Just as we expected, Domantas Sabonis has been more valuable from a fantasy perspective this season than Jayson Tatum and LaMarcus Aldridge. On Tuesday night, the Pacers' savvy big was more valuable than any other player on the slate, with Sabonis tallying the most fantasy points of any player on DraftKings, thanks to compiling 21 points, 16 boards, and three assists in just 23 minutes in a win over the Suns -- his first career game with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds.
When sifting through the Player Rater for an idea of which players are most statistically sound this season, Sabonis rates 13th among center-eligible players and ninth among power forwards in relative statistical value. Sabonis is rostered in just over 70 percent of ESPN leagues at the moment.
Because of a refined high-post game that some would deem "old school," likely a nod to the awesome floor game his famous father Arvydas Sabonis flashed for Portland in the '90s, Sabonis tends to be viewed as a somewhat low-ceiling asset. The truth is that Sabonis could become an even greater fantasy force if allocated more minutes, as his per-36 rates scream stardom -- 21.6 PPG, 14.6 RPG and 4.8 APG
Defensive limitations and playing alongside a gifted rim protector in Myles Turner, who tallied a season-high 13 rebounds to go with five blocks last night, will likely serve to keep Sabonis around 25 MPG this season. Yet at just 22-years-old, it's fun to imagine what Sabonis' true production prime will look like. I can imagine prime production similar to that of Nikola Vucevic, who is currently making a strong bid for an All-Star nod with Orlando.
With an eye on meaningful fantasy performances and relevant statistical trends, let's delve into the night that was in the NBA.
Tuesday recap
Highlights
Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons: 30 points (9-21 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 TO
Josh Richardson, Miami Heat: 22 points (6-17 FG), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, 5 TO
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers: 21 points (7-14 FG) 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 TO
Allonzo Trier, New York Knicks: 25 points (7-11 FG), 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 TO
Lowlights
Trevor Ariza, Phoenix Suns: 6 points (2-7 FG), 4 rebounds, 1 TO
James Johnson, Miami Heat: 8 points (3-8 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists
JaVale McGee, Los Angeles Lakers: 2 points (1-4 FG), 2 rebounds, 4 blocks
Tuesday takeaways
"Zo" Trier produced a team-high 24 points for the Knicks on Tuesday night, hitting seven of his 11 shots (64 percent), while the rest of the Knicks shot just 36 percent from the field in losing to the Pistons. A teammate of Deandre Ayton at Arizona, Trier went undrafted this past summer and signed a two-way deal with the Knicks in July. Trier hasn't been earning steady minutes of late, dipping to just 12 in Orlando last week, but there is obviously some scoring and playmaking upside that the rest of the league missed out on. If the Knicks free up more shots and minutes for Trier in the weeks ahead, he could emerge as a strong fantasy asset.
Griffin's revival in Detroit isn't getting enough attention from national punditry. Second in the NBA in touches per game and with a rare blend of scoring, rebounding and assists, Griffin is once again a bona fide fantasy star. Griffin delivered a game-high 30 points in the win over Trier's Knicks, his sixth game this season scoring at least 30 after having just five such performances all last season.
The Raptors came back from down 17 in the win over Memphis last night, with Toronto now 12-0 this season when Kyle Lowry (24 points, his most in the past 19 games), scores at least 15 points. From watching the game, however, the key takeaway is just how good Marc Gasol has been playing. In hitting four of six attempts from beyond the arc in the loss, Gasol is now shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range on 4.6 attempts per game. When we consider Gasol is producing three combined blocks and steals to go with a slash of 18.5 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.9 3PG this season, it's clear he's enjoying an awesome fantasy campaign. Only Griffin and LeBron James have touched the ball more times per game than Pau's little brother, while only DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook have ever averaged as many points, rebounds, assists, and 3-pointers as Gasol is this season.
James had his worst game as a Laker in a 117-85 loss to the Nuggets, posting season lows in points (14), field goal percentage (33.3), and plus-minus (-23). He also tied season lows in assists (two), and he did not make a 3-point FG for the second time this season. LeBron created 19 points off scores and assists. It was the sixth time in 1,159th career regular-season games that James failed to create 20 or more points, per ESPN Stats & Info. The Lakers' 32-point loss was their worst of the season by far. Their previous worst loss was a 14-point defeat against the Raptors on Nov. 4. They have been held to 90 or fewer points in two of their past three games after scoring at least 100 points in each of their first 17 games. It's likely just a momentary downturn for the Lakers, but one worth monitoring.
Injuries of note
Victor Oladipo sat out last night's win over the Suns with a sore knee and is considered unlikely to suit up for Thursday's contest against the Lakers.
Lonzo Ball left last night's loss after playing just 18 minutes. With a blowout underway when he was injured, Ball didn't return to action, so we'll want to track his status heading into Thursday's game with the Pacers.
Denver's Garry Harris sat out last night's win over the Lakers with an ankle ailment. The Nuggets next play the Trail Blazers on Friday.
Washington's Dwight Howard (back) is listed as out for tonight's game with the Pelicans.
Analytics advantage for Wednesday
In a game that might just claim the highest projected point total of the season, the Pelicans host the Wizards in a contest set with an over/under of 241.5 points. Which is to say, a 121-119 contest would come in under. This indicates projection models are expecting tons of scoring in tonight's tilt, making this an ideal target for streaming and stacking.
For those looking to stream some widely available talents, how about shares of E'Twaun Moore from the Pelicans and Markieff Morris from the Wizards? You can still afford Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, John Wall and Bradley Beal when complementing them with the likes of Moore and Morris.
Top players to watch tonight
In a battle of deft dribblers and savvy playmakers, sensational rookie Luka Doncic meets James Harden in Houston in a battle of Lone Star squads. Doncic is listed as questionable tonight with an illness, but reports from the beat suggest we should see the phenom in action tonight. Having already deked Kyrie Irving with a nifty move this past week, it's now Harden's turn to teach the rookie a few tricks when it comes to shot creation.
