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Welcome to another day of the NBA 2018-19 season. Yesterday, we had 10 games to follow around and we have another 5 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.
Wednesday's recap:
- Washington Wizards 95-106 Detroit Pistons
- Phoenix Suns 122-120 Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers 129-121 Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets 132-134 Brooklyn Nets
- Toronto Raptors 106-104 Miami Heat
- Minnesota Timberwolves 119-94 Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers 87-95 Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans 119-122 Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets 103-111 San Antonio Spurs
- Sacramento Kings 118-127 Los Angeles Clippers
Highlights:
1. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns): 35 points, 13-24 FG, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and TOs.
2. Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets): 37 points, 12-29 FG, 2 rebounds,11 assists and 1 TO.
3. Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks): 21 points, 5-13 FG, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal and 1 TOs.
Lowlights:
1. Serge Ibaka (Toronto Raptors): 6 points, 2-10 FG, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 TO.
2. Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets): 9 points, 4-19 FG, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 TOs.
3. Justin Holiday (Chicago Bulls): 2 points, 1-11 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 1 TO.
Wednesday's takeaways:
- Washington Wizards faced off against the Detroit Pistons, with the Pistons winning 106-95. Orlando Magic went up against the Phoenix Suns and the Suns were victorious, 122-120. The Indiana Pacers and The Atlanta Hawks go up against each other, with the Pacers winning, 129-121.
- The Charlotte Hornets were going up against the Brooklyn Nets, with the Nets winning 134-132. The league leaders Toronto Raptors face the Miami Heat in an entertaining game, the Raptors winning 106-104. The Chicago Bulls face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Wolves coming out on top, 119-94. The Memphis Grizzlies went up against the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Grizzlies winning, 95-87.
- The Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans had a Western Conference showdown, which the Mavericks won, 122-119. The San Antonio Spurs tried to consolidate their playoff spot against the conference leaders, Denver Nuggets, with the Spurs winning 111-10 In the final game of the night, Los Angeles Clippers went up against the Sacramento Kings, with the Kings/Clippers winning, 127-118.
Thursday's games:
- Boston Celtics @ Houston Rockets
- New York Knicks @ Milwaukee Bucks
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings
- Portland Trailblazers @ Golden State Warriors
- Philadelphia 76ers @ Utah Jazz
PG 1 - Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)
The Boston Celtics are a team that are on the ascendency. They are currently fifth in the NBA, with a 20-13 record, only four games behind the top seed, Toronto Raptors.
They have won the last seven of their 10 games and are on a two-game winning streak. One man who has carried them along after a bad start to their season has been Kyrie Irving.
Kyrie has been on fire this season, averaging more than 23 points per match, along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds as well.
After a tough October, Kyrie has finally found his groove and has become the pivotal player for the Boston Celtics.
In the win over the 76ers, he scored a massive 40 points, along with 3 assists, 10 rebounds and a steal to with it too. He is making clutch shots for the Celtics and they'll hope it continues and he has another huge game against the Houston Rockets.
Alternate pick: Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)
PG 2 - Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
The Portland Trail Blazers have been a very volatile team this season. They are currently 6th in the Western Conference, having started the season brightly but are now with a 19-15 record.
They have won six of their last 10 matches but lost their most recent game against the Utah Jazz heavily, 117-96. One player who is performing night in and night out for them is Damian Lillard.
Lillard has been an amazing player for the Blazers this season, averaging a massive 27 points per game, along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds as well.
If the Blazers were playing better, Lillard would probably have been in MVP conversation. In the last game against the Utah Jazz, he was the only player who showed up for the Blazers, scoring 20 points with 4 assists and 5 rebounds.
He should be in for a bigger game tomorrow against the Golden State Warriors if the Blazers want to win.
Alternate pick: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
SG 1 - James Harden (Houston Rockets)
It feels weird if your DFS team does not feature James Harden. He has been on fire for the Houston Rockets of late, carrying them to the seventh spot, with an 18-15 record.
They have won seven of their last 10 matches and are on a two-game winning streak, all thanks to their star, James Harden.
Harden has been an absolute monster for the Rockets this season, averaging a huge 32 points per game, along with more than 8 assists and just under 6 rebounds per game.
In the win over the Thunder, Harden had 41 points, along with 7 assists and 6 rebounds too. He even had 2 steals and a block too, making this line even more audacious.
The Rockets would want him to come up with the goods again versus a strong Celtics team so that they can continue this amazing form they are in.
Alternate pick: Jimmy Butler (Philadelphia 76ers)
SG 2 - Buddy Hield (Sacramento Kings)
The Sacramento Kings are the biggest surprise this season. They are currently eighth in the Western Conference, with an 18-16 record.
They have been good of late, winning five of their last 10 games and lost their last game against the Los Angeles Clippers. One man who has been standing out for them, taking them to new heights, has been Buddy Hield.
