2 days agoPortland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony made his team debut on Tuesday against New Orleans, finishing a 115-104 loss with 10 points in 24 minutes. As a starter, Melo looked good physically, but he clearly has to shake off some rust after going 4-for-14 from the field. With
Damian Lillard (back) out, only
C.J. McCollum had more shot attempts than Anthony. His overall shooting was poor, but he actually went a nice 2-for-3 from three-point range, so he has some positives to take from the game. He also had four rebounds, one block and five turnovers. The Blazers continue their road trip in Milwaukee against the Bucks, who boast a top-three defense in the league, so it could be a very long night for Melo and the rest of the crew.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoNew Orleans Pelicans guard
Jrue Holiday delivered his second consecutive 20-plus point game on Tuesday, finishing a 115-104 win over Portland with a team-high 22 points on 10-for-18 shooting. He added 10 assists and five rebounds to cap off a nice performance in 35 minutes of action. Holiday has struggled with his shot during the early days of the season, but he's slowly gaining momentum and he even had a 30-point outing recently. He gets a big test next against the Suns, who have defended well against backcourts this season. Sacramento starters
Cory Joseph and
Buddy Hield combined for only 18 points against them on Tuesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoNew Orleans Pelicans small forward
Brandon Ingram was back on the floor Tuesday night, delivering a 21-point performance in a 115-104 win over Portland. He didn't shoot particularly well with an 8-for-20 record from the field, but he did produce a good fantasy line by adding seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. Ingram played 35 minutes, so it looks like he's fully healthy after missing 10 days of action. The Pelicans' next matchup against the much-improved Suns looks pretty uncomfortable for Ingram, but he's been very consistent through the first weeks of the season and he should still be able to produce a 20-7-4 line at least.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoPhoenix Suns guard
Devin Booker filled up the stat sheet on Tuesday with many of his teammates sidelined in the 120-116 defeat at the hands of the Kings. Booker scored a team-high 30 points on 10-for-20 shooting while adding eight assists with five rebounds and two steals in 39 minutes of action. Booker's efficiency this season is off the charts as he has a 66.1% true shooting percentage and if he keeps up this type of scoring, he will easily finish in the top-20 come season's end in category leagues. Have him on your radar for Thursday's tilt with the Pelicans.
--Gianni Costantiello - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoPhoenix Suns forward
Kelly Oubre Jr. provided another excellent line on Tuesday for his shorthanded club in the loss to Sacramento. Oubre Jr. connected on 8-for-17 shooting to score 20 points and added eight rebounds with two assists to go along with a season-high five steals in this one. Oubre Jr. has been rolling in his last three games with averages of 21.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.7 steals and it seems that his late run last season was not a fluke. With the Suns missing many players due to injuries, Oubre Jr. needs to be on many DFS shortlists for Thursday's game against the Pelicans.
--Gianni Costantiello - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoSacramento Kings guard
Bogdan Bogdanovic continued his dominant play on Tuesday when he tallied 31 points before sitting out the final moments in the win over the Suns. Bogdanovic recorded seven makes from three while adding four rebounds with seven assists and three steals, but did commit six turnovers on his heavy usage night. Bogdanovic sat late in the game with what looked to be a hamstring injury and it was later released that it may have just been cramping, which is excellent news for owners. Stay tuned for updates on Wednesday for his latest status.
--Gianni Costantiello - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoSacramento Kings point guard
Cory Joseph did an excellent job setting up his teammates on Tuesday as he dished out a career-high 14 assists in the win over the Suns. Joseph added six points with five rebounds and two blocks and a steal in a team-high 39 minutes. Joseph has been slotted in as the starting point guard since
De'Aaron Fox (ankle) went down and has not been too reliable overall from a fantasy perspective. He is worth a look in 12-team leagues to see if he can keep this type of confidence going forward for the short term.
--Gianni Costantiello - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoSacramento Kings power forward/center
Richaun Holmes dominated the glass on Tuesday when he grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in the four-point win over the Suns. Holmes stuffed the stat sheet as he also scored 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added two blocks and a steal in the start. Holmes is having a career year and looks locked in as the starting center for the rest of the season with
Dewayne Dedmon not living up to expectations. Holmes is still available in some leagues and should not be.
--Gianni Costantiello - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoMemphis Grizzlies rookie guard
JA Morant scored 20 points with six assists, two rebounds, one triple, a steal, and a block in a 114-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The rookie struggled a bit from the field, needing 20 shots to get to 20 points. Still, his ability to stuff the stat sheet should give him a solid floor most nights, as it did tonight. He's arguably been the league's most impressive rookie and should continue to be a solid fantasy player moving forward. He leads all rookies in points and assists. Morant and Memphis next play on Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers, who have stifled opponents into 42.3 percent shooting from the field, third in the NBA.
--Tim Capurso - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoMemphis Grizzlies forward
Jae Crowder posted 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and four triples in a 114-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors. It's the third double-double of the year for Crowder and his third game in a row with at least two three-pointers made. It's nice to see for Crowder, who has struggled to find his shot this year. He's probably best avoided in fantasy, though it's worth monitoring to see if he can keep up this hot streak.
--Tim Capurso - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoGolden State Warriors forward
Marquese Chriss played his best game of the season in a 114-95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The 22-year-old made the most of his third-highest minutes played this year with a season-high 17 points on 63.6 percent shooting from the field. Chriss also tallied six rebounds, two assists and four blocks. The former 2016 lottery pick has flashed two-way potential this year, though he can't be counted on yet for fantasy- he has yet to play 25 minutes in a game this year. Chriss will look to build on this performance against the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night.
--Tim Capurso - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoGolden State Warriors guard
Alec Burks scored a season-high 29 points on 60 percent shooting from the field in a 114-95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Burks added eight rebounds, two assists, two triples, a block, and a steal. The 28-year-old bounced back after two poor shooting performances, taking advantage of the continued absence of
D'Angelo Russell (thumb) to post his second game this year with 25+ points. Burks has played at least 30 minutes in three straight games and should have more chances to score like this until Russell returns in about two weeks. He'll take on the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow, who rank 22nd in opponent three-point percentage.
--Tim Capurso - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoGolden State Warriors forward
Draymond Green narrowly missed a triple-double in his team's 114-95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, posting eight points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, and two blocks. The 29-year-old fully embraced his point guard duties in this one, posting a season-high 11 assists. He's battled injuries this year, though he's tallied at least one block or one steal in four straight games. Offense has been hard to come by for Green, who's shot just 38.7 percent from the field, his lowest total since his rookie year. More concerning is the fact that his assist numbers have dropped from the 7.1 he averaged over the last four years to 4.8 this year. He should have playmaking chances next time out against the Dallas Mavericks, who rank in the bottom-10 in assists allowed per game.
--Tim Capurso - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoPhoenix Suns point guard
Ricky Rubio (back) and forward/center
Frank Kaminsky (hip) will both play and start against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Both Rubio and Kaminsky were game-time calls with their respective ailments, but neither were deemed serious enough to keep them out of play. With
Aron Baynes (hip) out, Kaminsky should get all the run he can handle at the five.
--Dale Johnson - RotoBallerSource: Gina Mizell
3 days agoPhoenix Suns center
Aron Baynes (hip) will not play Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings. Baynes picked up a hip injury Monday night against his former team, the Boston Celtics. For now, the injury is not serious and the back-to-back set may have something to do with Baynes sitting out.
Frank Kaminsky (hip) is a game-time call with a hip injury and would be in line for big minutes if available. Check back before tip-off for confirmation.
--Dale Johnson - RotoBallerSource: Kayte Christensen-Hunter
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