RADIO
Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we will highlight three fantasy basketball takeaways from last night's slate of NBA games. It was a busy night in the NBA on Monday with nine games on the slate, which included some eye-opening performances across the league. DeAndre Jordan had a big game for the Mavericks in their 115-to-109 win over the Bulls, as the big man finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds. His teammate Luka Doncic had yet another strong performance with 19 points, six assists, and three rebounds.
Another dynamic duo last night was Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Antetokounmpo dropped 31 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Middleton was 11-for-14 from the field for 30 points, while also adding seven rebounds. In injury news, Klay Thompson left the Warriors game early with a mild left ankle sprain. The Warriors were up by more than 20 at the time, but the severity of the injury is not known at this time. Chandler Parsons left the Grizzlies game early with knee soreness. This will benefit Kyle Anderson and his fantasy owners, as Anderson is likely going to absorb the majority of Parsons' minutes (entered Monday averaging 20 minutes per game).
Let's take a look at Monday's fantasy recap.
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Keep a Watchful Eye on Jonathan Isaac
The Orlando Magic forward made a big-time impact en route to his team's road victory over the Boston Celtics. Isaac played 26 minutes and scored a season-high 18 points, on 8-for-12 shooting that included two three-pointers, while grabbing 12 rebounds. It was the first career double-double for Isaac.
The Magic frontcourt is crowded, but he has played 26 minutes and 28 minutes in the last two games. Isaac should continue to have a role in the rotation with his ability to play at both small forward and at power forward.
Essentially, as long as he stays out of foul trouble he should continue to get anywhere from 24-to-30 minutes a game while having the hot hand.
New-Look Raptors Benefitting Kyle Lowry
Anytime a team goes out and acquires a star, it's tough to predict how the impact will go with the other players on the team. The Raptors acquisition of Kawhi Leonard has worked out wonderfully so far for Kyle Lowry.
Lowry has had a monster start to the season, as last night's game may not even be considered his best game of the year, but it was still quite impressive. The point guard scored just 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting, but his 14 assists was the second most he's had over the past three seasons.
He is clearly playing well with Leonard, as the Raptors improved to 4-0 with their 127-to-106 win over the Hornets. Lowry should be viewed as a top-eight point guard moving forward, behind Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving.
Zach LaVine Destroys Mavericks Defense
We've all seen and come to know Zach Lavine's insane throw down dunks, but the combo guard has molded himself into quite the ball player. Lavine had his third straight 30-plus point game when he finished with 34 points on 11-for-15 shooting in the Bulls' loss to the Mavericks.
In addition to the big scoring performance, he came away with three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block, and has proven to be a bonafide stat sheet filler. It was a great sign to see that he continued his great start to the season last night, as Kris Dunn returned to the Bulls starting lineup, but Lavine still produced well despite the point guard coming back.
The Bulls are one of the few teams with a four-game week this week, making Lavine a great play, while making other Bulls players solid streaming options. While the Bulls may not be set up for a great season, Lavine can definitely help fantasy owners contend.
