NBA Daily Notes: The Raptors falter; top fantasy picks for December 17th

Welcome back to a new week for the NBA 2018-19 season. Yesterday, we had 7 games to watch and review while we have another 8 games coming up to start off the new week. 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 matches tomorrow.

Sunday's recap:

Atlanta Hawks 127-144 Brooklyn Nets
Philadelphia 76ers 128-105 Cleveland Cavaliers
New York Knicks 99-110 Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers 110-128 Washington Wizards
Miami Heat 102-96 New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings 120-113 Dallas Mavericks
Toronto Raptors 86-95 Denver Nuggets

Highlights:

1. Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers): 22 points, 9-15 FG, 11 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 steal and 0 TOs.

2. D'Angelo Russell (Brooklyn Nets): 32 points, 13-19 FG, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 0 TOs.

3. John Wall (Washington Wizards): 40 points, 16-27 FG, 6 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 5 TOs.

Lowlights:

1. C J Miles (Toronto Raptors): 2 points, 2-12 FG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 TO.

2. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers): 13 points, 5-16 FG, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocks and 4 TOs.

3. Darius Miller (New Orleans Pelicans): 3 points, 1-9 FG, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 TOs.

Sunday's takeaway:

The Brooklyn Nets went up against the Atlanta Hawks, coming out on top, the final score being 144-128. The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in a grudge match, winning 128-105. The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers went head to head only for the Indiana Pacers to come out on the top, 110-99.
The Washington Wizards faced a tough match against the Los Angeles Lakers, only to win easily, 128-110. Miami Heat went up against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Heat scraping a win over the Pelicans, 102-96. Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks played a very tough game against each other, with only the King's just coming out on top, 120-113. The last match of the day was the best, with the Toronto Raptors going up against the Denver Nuggets, with the Nuggets winning, 96-85.

Tomorrow's games:

Milwaukee Bucks @ Detroit Pistons
Phoenix Suns @ New York Knicks
Sacramento Kings @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Utah Jazz @ Houston Rockets
Chicago Bulls @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Philadelphia 76ers @ San Antonio Spurs
Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors

PG 1 - Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Steph Curry has been amazing this season

The Golden State Warriors are considered the best team in the league. But to start the season, they have not been performing up to expectations, with their record for the 2018-19 NBA season at 20-10.

They currently have won the last 7 games out of 10, half a game behind the first placed Denver Nuggets. A huge part of their wins has been the performance of Steph Curry. When he was out injured, the Warriors were unable to replicate the form with him on the court, showing how much importance he has to the team.

Curry has been having a phenomenal season, currently averaging more than 29 points per game, along with at least 5 rebounds and almost 6 assists to go with it. In their previous game, the Warriors just about held off the Kings, and Curry had a huge role in it, scoring 35 points, with 6 assists and 7 rebounds.

He also had a big role on the defensive end, getting 3 steals and only 1 TO. He seems to be a lock for their next game which is against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Alternate pick: De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)

PG 2 - Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)

Philadelphia 76ers are playing at a really high level

The Philadelphia 76ers are playing some really good basketball to start the 2018-19 NBA season. They're currently 4th in the Eastern Conference standings and are 20-11, just 2.5 games behind the leaders, Toronto Raptors.

They've gone on a 7-3 run in their last 10 games and will look to continue this streak against the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow. In their last game, they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-105, with a stellar display from the player in focus, Ben Simmons.

The 2017-18 NBA rookie of the year, Ben Simmons had been playing at an elite level all of last year. It seems like he still is carrying forward that form into the new season. He is currently averaging 16 points, with almost 9 rebounds and 8 assists per match.

In the last match against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Simmons had a brilliant triple-double, scoring 22 points, along with 14 assists and 11 rebounds. He is in amazing form and will look to continue this in their next match against the San Antonio Spurs.

Alternate pick: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)

SG 1 - James Harden (Houston Rockets)

Houston Rockets are trying to get their season going

The Houston Rockets have had a really bad start to their 2018-19 NBA season. They are currently 11th in the Western Conference, with a 14-14 record to start the 2018-19 season. The past 10 matches, the Rockets have been just 5-5. If not for their star player, James Harden, performing the way he has, they would've been in dire conditions.

Harden has been performing at a really high level this season, he is leading the scoring charts, averaging at least 31 points per game, along with almost 9 assists and 6 rebounds per game as well. He seems to have carried the team's offense on his shoulders, leading by example.

In his last game against the Grizzlies, he scored a mammoth 32 points, along with 10 assists and 12 rebounds, yet another triple-double performance. The way he is playing, he is a lock for any DFS roster and should be one of the first names on your team sheet.

Alternate pick: N/A

SG 2 - DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs)

San Antonio Spurs have been struggling this season

The San Antonio Spurs are doing okay for themselves. They have been stuttering this season, unable to unlock their offense consistently and are 15-15 in the Western Conference. They are 10th as of now, having won 5 out of their last 10 matches. A key cog in their team has been their newest addition, DeMar DeRozan, who has been playing extremely well this season.

