NBA Daily Notes: The Pistons finally win; top fantasy picks for December 16th

Welcome to the last day of the 10th week in the 2018-19 NBA season. We had 7 big games to look at yesterday and there are 7 more games to look forward to tomorrow. Let us review some of the meaningful performances from the last night, results of the matches and the top players to look out for in the seven games tomorrow.

Saturday's recap:

Utah Jazz 89-96 Orlando Magic
Los Angeles Lakers 128-100 Charlotte Hornets
Boston Celtics 104-113 Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets 105-97 Memphis Grizzlies
Chicago Bulls 98-93 San Antonio Spurs
Minnesota Timberwolves 99-107 Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles Clippers 104-110 Oklahoma City Thunder

Highlights:

1. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers): 24 points, 7-15 FG, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal and 3 TOs.

2. Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons): 19 points, 6-14 FG, 20 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 5 blocks and 1 TO.

3. James Harden (Houston Rockets): 32 points, 9-14 FG, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and 5 TOs.

4. Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder): 33 points, 11-19 FG, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

Lowlights:

1. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets): 4 points, 2-13 FG, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 3 TOs.

2. Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics): 6 points, 3-11 FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 TO.

3. Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets): 4 points, 2-11 FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist.

4. Kyle Korver (Utah Jazz): 3 points, 1-8 FG, 3 rebounds.

Saturday's recap:

The Orlando Magic beat the Utah Jazz 96-89 in a fairly close match between the 2 teams. The Los Angeles Lakers crushed the Charlotte Hornets in a blowout 128-100 win. The Detroit Pistons finally managed to end their losing streak by beating the Boston Celtics 113-104.
The Houston Rockets continued their upward ascent with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, 105-97. The Chicago Bulls shocked the San Antonio Spurs with a 98-93 win over them. The Minnesota Timberwolves dropped the ball against the Phoenix Suns, who had Devin Booker back, losing 99-107. In the final game of the day, the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a late comeback by the Los Angeles Clippers, winning their match 110-104.

Tomorrow's matches:

Atlanta Hawks @ Brooklyn Nets
Philadelphia 76ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers @ Washington Wizards
Miami Heat @ New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings @ Dallas Mavericks
Toronto Raptors @ Denver Nuggets

PG 1 - De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings):

The Sacramento Kings have been doing really well this season, a shock to most people. They are currently 9th in a very tough and competitive Western Conference and seem to be holding their own. They have a 15-13 record this season and of late have lost a bit of form, going 5-5 in their last 10 matches. Their most recent game was a hard fought, tough loss to the Golden State Warriors, 130-125. One player who seems to have stood out for the Kings has been De'Aaron Fox.

Sacramento Kings have started the season really well

Fox has taken a leap this season, averaging a career high 18 points per game, along with a huge 7.6 assists and almost 4 rebounds per match too. He has become a much better defender as well, averaging almost 2 steals and blocks combined per game. He is taking more shots too and is making them at a better 47% efficiency from the field. He is shooting more 3s and that too is at a better efficiency of 41%. In the last game against the Warriors, Fox scored 25 points along with 9 assists and 6 rebounds. He also managed to get 2 steals and brought them close to winning the game. He is in with a shout for the Most Improved Player this season and with good reason too.

Alternate pick: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)

PG 2 - Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets):

The Brooklyn Nets have been in good form this season, currently lying 10th in the Eastern Conference and trying to push for the playoff spots this season. They are in great form right now, having won 4 games in a row and yet have a 4-6 record in the last 10 matches. Even after Caris LeVert went down with a foot injury early in the season, the Nets did not stop performing, they instead looked for another player to take his place and Spencer Dinwiddie stepped up.

Spencer Dinwiddie has been doing a great job at the Nets

In the Nets' last 4 games, which have all been wins, Dinwiddie has averaged a huge 27 points per game, along with atleast 6 assists per match and atleast 3 rebounds as well. He has been putting up career numbers with LeVert out injured and is doing it really well. In the win over the Washington Wizards in their last game, Dinwiddie scored a huge 27 points, with 6 assists and 4 rebounds too. He is in some great form and will look to continue this against the Atlanta Hawks too.

