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Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games. Saturday was a high-scoring day that featured six of the seven games involving legit playoff contenders. Ironically, however, the best game of the night belonged to the two teams not currently in the playoff picture. The Washington Wizards were able to escape the Phoenix Suns in triple-overtime by a score of 149-146. Bradley Beal posted a team-high 54 minutes and handed out a career-high 15 dimes in the process. The University of Florida product was also able to post his first triple-double of his career with totals of 40 points and 11 rebounds to go along with his masterful assist total. John Wall and Otto Porter Jr. were not in the lineup tonight, but Beal has been a top-25 player this season regardless of who is playing beside him.
In a game that may have greater playoff implications, the Los Angeles Clippers thrashed the Denver Nuggets at home 132-111. Tobias Harris continues to shine for the Clippers and looks brilliant for turning down an 80-million dollar extension during the summer. Harris is now eligible to earn a max offer of $188 million over five years from the Clippers or $145 million over four years from any other team. The 26-year-old has quietly been one of the NBA's brightest stars this season and will be getting paid handsomely next year by someone.
And the Golden State Warriors outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 120-116. Kevin Durant led the way with a double-double, but one of the scarier moments of the night belonged to Luka Doncic. The 19-year-old took a hard fall into a chair behind the basket, colliding into a young fan at the game. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle believes he escaped a serious injury, but Doncic said he'll have to see how he feels on Sunday before making any determinations. Our three main takeaways of the night are still to come, so without further ado, let's dive a little deeper into the recap for December 22nd.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
P.J. Tucker: Grabs Season-High 16 Boards
P.J. Tucker provided a season-high 16 rebounds on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs, adding six points, three assists, one steal and two three-pointers in 35 minutes. Tucker did tweak his ankle in the second half but was able to play through the pain and should be fine.
The injury to Chris Paul (hamstring) has opened up some extra usage for the 33-year-old on offense, and we will probably see a spike in scoring until Paul can return. Tucker's 16 rebound showing is an anomaly performance, but he is a steady nine-category provider that should be owned in all settings. He is currently available in 57 percent of Yahoo leagues and is a safe add that won't hurt you anywhere. His low volume shooting makes up for his poor percentage, and his questionable free throw percentage is masked by the fact that he takes less than one per game. Tucker is a player you can count on for solid rebounding, a low turnover rate and a handful of three-point baskets. He isn't going to be the reason you win your league, but he is a steady option to own if you are looking for consistency on your bench.
Joe Ingles: Ingles All The Way
Sticking to the theme of unsung heroes in fantasy basketball, Joe Ingles is a player that doesn't get the credit he deserves. The 31-year-old is posting averages of 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.2 three-pointers made on the season. The combination of steals and threes is always one of my favorite areas to target from players outside the top-50 in the pre-season rankings.
In more competitive leagues, Ingles does creep up the draft board, but he does slip in many ordinary situations because of his lack of dominance in any one category. And to be quite honest, that is all the better for us savvy owners that realize the importance of a player like him on your roster. You may not have drafted Ingles, but I have found him to be one of the more accessible players to work into a deal because of the aforementioned lack of perceived upside.
Ingles is flirting with top-50 value in nine-category leagues and very rarely gets treated in that sense. He is not a player that I recommend breaking the bank for, but he is someone that I think can be acquired for way under what his actual worth is. His recent run may make it slightly more difficult to obtain him, but it doesn't hurt to put out some feeler offers on the Australian.
Trevor Ariza: Plays 54 Minutes Against Former Team
Trevor Ariza faced his former Phoenix Suns team on Saturday night, scoring 14 points to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one three-pointer in 54 minutes. While his 54 minutes in triple-overtime will skew the numbers slightly, he is averaging 42.6 minutes in his three games with Washington.
Head coach Scott Brooks has not seemed shy about getting the 33-year-old involved, and Ariza has not disappointed with averages 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.0 three-pointers. Those numbers will not remain sustainable for the most part, but he will fall into some semblance of production that mirrors his current three-game run in Washington. Ariza's field goal percentage does leave a lot to be desired for category league owners, but his tremendous production in steals and threes will more than alleviate any one-category hit you may take.
