James Harden went 10-of-24 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the line on his way to 33 points in Houston's 122-119 win over Sacramento.
Harden helped Houston put an end to a two-game skid and notch their first win of the season, and he added four triples, six rebounds, eight assists, one steal, one block and six turnovers in his 38 minutes of floor time. He did tweak an ankle late in the game, and while he was able to play through it, it's possible he'll pop up on the injury report for Saturday's rematch.
Shake Milton had a productive night vs. the Magic on Thursday with 14 points, six assists, four rebounds, one steal, two blocks and one triple in 25 minutes.
The preseason standout can put up some fun lines but this one is misleading with Milton doing some damage in garbage time -- he had seven of his points in the fourth quarter of this blowout. Milton is sitting outside the top-150 in 9-cat right now with 11.2 points, 2.6 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 triples, so he has some work to do to earn the trust of fantasy managers.
Cole Anthony scored a career-high 16 points in a lopsided loss to Philly on Tuesday, shooting 5-of-18 from the field with seven rebounds, two assists and one triple in 30 minutes.
Only one starter for the Magic played more than 24 minutes and that was Dwayne Bacon with 28. We think that sums up the night pretty well. The Magic did lose Evan Fournier early in this game due to back spasms, so maybe that opens the door for Anthony just slightly -- Anthony played nearly seven minutes alongside Markelle Fultz this evening, so they are open to using two-PG lineups. Anthony is just someone to monitor for now in re-draft leagues.
Thaddeus Young (leg infection) made his season debut vs. the Wizards on Thursday, coming off the bench for 15 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and one triple in 27 minutes.
He looked good as a playmaker for the second unit with Tomas Satoransky (health and safety protocols) away from the team. Lauri Markkanen (health and safety protocols) was also away from the team, so it's hard to put too much stock into this solid debut. The Bulls like what they're seeing out of Patrick Williams and Otto Porter early on, so Young may struggle to match the 24.9 minutes per game he saw last season. He was also only a 12th-round value in 9-cat last season, so he's just a lukewarm add while Lauri is out.
Coby White had a solid all-around game vs. the Wizards on Thursday with 16 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three triples in 40 minutes.
That's his first double-digit assist game of his career, and though he's not known for his defense, he came up with a huge defensive play late. He's only shooting 35% for the season, but has shown signs of turning things around with 18.0 points, 7.0 dimes, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 triples over his last three games. He'll get the Bucks on Saturday and it's unclear if Coby's backup, Tomas Satoransky (health and safety protocols) will be available.
Wendell Carter Jr. notched 16 points (7-of-11 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs) with five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and one triple in 23 minutes vs. the Wizards on Thursday.
It was a nice night on the stat sheet, but not so much in real life as Thomas Bryant continuously roasted him on his way to a 10-of-11 shooting line. Carter did appear to tweak his left hip tonight and checked out to talk to a trainer, but was able to carry on. Coach Billy Donovan was hyping him up over the weekend and he's been getting the job done for his fantasy managers over his last three with 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists, but the steals (0.3) and blocks (0.3) have been lacking. Daniel Gafford turned some heads tonight in 22 minutes off the bench, but WCJ's workload appears safe.
Rui Hachimura (eye) played well in his season debut vs. the Bulls on Thursday, finishing with 17 points (5-of-8 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), five rebounds, three assists, one steal and two triples in 25 minutes.
He didn't seem rusty at all and even had a sweet behind-the-back pass to Thomas Bryant (link below). It wasn't all good though, as Rui showed his inexperience down the stretch when he threw a head-scratching full court pass over the head of Bryant even though there was five seconds left on the clock. Rui has a lot of promise, but fantasy managers in category leagues probably won't be running to the wire to grab him because of his lack of peripheral stats -- he averaged 1.8 dimes, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks and 0.5 triples as a rookie.
Davis Bertans had a night to forget vs. the Bulls on Thursday, going 0-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line for three points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 21 minutes.
Sure he had 20 points on Tuesday, but Bertans is still shaking off the rust -- he's now shooting 10-of-35 (28%) from beyond the arc this season after hitting 42% in his previous two years. Rui Hachimura's return tonight will complicate things and means Bertans is unlikely to see heavy workloads going forward, but we still like this as a buy-low opportunity for one of the best shooters in the NBA. Friday's game vs. the Wolves should be a great spot to get back on track.