Alternate pick: Emmanuel Mudiay (New York Knicks)

SG 1 - Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards):

The Washington Wizards have been really up and down this season. They are currently languishing in 11th place in the Eastern Conference and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. They have been horrific in the last 4 games, losing all of them and have 4-6 record in the past 10 matches. There are rumours that the Wizards have put everyone on the trading block and nobody is more valuable than their guard, Bradley Beal.

Washington Wizards are really bad this season

Beal has quietly been putting up the numbers in a season where the Wizards might not even make the playoffs. He has been pulling them closer in all the losing games and finishing the games in which they end up winning. He is matching his career high 23 points per game, along with more than 4 assists and 4 rebounds per game too. In the last game against the Brooklyn Nets, he managed to put up a huge 31 points, along with 9 assists and 1 rebound. He has joined the rare category of players this season who are putting up 1 block, 1 steal and 1 3 pointer match. He will try and break the Wizards out of this funk in their next match against the high-flying Los Angeles Lakers.

Alternate pick: Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)

SG 2 - Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans):

The New Orleans Pelicans have been really topsy turvy this whole season. Expectations were high when they started off the season so well, but injury to their point guard Elfrid Payton exposed their fragile and almost non existent bench. They beat a high flying Oklahoma City Thunder team, 118-114 and would like to continue their form into their next match, which is against the Miami Heat. They have had Anthony Davis to push them from one game to the other, but the other player who has been really influential for this team has been Jrue Holiday.

New Orleans Pelicans are trying to get a run going

Jrue this season, has been asked to step into both playmaking and scoring duties, due to injury to their guard, Elfrid Payton. A lack of bench strength has pushed him and he has given great results to the Pelicans. He is scoring more than 20 points per game this season, averaging 9 assists and 4 rebounds too. In the last game, a win over the Thunder, Holiday scored a nice 20 points, along with 10 assists and 5 rebounds as well. We know about his defensive prowess and it showed, with Jrue grabbing 2 steals as well. They will look get a few wins going in a row and face the Heat tomorrow.

Alternate pick: Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)

SF 1 - Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors):

The Toronto Raptors have had some difficulties continuing their solid start to the 2018-19 season. They currently are the top team in the Eastern conference with a solid 23-8 record. They have won only 6 in their last 10 matches though, losing their latest one to the Portland Trail Blazers, 128-122. The Raptors have struggled and would like to get a run going again. Let us talk about the player in focus, Kawhi Leonard, who has returned to the lineup after a minor hip injury.

The Klaw has been in fine form this season

Leonard has been on a tear since being traded from the San Antonio Spurs at the start of the season. He is averaging a huge 26 points per game, along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists too. He is an elite defender, featuring in the DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year) conversation each year and will probably be in that discussion again, averaging almost 2 steals and 1 block per game. In the last game against the Blazers, Kawhi managed to score a massive 28 points, along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He would like the Raptors to get back to winning against the Denver Nuggets tomorrow.

Alternate pick: N/A

SF 2 - LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers):

The Los Angeles Lakers have finally started to reach everyone's expectations this season. They started off very nervously but have now gotten into their stride and are currently 4th in the Western Conference. They are on a 7-3 run in the last 10 matches and won their latest game against the Charlotte Hornets, 128-100. The players have finally adapted to how LeBron James plays and the new system, things are starting to click.

LeBron James has started the season on fire

LeBron is going to probably the first name on any team for their daily squad. He is averaging 28 points per game this season, with more than 7 assists and 7 rebounds as well. He is taking more shots, driving up his scoring totals per game, as the Lakers do not have any scorers apart from him and Kuzma. In his last game, he had himself a triple double against the Hornets, scoring 24 points, with 11 assists and 12 rebounds to go with it. He is in really good form and should be a sure shot pick for your DFS games tomorrow.

