play 30 minutes a night.
Without Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie is the Wizards offense. When teams are without their best players, they need that next person to step-up and without it, the game usually ends up in a loss. This isn't saying Dinwiddie will automatically score 20 points, but he's lined up to and usually provides plenty of support as the teams first option. He also contributes across the board, so if you are worried about 20 points being too high of a threshold, his fantasy point is safe no matter what the projected is.
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ORL @ ATL
Trae Young (ATL) MORE 24.5 Points - Cole Anthony (ORL) MORE 18.5 Points
Other than Steph Curry, there might not be anyone playing better than Trae Young. His offense alone has carried the Hawks this season and just for fun-sies, over the last four games he's scored 127 points on 83 shots. Compared to some people mentioned earlier in the article, that's incredible efficiency and it's criminal to keep Young's projected that low (24.5 Points) against the Magic. Even if line-setters are preparing for a blowout, there's no reason to assume the Hawks offense can do anything without Young's support. If the Hawks have dominated any matchups recently, it's solely because of Young, and once because of Kevin Huerter, so do not assume Atlanta can win games without their best player.
On the opposite end, Cole Anthony has been playing great for a second-year player on a young team. The Magic aren't focusing their attention to one player's offense and despite Cole Anthony being one of the few reliable options in that offense, he's not necessarily selfish enough to demand 20 points each night. If he's hitting, Orlando doesn't shy away from letting him run, but with so many other young options, Anthony is a well-rounded player that likes being able to pass-out and find open teammates. Since he's lining up against Trae Young, it's likely he's more inspired to shoot tonight in hopes of keeping up.
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