RADIO
Leonard Francis II highlights three fantasy basketball takeaways from the NBA's November 6th slate. This recap focuses on C.J. McCollum, double-doubles, and Luka Doncic.
There were about four minutes left in the first quarter of Tuesday night's commencement between the Hawks and Hornets. A 41-year old Vince Carter had Jeremy Lamb in the post before spinning baseline and elevating for a one-handed, "Statue of Liberty"-esque dunk. I use "elevating" lightly. I mean, it was far from a struggle dunk, but even further from Vinsanity... That moniker now belongs to Miles Bridges. Milsanity? Nah. Anyway, a little over two minutes following Carter's trademark, motorcycle throttle revving celebration, Mr. Bridges delivered -- what I'm telling you right now will be in the runnings for -- the Dunk of the Year. Man. Just Google it as my words cannot possibly do it justice. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but as Bridges grimaced -- with the most menacing of stank faces -- he mimicked the throttle rev, and I saw no flattery. I saw disrespect. Disrespect to the rim. Disrespect to Dewayne Dedmon (who will be remembered as the guy Bridges ended). Disrespect to the legs -- no longer capable of vengeance -- of Vince Carter. Again, man.
The rest of the game? Meh. Trae Young double-doubled (18 points and 10 assists) for the third-straight game as the Hawks fell to the Hornets 113-102. The rest of the night? Meh. The Wizards were in Dallas, where, of course, they lost. Washington is now tied for the second-worst record (2-8) on the season - their worst start since 2016-2017 when they also began 2-8; they finished as the 4-seed that season, losing to Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Suns (the team tied with Washington at 2-8) put up an impressive 16-point fourth quarter as they took the 104-82 L to Brooklyn... At home. And, the nightcap was intriguing; until the second half. The Bucks have now lost two of their last three -- after their 7-0 start -- while the Blazers continue to make their case for legitimacy in the West...
A rather mundane four-game night in the association and most of you likely checked out once you saw Twitter blowing up as Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish put on an absolute show in Indianapolis. No worries, I got you. Here are the top fantasy basketball takeaways...
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C.J. McCollum Christens Donte Divincenzo
I appreciate dunks as much as the next. As a 5'10", former point guard who recorded a total of zero in-game dunks though, I just appreciate the under the rim stuff a wee bit more. So, while I tossed my infant daughter and almost tore my hamstring as I jumped off of the couch following the aforementioned Bridges dunk, McCollum dancing on DiVincenzo was easily the play of the night. (Any time a defender falls, it's game over. No questions asked. And, he put DiVincenzo on skates. Again, Google it.) The highlight of the night resulted in just two of McCollum's 40 points on the evening -- he added five rebounds, six assists, and four steals -- but was one of countless plays which had me audibly wondering, "why is DiVincenzo still on him?!" Welcome to the league, rook. (DiVincenzo countered with six points and a rebound.)
Why Double-Single, When You Can Double-Double?
Six, yes six, players put up double-doubles on Tuesday night and their names are even more impressive than the number. Deandre Ayton had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns while teammate Richaun Holmes dropped 13 points and pulled down 10 boards off the bench. Evan Turner went for 16 points and 11 rebounds. Harrison Barnes gave the Mavs 19 points and 13 rebounds. As mentioned, Trae Young went for 18 and 10 and his third-straight triple-double. And lastly, John Wall did all he could to end the Wizards woes dropping 24 points and dishing out 10 assists. Show me someone who predicted these six all would go for double-doubles, and I'll show you a liar. The two rookies (Ayton and Young) are the only players not making their first appearance in the double-double club this season - Ayton now has six, this was Young's fourth. (Holmes isn't an add just yet, but keep an eye on him as he should continue to see additional minutes with Tyson Chandler now a Laker.)
Luka Doncic.
I'd be remiss to mention Bridges, Young, DiVincenzo, and Ayton without mentioning the Rookie of the Year. Alright, we all know Allonzo Trier has that on lock (if only I had a vote), but Doncic leads all rookies in points per game (19.8), sits fourth in rebounds per (6.5), second in assists (4.4) and added to his eye-opening start Tuesday night by going for 23 points, six rebounds, and three assists in the Mavs 119-100 victory over Washington. Doncic has now scored in double-figures in every game this season (including the preseason) and is proving to be well worth the price of admission... Oh, and he's only 19-years old.