Alternate pick: N/A

PF 1 - John Collins (Atlanta Hawks):

The Atlanta Hawks have been a really bad team to start their 2018-19 NBA season. They are currently bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 6-22 record, having lost 7 of their last 10 matches and they do not seem likely to win a lot this season. They have lost their last 2 matches in a row and go up against the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow. One player who has not had the spotlight on him but is having a really good start to his season is forward John Collins.

Collins has been outperforming expectations since his return onto the court, averaging almost 18 points per game, along with atleast 9 rebounds too. He has had 7 matches in a row where he has post a double-double and it doesn't look like he will stop anytime soon. In his last 3 games, he has scored an average of 20 points per match, while grabbing almost 14 rebounds per game as well. He has had a block each game and will continue to get better as he becomes more accustomed to the court after his injury. Look out for him to have a great game against the Brooklyn Nets.

Alternate pick: Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)

PF 2 - Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers):

The Los Angeles Lakers were being touted as the team to beat to start the season, but then their not as good start had people wondering if they were indeed any good and doubted their playoff potential too. As we read in one of our previous slides, the Los Angeles Lakers are currently on a roll, having won 7 of their last 10 games. They are 4th in the Western Conference and have a 18-11 record this season. One of the players responsible apart from LeBron James this season. has got to be Kyle Kuzma, who has stepped in and become the #2 scoring option on the Lakers.

Kyle Kuzma has been playing really well in his sophomore season

Kuzma has been great in his first 26 games this season. He has averaged 18 points per game, grabbing 6 boards as well. He is becoming a better defender too, getting almost either a block or a steal every game. Over the past 5 matches, Kuzma has scored more than 20 points in all but 1 match and has averaged almost 6 rebounds per game as well. He seems to be getting better with every passing game. His next chance to take the floor comes against the Washington Wizards, who do not have a good front court and he will be looking to take some advantage of it.

Alternate pick: Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers)

C 1 - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers):

The Philadelphia 76ers are doing really well this season and are currently 4th with a 19-11 record in the Eastern Conference. They have been in some bad form recently, losing their last 2 games and are on a 6-4 run in their last 10 games. Jimmy Butler has been acquired by the 76ers in a trade with the Timberwolves, instantly vaulting them into a sort of Big 4 of the East, with the Raptors, the Celtics and the Bucks. If they are to be in this discussion, the 76ers really need their star center, Joel Embiid to step up and perform.

With a groin strain keeping Jimmy Butler out for a few games, Joel has stepped in and started performing at the level he started the season at. Over the season, Embiid has averaged a mammoth 27 points per game, with more than 13 rebounds as well. He is an elite defender and it shows, as he is averaging almost 2 blocks per match too. In his last game against the Indiana Pacers, Embiid scored a monstrous 40 points, while grabbing 21 rebounds as well. He had 3 assists, 1 steal and a block to go with it as well. It is clear that he is the main man at Philadelphia, he just needs to perform at this level consistently.

Alternate pick: Nikola Jokic (Toronto Raptors)

C 2 - Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans):

The New Orleans Pelicans have been a mixed bag this 2018-19 season, currently at the 10th spot with a .500 record of 15-15. They are also 5-5 in their last match, showing how unpredictable they are each night. In their last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they had a strong showing, winning the game 118-114. But they are really dependent on their 2018-19 regular season MVP candidate, Anthony Davis.

Davis has been a force to reckon with this season, averaging more than 28 points per game and 12 rebounds per match as well. He is blocking everything in sight, averaging a huge 2.8 blocks per game as well. In his last 2 games, he has scored more than 40 points both times, scoring 44 in the latest win over the Thunder. He also had 18 rebounds in the same game, along with 2 assists, 2 steals and a block as well. He has been on fire of late and will look to continue this solid run against the Miami Heat.

Alternate pick: DeAndre Jordan (Dallas Mavericks)