NBA Daily Notes: The Nuggets continue winning; Top fantasy picks for December 19th

Welcome to another day of the NBA 2018-19 season. Yesterday, we had four games to look at and review while we have a huge 12 games to follow around and let's review 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.

Tuesday's recap:

Cleveland Cavaliers 92-91 Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers 110-115 Brooklyn Nets
Washington Wizards 110-118 Atlanta Hawks
Dallas Mavericks 118-126 Denver Nuggets

Highlights:

1. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers): 36 points, 13-23 FG, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 5 TOs.

2. Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets): 22 points, 10-18 FG, 7 rebounds, 15 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 5 TOs.

Lowlights:

1. Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers): 12 points, 4-15 FG, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 3 TOs.

2. John Wall (Washington Wizards): 15 points, 6-18 FG, 6 assists and 3 TOs.

Tuesday's takeaway:

The Cleveland Cavaliers went up against the Indiana Pacers, with the Cleveland Cavaliers coming out on top, 92-91. The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets fought it out at the Barclays Center, with the Los Angeles Lakers losing to the Nets, 115-110.
Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks went head to head in a closely fought game, with the Washington Wizards losing 110-118. In the final game, the Denver Nuggets played against the Dallas Mavericks in an entertaining match, with the Denver Nuggets coming out on top,126-118.

Tomorrow's games:

San Antonio Spurs @ Orlando Magic
New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Charlotte Hornets
Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics
Indiana Pacers @ Toronto Raptors
New Orleans Pelicans @ Milwaukee Bucks
Detroit Pistons @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Brooklyn Nets @ Chicago Bulls
Washington Wizards @ Houston Rockets
Golden State Warriors @ Utah Jazz
Memphis Grizzlies @ Portland Trail Blazers
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Sacramento Kings

PG 1 - Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)

The Portland Trail Blazers have been having an up and down 2018-19 season to start with. They are currently fifth in the Western Conference, with a great 17-13 record, but have won only five matches in their last 10.

Currently, they are on a two-game win streak, with McCollum and the player in the spotlight, Damian Lillard, hitting their strides.

Damian Lillard has been an All-Star level point guard this season. He has been averaging more than 27 points per game, with 6 assists as well as 5 rebounds for the Portland Trail Blazers.

In their last game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Lillard exploded, scoring 39 points, with 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals as well, leading the Blazers to a 131-127 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Lillard will hopefully continue his form tomorrow as well against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Alternate pick: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)

PG 2 - John Wall (Washington Wizards)

John Wall had a great game against the Los Angeles Lakers

The Washington Wizards have been bad to start their 2018-19 NBA season. They are currently 11th in a fairly easier Eastern Conference this season, behind the likes of the Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets.

They have a 12-18 record in their first 30 games and have won just 4 in their last 10 matches. They won their previous game against the Los Angeles Lakers, 128-110. They managed to keep LeBron James quiet and won the game. A huge contribution from Bradley Beal and their star point guard, John Wall has kept them going.

Wall is probably the least favourite point guard of all the critics, but he does put up some huge numbers to keep them at bay. Wall has been averaging almost 22 points per game, along with 9 assists and more than 3 rebounds.

He was an absolute force to deal with against the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring a huge 40 points, 14 assists and 6 rebounds but then had a flat game against the Atlanta Hawks, scoring just 15 points and had 6 assists. He is a bit unpredictable at times but will look get a bunch of points and stuff up his stat sheet against the Houston Rockets.

Alternate pick: De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)

SG 1 - James Harden (Houston Rockets)

How can you forget to keep this player out of your team? The Houston Rockets are where they are in the Western Conference because of this player, James Harden.

Even with Harden's heroics this season, the Rockets have been underperforming really badly.

They are currently 10th, with a 15-14 record this season. The season seems to be getting better though, as the Rockets have won their last four games in a row, all thanks to the player we are talking about, James Harden.

Harden has been on a tear recently, he has been averaging some really insane numbers. He is scoring an average of almost 32 points per game, along with 8 assists and 6 rebounds as well, leading the NBA in scoring in the 2018-19 season.

He has scored more than 30 points in the last four out of five matches and more than 45 points in two out of the last three games, which is absolutely insane.

Against the Utah Jazz, Harden scored a massive 47 points, along with 5 assists, 6 rebounds and a huge 5 steals as well. He is on fire and should look to keep it going tomorrow against the Washington Wizards.

Alternate pick: N/A

SG 2 - Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

Booker has had to deal with a number of injuries but makes his presence felt when he is on the court for the Suns

The Phoenix Suns are destined to be at the bottom of the Western Conference this season. There are so many really good shooting guards to choose from tomorrow's matches, Jrue Holiday, Bradley Beal, Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo among others, but Devin gets the nod ahead of them all due to his instantaneous and huge impact on the Suns' offence.

The Phoenix Suns are 7-24 this season, good for the last spot in the Western Conference but have won 3 games on the trot, showing the impact of their star, Devin Booker.

Booker has had to deal with a number of injuries but makes his presence felt when he is on the court for the Suns. He is averaging more than 24 points, 6 assists and almost 4 rebounds per game.

He missed six games with an injury but has returned with a vengeance, scoring 28 points against the Timberwolves and then 38 points against the New York Knicks. He is also playing point guard for the Suns and is working out really well for everyone.

His return has changed the team a lot and he will look to keep it going against the Boston Celtics.