Marquese Chriss underwent ankle surgery on Thursday and he will be re-evaluated in three months.
He's expected to miss the remainder of the season, so he can safely remain on the waiver wire in all formats.
Gary Trent Jr. (calf) is questionable to play on Friday against the Warriors.
Trent Jr. missed the Blazers' game on Wednesday after putting on a show in the game before, knocking down seven 3s for 28 points against the Lakers. If he can't play, look for Derrick Jones Jr. and Rodney Hood to fill in his minutes, though neither are reliable enough to confidently pick up off the waiver wire.
Bradley Beal's 28 points weren't enough in a loss to the Bulls on Thursday, finishing 8-of-19 from the field and 12-of-13 from the line with four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 35 minutes.
The Wizards are now 0-5 to start the season and Beal will be kicking himself because he had a chance to put the Wizards up by one late but lost his handle. Beal said before the season that he'd be happy to stick in Washington as long as his team is winning, so the trade rumors are going to heat up if the Wizards don't turn things around quickly. The Wizards do have a winnable game vs. the Wolves on Friday, and Beal's upside will be higher in that one with Russell Westbrook and his 28% usage rate getting the night off.
Pascal Siakam (undisclosed) is not listed in the starting lineup vs. the Knicks on Thursday.
Odd. This comes after coach Nick Nurse's availability so we're in the dark here. We'll update when we know more but for now, the Raptors will start Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby and Aron Baynes. Raptors reporter Doug Smith noted that Siakam walked away from the team after fouling out the other night which was a bad look, so maybe this is a punishment from Nurse.
McGee played care-free to end 2020, hoisting up a 3-pointer, which he air-balled, and some ridiculous floaters and fade-aways. Then he got in foul trouble. But he was productive in his 13 minutes, grabbing six offensive boards and getting to the line for six shots (which he missed five of.) A very JaVale McGee showing.
Thon Maker hit 2-of-3 shots and 2-of-2 free throws for six points, one rebound, and one block with no turnovers in Thursday's loss to the Pacers.
Maker made his second appearance in a Cavs uniform, playing nine minutes after both Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee were caught in foul trouble. He had an incredible block, and made both free throws he took. He should be kept on the waiver wire for now, but it was good to see what he’s capable of.
Eric Paschall (right knee soreness) is questionable for Friday vs. Portland.
Paschall had a rough start to the season with the starters, but has looked better with the second unit where he is most comfortable -- coach Steve Kerr said it allows him to have the ball in his hands more often, something that is hard to do when sharing the floor with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. Draymond Green (foot) is set to debut though, so Paschall's minutes are going to be held in check if he's available vs. Portland. He's not a standard-league option.
Doug McDermott hit 6-of-13 shots, 3-of-6 3-pointers and 3-of-6 free throws for 18 points, nine rebounds and two turnovers in a win over the Cavaliers.
With T.J. Warren sidelined, McDermott took advantage of the opportunity to shoot, and he nearly double-doubled. He had a much better night shooting the ball from distance after entering the day connecting on just 5-of-19 attempts. He's only worth a look in deeper leagues for teams in need of 3s.
Kelly Olynyk is probable for Friday vs. the Mavericks with a left knee contusion.
He's always been a productive per-minute fantasy player, but coach Erik Spoelstra's rotations are always so volatile. Olynyk already has one DNP-CD to his name this season, but has averaged 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.7 triples in his other three appearances. With Jimmy Butler on the mend, there won't be as much upside though.
Justin Holiday hit 3-of-7 shots and 1-of-4 3s for seven points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in a win over the Cavaliers.
His brother, Aaron, started in place of the injured T.J. Warren, but Justin's been more productive this season, seeing more minutes off the bench. He's grabbed eight steals over the last four games, and made three 3s in his last two games. Justin Holiday is worth a look in deeper leagues.
McGee played care-free to end 2020, hoisting up a 3-pointer, which he air-balled, and some ridiculous floaters and fade-aways. Then he got in foul trouble. But he was productive in his 13 minutes, grabbing six offensive boards and getting to the line for six shots (which he missed five of.) A very JaVale McGee showing.
Torrey Craig had surgery to repair a fractured nose and is expected to be able to resume contact basketball activities in two week, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Craig has played a total of 13 minutes this season and is just emergency depth anyways.