NBA Daily Notes: Pelicans finally win; Top fantasy picks for December 29th

Welcome to another day of the NBA 2018-19 season. Yesterday, we had 10 games to follow, and we have another 9 massive games to review tomorrow. Let's analyze some of the meaningful performances from the last night, results of the matches and the top players to look out for in the matches tomorrow.

Friday's recap:

Brooklyn Nets 87-100 Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls 101-92 Washington Wizards
Toronto Raptors 87-116 Orlando Magic
Detroit Pistons 88-125 Indiana Pacers
Atlanta Hawks 123-120 Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas Mavericks 112-114 New Orleans Pelicans
Cleveland Cavaliers 94-118 Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder 118-102 Phoenix Suns
San Antonio Spurs 99-102 Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Clippers 118-107 Los Angeles Lakers

Highlights:

1. Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic): 30 points, 12-17 FG, 20 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 TOs.

2. Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans): 48 points, 20-32 FG, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 1 TO.

3. Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder): 40 points, 17-29 FG, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 TOs.

Lowlights:

1. Langston Galloway (Detroit Pistons): 0 points, 0-6 FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 TO.

2. Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors): 4 points, 1-8 FG, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 TOs.

3. Collin Sexton (Cleveland Cavaliers): 8 points, 2-10 FG, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 TOs.

Friday's takeaways:

The Charlotte Hornets faced off against the Brooklyn Nets in a revenge match and won, 100-87. The Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards went head to head with the Washington Wizards, with the Bulls coming out on top, 101-92. The Toronto Raptors were handed a shock defeat by the Orlando Magic, blown off the court in an 87-116 loss.
The Indiana Pacers absolutely annihilated the Detroit Pistons, 125-88. The Minnesota Timberwolves did well to come back and lead but in the end choked and lost to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime, 123-120. The New Orleans Pelicans won their revenge game against the Dallas Mavericks, 114-112. The Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced each other in a drab game, with the Heat winning 118-94 with ease.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, sans Paul George, beat the Phoenix Suns in a great contest, 118-102. The Denver Nuggets won their revenge matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, 102-99. The final game was the Los Angeles derby, with the Clippers winning over the Lakers, 118-107.

Saturday's games:

Brooklyn Nets @ Milwaukee Bucks
Charlotte Hornets @ Washington Wizards
Houston Rockets @ New Orleans Pelicans
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics @ Memphis Grizzlies
New York Knicks @ Utah Jazz
Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns
Golden State Warriors @ Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs @ Los Angeles Clippers

PG 1 - Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)

The Boston Celtics are having a topsy-turvy season, they are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference, with a 20-14 record. They have won only 6 of their last 10 matches and lost their last game to the Houston Rockets, 127-113. One player who has been giving it his all this season and has become the focal point, once again, of their offense, is Kyrie Irving.

Kyrie has been exceptional for the Celtics this season. Even after starting slow, he has picked up the pace, averaging more than 23 points per game, 6 assists and 5 rebounds per game too. In the loss against the Houston Rockets, Kyrie tried to bring the Celtics back into the game with some amazing shooting, scoring 23 points, along with 11 assists and 4 rebounds. He even had a block and a steal to go with it. The Celtics will hope the same form continues and probably gets them a win over the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow.

Alternate pick: Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies)

PG 2 - Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)

Portland Trail Blazers really need to continue winning now

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of teams that had an amazing start to their season, before they came crashing down to earth. They are 5th in the Western Conference with a 20-15 record and have won 6 of their last 10 games. One player who has been consistently outperforming everyone on this Blazers team is their franchise star, Damian Lillard.

Lillard has been playing well really well this season, averaging just under 27 points per game, along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds. He has even been getting a steal a game and has improved his rebounding a bit more.

In the big win over the Warriors, 110-109, Lillard hit a game-winning 3 and ended with 21 points, along with 5 assists, 1 rebound and a steal as well. The Blazers will look for him to be better when they face the Warriors once again tomorrow.

Alternate pick: Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)

SG 1 - Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

Phoenix Suns are a really bad team this season

The Phoenix Suns have become a better team of late, but still at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 9-27 record. They have lost the last 5 of their 10 matches, improving to a 50% win record in 10 games. They were really bad without Devin Booker, who seems to have changed this team for the better.

Booker has been exceptional this season, averaging 25 points per game, along with more than 7 assists and 4 rebounds per game too. In the loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Booker scored a team-high 25 points, along with 10 assists and 7 rebounds too.

He has been playing really good defense of late and had 3 steals in this game. He has not scored less than 25 points in a game since returning from his hamstring injury and the Suns will be hoping that this form of his continues tomorrow too against the Denver Nuggets.

Alternate pick: Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)

SG 2 - James Harden (Houston Rockets)

The Beard has been unplayable for the past few games

The Houston Rockets are on a roll of late. With Chris Paul out with injury, everyone expected them to struggle a bit more and fall down further. But with Eric Gordon and Clint Capela stepping up in his place and James Harden playing some amazing basketball, the Rockets continue to rise.

They are currently 6th in the Western Conference, with a 19-15 record and have gone on a 3 game winning streak. They have won 8 of their last 10 games and that is mostly due to their star guard, James Harden.

