Bojan Bogdanovic was held to just three points on 3-of-4 shooting from the line on Thursday, adding just one rebound and three turnovers across 29 minutes.
Bogdanovic was coming off a 23-point performance, but he was back in the gutter today, and he's been woefully inconsistent through the first four games of the season. Over that span, he's scored three, 23, nine and 15 points, respectively, but when he's not scoring and bombing away triples, he's really not doing much of anything for you in fantasy hoops. Technically, he should be able to turn it around at some point, but his usage has dropped to 20.1 this season (down from 25.2 last year), which is a bit concerning.
Donovan Mitchell went 9-of-23 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line for 23 points in Thursday's loss to the Suns.
Mitchell added three triples, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and three turnovers in his 36 minutes of action, but his shooting remained an issue and he acknowledged it after the game, saying: “I’ve been shooting the ball like sh*t. There’s no other way around it. I’ve just gotta continue pushing through it… I’ll figure it out, it’ll come. But right now it’s hurting us.” He's been connecting on an abysmal 34.1% of his shot attempts through the first four games of the year, but there's no way he'll be this bad for an entire season. It might make sense to see how his fantasy GM values him, though.
Al Horford scored a season-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in Thursday's blowout loss to the Pelicans, adding six rebounds, three triples and three assists over 24 minutes.
Horford opened this game going 3-of-3 from distance, and while he was in a nice groove, no one else was as his 17 points also accounted for a team-high. With Horford back in action, Isaiah Roby returned to the second unit where he finished with seven points, six rebounds and two turnovers in 18 minutes off the bench.
George Hill (neck) scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting Thursday, to go with four assists, two 3-pointers and two turnovers in a blowout loss to the Pelicans.
Hill took the night off on Tuesday with a minor neck issue and that game being the second of a back-to-back set, but he didn't appear to be hindered by his neck at all on Thursday. It's possible the vet will rest in back-to-back sets for this OKC team that may be setting up for a tank year, so Hill isn't the most attractive guy to roster in 12-team leagues with 13 roster spots. Hill's return sent Justin Jackson back to the bench, and he finished with a DNP-CD.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held to just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting in Thursday's blowout loss to New Orleans.
“He knew it was gonna be like that before the season," said Lu Dort when asked about how much attention SGA received from the opposing defense tonight. "There will be nights it’s tough to score. He’ll just step up next game.” Gilgeous-Alexander added two triples, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two turnovers in his 29 minutes of floor time, but he also bricked both of his free throws. With the lack of offensive options around SGA, teams are going to be able to constantly throw double and triple teams at him, so he probably won't be as efficient this season as he was last year playing alongside Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari.
Darius Bazley's shooting woes continued on Thursday, as he scored just seven points on 2-of-6 shooting (3-of-3 from the line) to go with four rebounds, two assists, one block and four turnovers across 27 minutes.
Bazley was awesome in OKC's regular-season opener vs. Charlotte, but he's been in an awful shooting rut over the past three games, connecting on just 28.6% of his shot attempts to go with 7.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and an unfortunate 3.0 turnovers per game. The second-year forward has hit an early rough patch, but he's still seeing quality minutes as a starter, and there isn't anyone on the roster to compete with him for playing time, so he's a hold in most leagues.
Aleksej Pokusevski flashed his potential in 21 minutes off the bench on Thursday, recording three points, five rebounds, four assists, one 3-pointer, two steals and one block in a bad loss to New Orleans.
It wasn't all roses, as Poku shot just 1-of-4 from the floor and also committed six turnovers, but the seven-foot wing did show some nice playmaking abilities tonight and he knocked down his first 3-pointer after missing his first 11 attempts. He's not worth a roster spot in the vast majority of leagues, but he should be rostered in dynasty settings, as he could be a fun guy to watch in a couple of years.
Chris Paul handed out eight dimes in Thursday's win over the Jazz, adding 11 points, two triples, four rebounds and three turnovers across 30 minutes.
This was the third game in a row that CP3 failed to snatch away a single steal, but at least he snapped his two-game, single-digit scoring streak. The Suns have opened their season 4-1, and the constant blowouts have allowed Paul to coast a bit, but it shouldn't be too long before he puts up an eye-popping stat line. If you need a PG and are willing to take the risk on the 35-year-old CP3, you can probably get him at a discount right now.
Brandon Ingram was ejected from Thursday's game after picking up a flagrant-2 foul, finishing with 20 points (8-of-16 FG, 2-of-3 FT), seven boards, two triples, two assists and one block in 26 minutes.
It's questionable whether or not Ingram's foul should have warranted a flagrant-2, he did come down hard on Isaiah Roby on a block attempt, but he was clearly going for the ball and made contact with the rock first. Still, he finished with a solid stat line after Tuesday's 13-point stinker, and he also finished without a single turnover. Zion Williamson struggled with foul trouble and ended his evening with 12 points (4-of-6 FG, 4-of-6 FT), five rebounds, one assist and three turnovers in 18 minutes.
Josh Hart double-doubled in 34 minutes off the bench on Thursday, tallying 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one turnover in a blowout win over the Thunder.
Hart was held to just three points and six boards in 22 minutes off the bench in Tuesday's embarrassing loss to the Suns, but he got things back on track tonight, notching his second double-double of the season. Hart can be a little inconsistent, but he rarely hurts you anywhere and he's an elite rebounder for a guard, so he should be rostered in deep leagues.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker looked good in 19 minutes off the bench during Thursday's blowout win over the Thunder, recording 14 points, two treys, three boards, one assist, two steals and three turnovers.
