Darius Garland hit 6-of-14 shots, 1-of-3 3-pointers, and 4-of-5 free throws for 17 points, five assists, two rebounds, and four turnovers in a loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Garland bounced back from a one-assist game on Friday to deliver five on Sunday, which is better, but still below the 7.2 he logged per game in December. Still, it's nice to see Garland gaining some rhythm as a starter again just six games back from a three-week absence due to a shoulder sprain. The Cavaliers have dropped four of their last five games, and don't look anywhere near the team they were in the opening few weeks of the season, though. “We definitely get ahead of ourselves sometimes,” the 21-year-old Garland said. “But we’re growing into a really good team. We just have to lock in on both ends and play with each other. That’s the only way we’re gonna win games, when all five on the floor just play with each other.”
Garrison Mathews snatched away another three steals over 26 minutes in Sunday's comeback win over Brooklyn.
Mathews added seven points (2-of-6 FG, 2-of-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one 3-pointer without committing a single turnover while he was out there, and his final steal of the evening turned out to be a game-deciding one, as he intercepted an inbound pass from Joe Harris and quickly dished to Russell Westbrook, who knocked down a game-winning 3. This wasn't the first time this season that Mathews has been a part of the closing group, so it looks like he has the trust of Scott Brooks. Over the past five games, he's been a sneaky top-80 option in 9-cat leagues with averages of 9.8 points, 1.8 treys, 2.0 steals and just 0.2 turnovers per game on 41.4% shooting, so he's on the radar in deep leagues.
Isaac Okoro hit 6-of-10 shots and 1-of-3 3-pointers for 13 points, four assists, and two rebounds with no turnovers in a loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Okoro's six made field goal attempts were the most of the rookie's career, and he matched a season-high 13 points. He had a nice game, logging a 3-pointer without a turnover in 32 minutes as a starter, but his numbers remain inconsistent. He can be left on the wire for now.
Norvel Pelle picked up a DNP-CD on Sunday.
The Nets added Pelle after they sent away Jarrett Allen in the trade for James Harden, but it looks like Jeff Green, and not Pelle, will be DeAndre Jordan's backup for the time being. Green finished with 23 points (7-of-10 FG, 5-of-6 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, four triples, one steal, two blocks and two turnovers in 30 minutes off the bench. While Green has some deep league appeal, Pelle isn't worth rostering anywhere.
Larry Nance Jr. hit 1-of-3 shots for two points, four assists, 16 rebounds, and one block with two turnovers in a loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Nance Jr. is struggling to find his place in the offense, scoring just two points for his third consecutive game. This time he took just three shots in 32 minutes. Still, he notched a season-best 16 boards. This was just his second game back from a wrist injury, so let's wait and see if his lack of shooting is just a fluke or if this is his best for now. He currently ranks No. 37 in 9-cat leagues.
Collin Sexton hit 8-of-16 shots and 0-of-1 3-pointers for 16 points, two assists, and two rebounds with five turnovers in a loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Sexton made 50% of his shots from the field, though his five turnovers sting. The sloppy showing might've been caused by tweaking his left ankle landing awkwardly on a floater in the first. He went to the locker room but ultimately returned. It wouldn't be shocking to see Cleveland be cautious with their point guard and rest him in the back-to-back on Monday. Keep an eye out.
Bradley Beal produced 37 points (13-of-23 FG, 9-of-9 FT), six rebounds, four assists, two triples and two turnovers across 38 minutes in Sunday's comeback win over the Nets.
Beal was oddly passive to begin today’s game with just two FTA and zero FGA in his first 10 minutes of play, and while he didn't get his first shot to drop until the second quarter, he hit some clutch buckets down the stretch to seal the deal for Washington. The Wizards have opened the season with a lackluster record of 4-12, but two of those fours wins have come against the star-studded Nets.
Deni Avdija was back in the starting lineup following what was nearly a three-week layoff on Sunday, and he hit 1-of-4 shots for two points and two rebounds over 16 minutes.
Avdija has started in all 12 games he’s played in this season, so it’s pretty clear that the Wizards are taking his development seriously, which makes sense given they’re 4-13 record. He hasn’t done much to this point, though, so he can only really be viewed as a stash in deep leagues. Jerome Robinson returned to the bench with Avdija back in action, and he ended his evening with a DNP-CD.
Ish Smith contributed 13 points, seven assists, two rebounds, one 3-pointer, two steals and one block across 24 turnover-less minutes with the second unit on Sunday.
The Wizards opened today's game going 1-of-8 from the field and they looked set to be demolished by Brooklyn's superstars, but Smith checked in and gave them some life with a quick eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in his first nine minutes of play and he finished 6-of-9 from the floor. It was a solid game from Smith after a lengthy layoff, but he's too inconsistent to trust in standard settings.
Troy Brown Jr. was available for Sunday's game, but he wound up with a DNP-CD.