Harden has been a monster on offense of late, having scored more than 35 points in each of his last 7 games. He is averaging almost 33 points per game for the season, along with 8 assists and 5 rebounds as well.

In the win over the Boston Celtics, Harden was unstoppable, scoring 45 points, along with 2 rebounds and 6 assists. He even had 1 block to go with this. The Rockets will be hoping for another massive performance against the New Orleans Pelicans by Harden.

Alternate pick: N/A

SF 1 - Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors):

Golden State Warriors need to get their head back in the game

The Golden State Warriors seem to be struggling a bit of late. With Klay Thompson unable to find his shot and Steph Curry slowly joining him in this rut, the Warriors are unable to find much on the offensive end. The Warriors are on a 2 game losing streak, having won 6 of their last 10 games. Their only consistent player this year has been Kevin Durant.

Durant is scoring more than 28 points per game, along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists too. He was the player who held it all together when Curry was not on the floor and seems to be the glue even when he is back.

In the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Durant had a great triple-double, even though they lost. He scored 26 points, along with 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He even managed a steal and a block for good measure. With the Warriors facing the Blazers again tomorrow, they would need Durant at his best again.

Alternate pick: N/A

SF 2 - Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)

The Milwaukee Bucks are playing some great basketball of late and have earned their place at the top of the Eastern Conference. They have crossed the Toronto Raptors and are leading the East with a 24-10 record.

They have won 8 games in their last 10 matches and are on a 2 game winning streak. Apart from Giannis Antetokounmpo just barreling through the opposition, Khris Middleton has quietly become the 2nd best player on that Bucks squad.

Middleton has been enjoying a great season alongside Giannis, averaging 17 points per game this season, along with 4 assists as well as 6 rebounds per game. His spacing each game is what helps Giannis unlock int the Greak Freak.

In the win over the New York Knicks, Middleton scored a nice 25 points per game, along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists as well. The Bucks will be hoping his form sticks and he can continue playing well against the Nets as well.

Alternate pick: TJ Warren (Phoenix Suns)

PF 1 - Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers)

Los Angeles Clippers are doing really well this season

The Los Angeles Clippers are going into a back to back game against the San Antonio Spurs, after beating the Los Angeles Lakers 118-107. They are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference with a 21-14 record and have won their last 2 games in a row. One of the biggest reasons for this is their star, Tobias Harris.

Harris has been the main man for the Clippers this season, averaging more than 21 points per game, along with 8 rebounds and 2 assists as well. He is a bit lax on the defensive end but still manages to string up a combined steal or block.

In the win over the Lakers, Harris was not much of a help, scoring only 9 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while Lou Williams ran the offense. He grabbed an assist and a steal to help out a little more but will be looking to bounce back against the Spurs tomorrow.

Alternate pick: John Collins (Atlanta Hawks)

PF 2 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

As we read in one of the earlier slides, The Milwaukee Bucks are at the top of the Eastern Conference, having crossed the Toronto Raptors and are leading the East with a 24-10 record.

They have won 8 games in their last 10 matches and are on a 2 game winning streak. A huge part of their game has been the amazing performances of their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Giannis is one of front-runners for the MVP award and is playing like one too. He is averaging more than 26 points per game, along with just under 13 rebounds and 6 assists. He is also getting more than a block and a steal per game, which are elite defensive numbers.

In the win over the New York Knicks, Giannis scored a huge 31 points, along with 14 rebounds and 8 assists. He was a monster on the defensive end of the floor too, grabbing a steal and 4 massive blocks. The Bucks will be hoping Giannis' game keeps on going against the Nets as well.

Alternate pick: Julius Randle (New Orleans Pelicans)

C 1 - Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)

New Orleans Pelicans finally stopped their losing streak

At this point for the New Orleans Pelicans, the only way they can stay competitive until their injured players return is if Anthony Davis goes in and plays his absolute best, night in and night out. The Pelicans finally managed to end their losing streak by getting a revenge win on the Dallas Mavericks, 114-112. They still are in the 14th spot in the West but have a 16-20 record. One of the men responsible for this is Anthony Davis.

Davis has been on a tear of late, averaging almost 29 points per game, along with 13 rebounds and 5 assists as well. He is playing like an elite defender too, averaging a combined 4 steals and blocks, which is insane. In the win over the Mavericks, Davis scored a huge 48 points, along with 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He has been killing it of late and will look to keep it going against the Houston Rockets.

Alternate Pick: N/A

C 2 - Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)

The Denver Nuggets have been playing some great basketball this season and are at the top of the Western Conference with a 22-11 record. They have been not as good lately, winning just 6 of their last 10 matches. Their last game was a big win over the San Antonio Spurs, 102-99, where Nikola Jokic had a huge part to play, in the other games too.

Jokic is playing really well this season, averaging 18 points per game, along with 10 rebounds and more than 7 assists a game. He has put his hat into the dark horse race for the MVP title with his performances. In the win over the San Antonio Spurs, Jokic had scored 21 points, along with 9 rebounds and 9 assists as well. He has been playing at an elite level and hopefully, this will continue next game against the Phoenix Suns.

Alternate pick: Rudy Gobert (New York Knicks)