Hield has finally broken out this season, showing everyone what he is made of, averaging a superb 20 points per game, along with 5 rebounds and more than 2 assists too.
His career high numbers are due to his amazingly efficient shooting and rebounding ability. In the loss to the Clippers, Hield had a bad one, scoring just 11 points and grabbing 6 rebounds and 1 assist.
Alternate pick: Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz
SF 1 - Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
The Boston Celtics, as we read in one of the previous slides, has been in some amazing form.
They are currently fifth in the NBA, with a 20-13 record. They have won the last seven of their 10 games and are on a two-game winning streak.
Even though Irving is doing most of the hard work of late, one man who has been the most consistent for the Celtics is their sophomore, Jayson Tatum.
Tatum has been really good for the Celtics when the rest of the stars do not show up. He is averaging a good 17 points, along with more than 6 rebounds per game.
In the win over the 76ers, Tatum scored 23 points, along with 10 rebounds too. He even had 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Alternate pick: Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF 2 - Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)
Just like James Harden, Kevin Durant is a player that is a must-have on your DFS roster, especially since the status of LeBron James is up in the air.
He has been exceptional for the Golden State Warriors this season and has taken them to the 2nd spot in the Western Conference, with a 23-12 record.
They have gone on a 7-3 run in their last 10 games and it is not with the contributions of Kevin Durant.
Durant has been amazing for the Warriors, averaging 29 points, just under 8 rebounds and more than 6 assists per game.
He has been the pillar of consistency for the Warriors, both through their wins and losses. In the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Durant had 21 points, along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists as well, along with 1 steal.
The Warriors and Durant will look to bounce back against the Trail Blazers tomorrow.
Alternate pick: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
PF 1 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
There is not enough that can be said about the Greek Freak. He is the crown jewel in this Milwaukee Bucks team.
The new head coach, Mike Budenholzer, has changed the system such that Antetokounmpo is now surrounded by elite shooters, creating a lot of space for him on the floor and that has reaped great benefits.
The Bucks are currently second in the Eastern Conference with a 23-10 record and have won seven of their last 10 matches.
Giannis is probably the front-runner for the MVP this season, scoring an average of more than 26 points per game, with just under 13 rebounds per game and 6 assists as well. These are just amazing numbers for a player of his size.
In the win over the Knicks, Giannis had 30 points, along with 14 rebounds and 3 assists. He is an elite rim protector and had 2 big blocks against the Knicks. The Bucks face the Knicks again tomorrow and would like another big win.
Alternate pick: N/A
PF 2 - Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers)
The Los Angeles Lakers did not have a great start to their season, but now are really performing well.
They are fourth in the Western Conference, with a 20-14 record and have won five games in their last 10 matches. Apart from the brilliance of LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma's emergence as their secondary scorer has changed a lot for the Lakers.
Kuzma has been really good this season, scoring an average of 18 points per game and pulling down just under 6 rebounds per game. He is also getting a regular 2 assists per game and is becoming a better defender too, getting at least a steal or a block in every game.
In the win over the Warriors, Kuzma had 19 points, along with 6 rebounds and an assist too. With LeBron looking doubtful for tomorrow, Kuzma will be the go-to guy for the Lakers.
Alternate pick: Marcus Morris (Boston Celtics)
C 1 - Clint Capela (Houston Rockets)
As we read in one of the slides, The Houston Rockets had a terrible start to the season but have now had a great run of form which has got them up to the seventh spot in the Western Conference. They have an 18-15 record and have won seven of their last 10 matches.
They are on a two-game winning streak as well. winning their last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 113-109.
This has mostly been the doing of James Harden, but a lot of credit should also go to Clint Capela for stepping up and doing a really great job as the team's second star.
Capela has averaged a mammoth 17 points per game, along with more than 12 rebounds and 3 assists as well. He has been an excellent rim protector throughout his career and it stays the same, averaging at least 2 blocks per game this season.
In the win over the Thunder on Christmas, Capela had an amazing game, scoring 16 points and grabbing a stunning 23 rebounds, along with 3 assists, a steal and a block. Rockets will be looking for similar production against the Boston Celtics tomorrow.
Alternate pick: Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
C 2 - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
The Philadelphia 76ers have been having a mixed bag of results for a while. Even though they are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 22-13, they have won only 5 of their last 10 matches.
The most recent one was a loss against the Boston Celtics, 121-114, in overtime. One player who has been giving it his all for the 76ers this season, is their star center, Joel Embiid.
Embiid, even though the 76ers are not winning much, has been superb of late. He is averaging a career-high 27 points per game, along with alteast 13 rebounds per game as well.
He is one of the front-runners for Defensive Player of the Year, averaging almost 2 blocks a game. In the overtime loss to the Boston Celtics, Embiid had a massive 34 points, along with 16 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, getting a full stat line.
The 76ers would want Embiid to continue this form and give a similar production against the Utah Jazz tomorrow.
Alternate pick: N/A