Alexander-Walker was a minimal part of the rotation through the Pelicans first three games, but he's managed to get out there in the past two blowouts, and he's played well when given the opportunity. "The key to Alexander-Walker's success was his coach let him play a little bit," Stan Van Gundy quipped after the game. It remains to be seen if NAW can get rotation minutes in close games, but he's on the radar in deep leagues after his past two performances.
RJ Barrett hit just 4-of-19 from the field for 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and three turnovers in 37 minutes of a 100-83 loss to Toronto on Thursday.
Barrett was 0-of-8 from beyond the arc, but wasn't the only Knick to struggle -- the Knicks' starters went 0-23 on 3-pointers which is the most misses without a make by a starting five in NBA history. Barrett's season opener now feels like a distant memory as he's now shooting 34% for the season. He'll get the Pacers on Saturday.
Eric Gordon scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting in his regular-season debut on Thursday, adding three triples, two rebounds, two steals and two turnovers in 26 minutes off the bench.
This is pretty much what you can expect from Gordon, minus the steals, so he's worth scooping up if you need a cheap source of points and triples. With Gordon back in action on Thursday, David Nwaba picked up a DNP-CD, a trend that is likely to continue with Houston now at full strength.
Eric Bledsoe snapped out of a brutal shooting funk on Thursday, hitting 7-of-11 shots on his way to 17 points, two triples, three rebounds, one assist and one steal over 25 minutes.
Bledsoe had been held to single digits in the scoring department in his previous three games on 30.8% shooting, but Stan Van Gundy had him run in a four-guard lineup tonight with Zion Williamson at the five, which really opened up the driving lanes for Bledsoe. SVG is still solidifying his rotations, but staggering Bledsoe's minutes with Lonzo Ball to have him play with more shooters could help him get going again.
Buddy Hield hit 7-of-18 shots on his way to 19 points, five triples, three rebounds, five assists, one block and two turnovers across 38 minutes in Thursday's loss to the Rockets.
Hield did a nice job making things difficult for James Harden, holding him to 10-of-24 shooting, and he nearly came through with another game-winner but bricked a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the game. He's struggled with his shot a bit to open the 2020-21 season, but as a career 44.1% shooter, it should only be a matter of time before he's scoring efficiently again. De'Aaron Fox grabbed the rebound after Hield's late miss, but he also bricked the potential game-winning shot and finished with 22 points (9-of-23 FG, 3-of-6 FT), five rebounds, six assists, one 3-pointer, four steals, one block and two turnovers in 35 minutes.
Nemanja Bjelica didn't do much in 16 minutes off the bench on Thursday, finishing with eight points, one 3-pointer, five rebounds, two assists and three turnovers in a loss to the Rockets.
Bjelica tends to only see minutes in the teens, which isn’t enough floor time for him to produce in the vast majority of leagues. As long as Marvin Bagley is healthy, Bjelica belongs on the waiver wire.
Marvin Bagley couldn't get his shot to drop on Thursday, going 1-of-9 from the floor on his way to four points, eight rebounds, one assist, one block and three turnovers in 26 minutes.
Bagley missed all five of his shot attempts through the first half of action, and his only make came on a dunk late in the third quarter. He's been a frustrating guy to roster this season, and he hasn't been closing games, so he's not necessarily a must-hold guy in 10-team leagues. We'd give him a bit of a longer leash in deep, 12-team leagues, but the poor shooting percentages of lack of defensive stats have been annoying.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting Thursday, to go with two triples, two rebounds, one assist, two steals and one turnover in 27 minutes off the bench.
Haliburton hit a clutch 3 down the stretch to keep Sacramento in the game, and while they weren't able to pull out the win, he continues to impress with his mature play in his introductory season. “He doesn’t get rattled,” Fox said before the game. “He makes big shots — we know he can shoot the ball. We all have the utmost confidence in him to make big plays whether it’s with the ball or off the ball, catch-and-shoot and things like that. We tell him to be aggressive.” Haliburton did take a hard foul after John Wall denied him on a dunk attempt, and while he played through it, he was grimacing towards the end of the game — so it's possible we'll see him pop up on the injury report for Saturday's rematch.
Kevin Knox hit just 5-of-14 shots and 4-of-5 free throws for 16 points, six rebounds, one assist and two triples in 32 minutes vs. Toronto on Thursday.
He was probable tonight with a sore left knee but also bruised his right hand -- X-rays were negative and he was able to play through it. The Knicks are missing some guys such as Alec Burks (ankle) and Obi Toppin (calf) which has opened up some minutes for Knox, but so far it looks like fantasy managers can continue looking elsewhere. In 24 minutes per game, Knox hasn't cracked the top-200 in 9-cat.
Austin Rivers (groin) made his season debut vs. the Raptors on Thursday and fared well, hitting 3-of-6 shots for seven points with five assists, one rebound, one steal and one triple in 21 minutes.
He missed the entire preseason and the first four games of the regular season, so he had restrictions tonight despite the Knicks being shorthanded. Could he carve out some fantasy value here? Sure, but we like Alec Burks (ankle) a whole lot more and it makes sense for the Knicks to get Immanuel Quickley more involved when he's healthy again.