Brown Jr. was forced to go into quarantine on Jan. 10, but he had already fallen out of the rotation before that. Leave him on the wire.
Jarred Vanderbilt hit 3-of-6 shots and 1-of-2 free throws for seven points, eight rebounds, one steal, and one block with three turnovers in a win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Vanderbilt's had some high points off the bench but was fairly quiet for a game without Naz Reid, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Jarrett Culver. Ryan Saunders opted to start the rookie Anthony Edwards and Ed Davis, leaving Vanderbilt to 25 minutes off the bench. Vanderbilt is still ranked No. 128 in 9-cat leagues and has posted at least one block and steal in his last seven games.
Joe Harris drilled a career-high eight triples in Sunday's loss to the Wizards, adding 30 points, one rebound and five assists over 32 minutes.
Harris was hot from the jump in this one, dropping in three triples in his first four minutes of play, and he finished the game 11-of-17 from the field. He also only committed one turnover while he was out there, but his one turnover was a costly one, as he threw the ball away on an inbounds play with 6.8 seconds left which led to a 3-point make from Russell Westbrook and that decided the game. Harris called it a "dumb mistake" after the game, and Kyrie Irving said he told Harris that the loss wasn't solely on him.
Bruce Brown went 1-of-2 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line for three points over 32 minutes in a spot-start for James Harden (thigh) on Sunday.
Brown spent most of his energy chasing around Bradley Beal on defense, and while he didn’t attempt a single shot through the first three-quarters of play, he did add nine rebounds, three assists and two steals without a single turnover while he was out there. Harden (thigh) will likely be back in action for Tuesday's game vs. the Clippers, which figures to return Brown's playing time to the teens. He's not worth your attention in most leagues.
D’Angelo Russell hit 7-of-18 shots and 5-of-10 3-pointers for 19 points, five assists, and one rebound with one turnover in a win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Russell struggled in his first game back from a three-game absence with the quad injury on Friday, making just 3-of-11 shots from the field, but he looked much more comfortable on Sunday. His five made triples were his second-highest total of the season. Hopefully, this will build the confidence he needs to shoot the Wolves back into playoff contention after a rocky start to the season.
Ed Davis hit 0-of-2 shots for no points, one assist, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks with no turnovers in a win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Naz Reid didn't play on Sunday, which opened the floor up for Davis to produce as a starter. He didn't score, but his three steals and three blocks were a stellar defensive performance in just 23 minutes. It's tough to rely on Davis to rack up stats like this regularly, and especially so if Reid returns to the lineup anytime soon. Davis's window as a DFS play is now, and it might be risky because of his lack of touches.
Kyrie Irving put up 26 points (10-of-20 FG, 5-of-5 FT), four boards, eight dimes, one trey and three turnovers across 38 minutes in Sunday's 146-149 loss to the Wizards.
Irving hit a clutch, 18-foot jumper with 31 seconds left to put Brooklyn up by two, but then some sloppy play and a good deal of luck from Washington resulted in a six-point swing with seven seconds to go, and the Nets dropped the game. “I don’t know if we’re going to get many wins if we allow 48 points in any quarter,” Irving said of Brooklyn’s fourth-quarter collapse. “I couldn’t guard a stick today.”
Aaron Holiday came through with 17 points, three rebounds, one assist, two 3-pointers and one turnover in 17 minutes off the bench on Sunday.
Holiday was scoreless his last time out, missing all five of his shot attempts, but he was hot from the jump in this one hitting his first four shots and he finished 7-of-11 from the field. It was a nice game, but we’ll need to see him do this a few more times before recommending him as an add anywhere. His brother, Justin, had a rough game, going 2-of-7 from the field for six points, one 3-pointer, five rebounds and three steals over 36 minutes.
Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting Sunday, to go with eight rebounds and three assists over 37 minutes in a loss to the 76ers.
Sabonis also was a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, but he also went 0-of-5 from distance and committed a season-high six turnovers while he was out there. The Pacers looked to be in cruise control through the first half, as they held the 76ers to just 18 points through the first quarter of action and went into halftime with a nine-point lead, but they completely fell apart during the second half with some zone-play from Philly and dropped their second straight, winnable game.
Jaylen Nowell hit 6-of-13 shots and 1-of-6 3-pointers for 13 points, one assist, and one steal with one turnover in a win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
With so many Timberwolves including Jarrett Culver sidelined, Nowell's had the opportunity to play, and he's on a bit of a roll. In his last two games combined, he's scored 23 points on 9-of-22 shooting. He still doesn't provide much value for fantasy as he doesn't rebound, pass or defend especially well, though. It's OK to leave him on the wire.
Malik Beasley hit 9-of-17 shots and 5-of-11 3-pointers for 23 points, two assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one turnover in a win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Beasley shot well from the floor, and his five made three were his second-highest total of the season. He's been huge in Karl-Anthony Towns' absence all season long and is a must-play every game. He ranks No. 72 of all players in 9-cat leagues.