Alternate pick: Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans)

SF 1 - Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)

Kevin Durant is probably the best scorer in the NBA

The Golden State Warriors have started playing like a championship winning team. They still have a few hiccups, like the lack of bench strength, but they still are the best team in the league.

They are currently second in the Western Conference with a 21-10 record. They have won 7 in their last 10 games and are on a two-game winning streak.

Apart from the stellar but slightly inconsistent display from their star guard Steph Curry, they have had Kevin Durant to thank for all the times nobody could find the basket but him.

Durant has been Mr. Consistent for the Warriors this season. He is averaging almost 29 points per game, with more than 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Warriors played the Memphis Grizzlies in their previous match, winning 110-93. Durant in that game had a nice 23 points, with 5 assists and 3 rebounds, holding the Golden State Warriors steady and always out of the reach of the Grizzlies.

Alternate pick: N/A

SF 2 - Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)

Toronto Raptors can always count on the Klaw

The Toronto Raptors have been a bit jaded of late. They are still first in the Eastern Conference, sitting pretty with a 23-9 record, but have looked vulnerable in recent games. They are currently on a two-game losing streak, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers and then the Denver Nuggets.

The Bucks are just 1.5 games behind them now, making it an interesting conference battle to follow. One player who scores every night for them, if he steps on the court, is Kawhi Leonard.

Kawhi has been exceptional this season for the Toronto Raptors. He is averaging more than 26 points per game as well as above 8 rebounds as well. He is also dishing out 3 assists per game. He is an elite defender too, getting 2 steals per match too.

Against the Denver Nuggets, everybody was quiet, except for Kawhi Leonard. He scored a huge 29 points, 14 rebounds and get a nice 4 assists too. Tomorrow the Raptors face the Indiana Pacers and Kawhi should keep his game going.

Alternate pick: Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)

PF 1 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

Milwaukee Bucks have the Greek Freak to thank this season

The Greek Freak is probably one of the first players on all DFS rosters every night he steps out on the court.

He is the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Bucks team, who have a new coach in Mike Budenholzer and he has taken no time to make Giannis the crown jewel of his offence.

The Bucks have adapted well to this system, currently holding to the 2nd place with a 20-9 record and are on a two-game winning streak. Giannis gets a lot of credit for their unbelievable start to the season.

Giannis has been stepping up his performances this season. He is scoring a mind-numbing 27 points per game, along with a massive 13 rebounds per game as well. He is dishing out 6 assists as well, which is amazing quality for a big man.

In the previous match against the Detroit, Giannis scored 32 points along with 12 rebounds as well. He even had 6 assists and 2 blocks as well. He is one of the first players on your DFS team and will be playing hard against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Alternate pick: N/A

PF 2 - Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)

Griffin is playing like an All-Star this season

The Detroit Pistons have had a topsy-turvy start to their 2018-19 NBA season. They are currently 6th in the Eastern Conference with a 14-14 record.

They ended their six-game losing streak by beating the Boston Celtics but lost their latest match against the Milwaukee Bucks 107-104. Their winning or losing is really irregular and difficult to guess, but we can be sure of one thing that Blake Griffin will try his best to get the Pistons a win.

Griffin has been annihilating the opposing teams and their defensive strategies. Nothing is working out well enough for them. Griffin is averaging a huge 25 points per game, along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists too.

In his last game against the Bucks, Griffin had a really good game. He managed a triple-double, scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as well.

He is doing really well this season and it seems this is for real. The Pistons face the Minnesota Timberwolves next and Griffin should have another big one.

Alternate pick: Lauri Markannen (Chicago Bulls)

C 1 - Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)

Anthony Davis is looking to be the MVP this season

The New Orleans Pelicans had a bright start to their 2018-19 NBA season but then have been caught in a bit of a rut recently.

They are 12th in the Western Conference, with a 15-16 record, losing their last game against the Miami Heat and are currently 5-5 in their last 10 matches. One player who has consistently shown up and put up some monster stats has been Anthony Davis.

Davis has had some MVP level production this season and seems to be on the court a lot of more this season. He is averaging a monstrous 28 points per game, with more than 12 rebounds too.

He is also averaging just under 5 assists per match as well. He is also one of the best defenders in the league, averaging just under 2 steals and 3 blocks as well. In the last match against the Miami Heat, scoring 27 points along with 12 rebounds and a big 7 assists too.

He even had 3 steals and 3 blocks to go with it, stuffing the stat sheet. He goes up against the Milwaukee Bucks in a tough matchup.

Alternate pick: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

C 2 - Clint Capela (Houston Rockets)

Houston Rockets seem to be getting back on track

As we read in one of the previous slides, The Houston Rockets have started to play better this season. They are now 10th in the Western Conference, with a 15-14 record and are 6-4 in the past 10 matches.

They also are on a four-game win streak, showing that their form might just stick this time around. Apart from Harden carrying this team, the second star this year for them is their big man, Clint Capela.

Capela has taken a leap again this season, he is averaging just above 17 points per game, and just under 12 rebounds per game as well. He is a great defender and rim protector as well, averaging more than two blocks a game.

In this last game against Utah Jazz, he was bullied and battered by Rudy Gobert, scoring just 5 points, but managed 14 rebounds.

He was absolutely elite on defense, getting 3 steals and a massive 5 blocks as well. He will look to bounce back offensively against the Washington Wizards, who do not have a competent frontcourt to keep him quiet.

Alternate pick: Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)