DeRozan has been splendid for the Spurs, averaging more than 23 points per game, along with 6 assists and 6 rebounds too. The Spurs seem to win each time DeRozan is on point with his game, even though that was not the case against the Chicago Bulls, where the Spurs suffered a 2nd half breakdown, losing 98-93.

DeRozan scored 21 points, with 1 assist and 5 rebounds. He will look to bounce back with a big game against the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow.

Alternate pick: Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

SF 1 - Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)

Kevin Durant is having a monstrous season

The Golden State Warriors as we read in one of the previous slides, has been a very dominant team for the past 4 years or so. This season, they are in 2nd place with a 20-10 record and half a game behind Denver Nuggets.

They've won 7 of their last 10 matches and seem to be back in form. A huge part of their matches has been Kevin Durant, who led the team when they were missing Curry due to his injury. He kept them in almost all the games with some superb basketball and has not stopped performing this season.

Durant in the 2018-19 NBA season has been averaging 29 points per game, with more than 6 assists per game and almost 8 rebounds per match as well. He always shows up for the Warriors, contributing all over the court.

In the game against the Sacramento Kings, he scored a huge 33 points, along with 8 assists and 8 rebounds, keeping the Warriors on course for the win and beating them. He is one of the few players who should be a lock on your DFS squad.

Alternate pick:

SF 2 - Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Oklahoma City Thunder have had a great start to their season

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been really good this season, they are 3rd in a highly competitive Western Conference and have an 18-10 record. When Westbrook went down, nobody expected the Thunder to be competitive.

But they were more than competitive and managed to beat a lot of teams till he was back to play. The main reason for their form this season has to be their star off-season signing, Paul George.

George has been an All-Star level player this season for the Thunder, averaging a massive 25 points per match. He is also getting around 8 rebounds per match this season along with 4 assists as well. It's a massive jump from the player he was in his first season with the Thunder.

In his last game against the Los Angeles Clippers, he started off really slow, but exploded, ending up scoring 33 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. He even had a steal and a block. He seems to be in a really good run of form and should be a great DFS pick for his game tomorrow against the Chicago Bulls.

Alternate pick: Danilo Gallinari (Los Angeles Clippers)

PF 1 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

Milwaukee Bucks are surging in the Eastern Conference

The Milwaukee Bucks have started the season on a great note, currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a 19-9 record. They're just 2 games behind the conference leaders Toronto Raptors, but have not been in superb form, getting just 6 wins in their last 10.

One player who is always in the discussion as to why the Bucks are so high up in the conference, has gotta be Giannis Anteokounmpo. Coach Budenholzer's system seems to have fit the Greek Freak perfectly.

Giannis has been a force to reckon with, averaging absolutely MVP numbers, more than 26 points per game, along with a huge 13 rebounds and also 6 assists. Nobody has an all-round game like the big man does. In the last match against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis blew up, scoring 44 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists as well. He will look to keep this form going against the Detroit Pistons.

PF 2 - Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)

Detroit Pistons finally broke their losing streak

The Detroit Pistons had started off the season really well, but had tailed off recently, going on 6 game losing streak before winning against the Boston Celtics, 113-104 in their last match. They're currently 6th in a lopsided Eastern Conference, with a 14-13 record. A huge part of this has got to be Blake Griffin's form and his amazing plays.

Griffin has been playing exceptionally well this season, scoring almost 26 points per match, grabbing 9 rebounds and making 5 assists per game as well. He had a great run even during the 6 game losing streak and shows no signs of stopping. In his previous game against the Celtics, he scored 27 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and even making 6 assists. He will look to keep this going against the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow as well.

Alternate pick: Lauri Markannen (Chicago Bulls)

C 1 - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

The Philadelphia 76ers have been doing really well, as we read in one of the earlier slides. They are holding onto the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference and are looking to push towards the top spot. With Butler back from injury and Simmons also in good form, they look menacing. One player who can change the game for them at any point is Joel Embiid.

Embiid has started the season on a really impressive note, scoring 27 points per game and grabbing more than 13 rebounds as well. He has been an elite rim blocker as well, grabbing almost 2 blocks per game as well. In the last match against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Embiid scored 24 points in just 29 minutes, grabbing 9 rebounds as well. He will look to keep it going against the San Antonio Spurs as well tomorrow.

Alternate pick: Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)

C 2 - Karl Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Karl Anthony Towns has been doing well of late

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a rough start to their 2018-19 season. With the Jimmy Butler trade saga finally in the rear, they have started to play better, but not looking strong in a loaded Western Conference.

They are currently 14th, with a 13-16 record. The only good thing from this is that Karl Anthony Towns has once again become the top dog at this organization and it has helped him.

Towns has been averaging almost 22 points per match this season, along with 12 rebounds as well. He seems to have become a better defender as well, averaging almost 2 blocks and a steal per match. In the last match against the Phoenix Suns, Towns scored 28 points, along with 12 rebounds and 4 assists. He even managed 2 steals and 2 blocks as well. Even though the Timberwolves look to be trending downwards, Towns will only get better this season.

Alternative pick: Clint Capela (Houston Rockets)