In a night of hot starts -- a full 12 of the 20 teams in action scored 58-plus points in the first half on Monday -- it was the hot finish of Anthony Davis that defined the slate. "The Brow" scored a season-high 53 points with 18 rebounds and 5 blocks and is now averaging 41.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 steals and 3.2 blocks during the New Orleans Pelicans' six-game winning streak.
How dominant was Davis last night? His 96.1 FanDuel points has been bested just three times since 2009 (once by Davis himself). Davis joined Bob McAdoo as the only players with 50 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single game since blocks started being tracked in 1973-74.
Somewhat overshadowed, but still quite impressive on Monday night, was Devin Booker, who delivered 40 points, 10 boards and 7 assists for the Suns in that same game. Booker is the first Phoenix player since Alvan Adams in February of 1977 to produce as many points, rebounds and assists in a game. For those in keeper and dynasty leagues, it's incredible to think that Booker is still just 21.
Both stars rightfully earn praise for their respective historic performances, yet fantasy managers heading into the playoffs are more interested in the likes of Josh Jackson and other widely available players who can help bolster their rosters. Davis and Booker are both universally rostered in fantasy leagues for good reason and come at elite pricing in DFS, thus the real fantasy lessons from last night come from deeper in the box score.
Phoenix's Jackson produced 20 points and a career-high 12 boards on Monday. He is available in 62.2 percent of ESPN leagues, yet has averaged 16.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG with respectable defensive rates over his last 15 games. The volume is there, too, as Jackson has lofted at least 14 shots in all but three of those outings.
Monday recap
Box scores
Highlights:
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons: 18 points (8-18 FG), 18 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, 2 TO
Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder: 26 points (9-20 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 TO
Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers: 21 points (10-16 FG), 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 3 TO
Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics: 25 points (8-13 FG), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 3-pointers, 2 TO
Emmanuel Mudiay, New York Knicks: 20 points (8-15 FG), 7 assists, 2 steals, 0 TO
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 26 points (9-10 FG), 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 5 TO
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers: 24 points (10-14 FG), 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 TO
Lowlights:
Mario Chalmers, Memphis Grizzlies: 9 points (2-7 FG), 4 assists, 2 TO
Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz: 6 points (1-6 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 TO
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: 5 points (2-8 FG), 1 block, 0 TO
PJ Tucker, Houston Rockets: 2 points (0-7 FG), 2 steals, 1 TO
Monday takeaways
New York's young backcourt helped fuel a halftime lead over the Warriors last night, albeit in an eventual 14-point loss. Mudiay had 14 points midway through the second quarter, as he led the Knicks in scoring. Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina and Trey Burke all played 25-plus minutes with 12-plus shots last night. With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined and the team thin on wing talent, we could continue to see this trio of guards net a good share of minutes and shots for New York. I've been down on him before, but it appears Mudiay will be given the best opportunity rates of the trio going forward.
After yet another efficient double-double, is Julius Randle turning into a league-winning asset? The Lakers' young forward is averaging 19.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 3.9 APG during the past 15 games. I once considered him to be among the biggest busts of the season. That shows not only how hasty I was, but also just how long the NBA season lasts.
Sticking with the Lakers, last night was the first time the team had nine players in double figures since December of 1987, during the Showtime era. It's clear you can trust Randle and Ingram -- who has quietly averaged 5.4 APG over the past month -- as stable fantasy starters, but what about the rest of the Lakers? It was awesome to see Lonzo Ball produce 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in just 24 minutes of play off the bench, but I find the trio of Isaiah Thomas, Josh Hart and Ball a bit lacking for fantasy purposes. I'd be patient with Ball in the hopes he earns more minutes, but that's no guarantee. On a positive note, Ball is shooting nearly 39 percent from 3-point range over his past 20 games.
The Pistons continue to trend in the wrong direction, yet I continue to admire the play of Ish Smith from a statistical perspective. The veteran combo guard ranks 10th in the league over his last five games with 14 drives per game, just ahead of James Harden and Ben Simmons. Over this time, Smith has also averaged 16.4 PPG and 5.4 APG on nearly 60 percent shooting from the field. The return of Reggie Jackson will muddy things, but it's wise to ride Smith for the time being.
Speaking of under-appreciated dynamos, Dallas' J.J. Barea is third behind only Russell Westbrook and Simmons with 18.3 potential assists per game over the past five outings. Barea tallied 19 points and nine dimes last night, but is currently rostered in just 24.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
Sacramento's Skal Labissiere has more than just an awesome name -- he has real game and finally earned a start last night for the Kings. Thanks to 27.7 minutes of playing time over his past three games, I'm ready to add Labissiere in deeper fantasy formats.
With a focus on finding value amid the crowd of tanking teams, we find Taurean Prince with another strong line for the Hawks. The second-year Baylor product produced 24 points last night and has collected nine steals across his past four games.
JaMychal Green is finally warming up for Memphis. It's definitely too late to help the Grizzlies win games, but Green is an ideal addition for those in need of a blend of scoring and work on the glass.
Injuries of note
Denver's Paul Millsap has been upgraded to questionable for tonight's game against the Clippers. It will be intriguing to see how the Nuggets do defensively with Millsap back in the mix.
Zach LaVine was merely resting (knee) for the Bulls last night and can be expected to resume his heavy usage role in Charlotte tonight.
Brooklyn's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson returned from a groin injury to play 22 minutes. Keep an eye on Dante Cunningham's minutes over the next few games, as he could hurt RHJ's stock going forward if he continues to play meaningful minutes.
Analytics advantage for Tuesday
In terms of defensive data, I don't think we should be referencing overall defensive or offensive ratings as an accurate measure of fantasy potential. Instead, I prefer to comb through the league's defensive efficiency during the most recent five-game sample. Doing so, we find the Spurs, Thunder and Nuggets all among the worst in the league. Denver stands out from the bunch, having ceded 115.2 points per 100 possessions over this stretch -- by far the worst defensive rating in the league. This is why the return of Paul Millsap is crucial.
Top players to watch tonight
Brooklyn's Jarrett Allen posterized Lauri Markkanen in a rousing win over the Bulls last night. More importantly, Allen, who is available in 70 percent of ESPN leagues, now has scored 14-plus points in three straight games and ranks 12th in the NBA in paint touches over the past 10 games. I love his value in DFS and think he could reasonably post 25 fantasy points against Cleveland's soft interior defense.
Sticking with Brooklyn, Allen Crabbe has averaged 22.2 PPG and a whopping 4.7 3PG over the past six games, all starts. Over the past five games, only James Harden has attempted more 3-pointers per game than Crabbe.
