The first day of NBA action in 2019 did not disappoint -- two versatile big men delivered historic statistical performances, while Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 45 points.
The Portland Trail Blazers' Jusuf Nurkic became the first player ever on record (steals and blocks became official in 1973-74) with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds while also securing the coveted "5x5" that indicates at least five points, rebounds, steals, rebounds and blocks. Digging deep, I found that Charles Barkley in 1987 posted a game for the 76ers with at least as many points, rebounds, steals and assists as Nurkic, but he failed to record a single block.
Nurkic became the second player this season with a "5x5," joining the Pelicans' Anthony Davis, who did so on Nov. 21 against Philly, marking the first time in 15 seasons that multiple players have had such a performance in the same season.
Denver's Nikola Jokic, Nurkic's former frontcourt mate, notched his 19th career triple-double on Tuesday in downing the Knicks, the fourth-most by a player of at least 6-foot-10 or taller in NBA history, per Elias. Jokic is also the first player since Larry Bird in 1987 to produce as many points, rebounds, assists and blocks as he had last night. The Nuggets, thanks in large part to Jokic's deft passing touch, have tallied at least 30 assists 11 times this season and are second in the league with 27 dimes per game as a team. For some context, the Knicks, the Nugs' Tuesday opponent, have tallied nine total games with at least 30 assists since the 2011-12 season.
Back in Toronto, Leonard's career-high scoring performance was somehow accomplished without sinking a single 3-pointer. This proves additionally impressive and unique in 2019. Leonard became the first player in Raptors history with at least 45 points while making at least 70 percent of his field goal attempts. Leonard extended his 20-point streak to 14 games, longest of his career. Those who took the risk on Leonard in drafts are being rewarded, while those with shares of Jokic and Nurkic are also enjoying production profits this season.
In the takeaways section below, I delve into some actionable free-agent decisions you can make based on last night's results. 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
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: 28 points (9-19 FG), 19 rebounds, 3 blocks, 5 TO
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 19 points (8-16 FG), 14 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 blocks, 5 TO
Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors: 45 points (16-22 FG), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 TO
Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers: 24 points (5-10 FG), 23 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 5 blocks, 4 TO
Lowlights
Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings: 5 points (2-14 FG), 11 rebounds, 3 assists
Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz: 2 points (0-5 FG), 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 TO
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets: 8 points (4-12 FG), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 TO
Tuesday takeaways
The Milwaukee Bucks shot 70 percent (28-of-40) in the first half in a drubbing of Detroit last night, the best shooting clip in the first half of the season for any team. Brook Lopez is still available in roughly half of ESPN leagues for the cost of a roster spot despite being tied for eighth with Embiid in total blocks and ninth in the NBA in 3-pointers with Klay Thompson. Lopez made seven 3-pointers last night, his third time hitting as many this season, becoming the only non-wing to have three such outings.
Continuing this thread of actionable information about fantasy free agents, Utah's Jae Crowder produced a career-high 30 points on Tuesday, becoming the first Jazz player with a 30-point game off the bench this season. In deeper leagues, Malik Beasley of the Nuggets merits mention, thanks to producing a career-high 23 points for the Nuggets off the pine. The Kings lost a heartbreaker to Nurkic and the Blazers in overtime, but Nemanja Bjelica secured his fourth double-double of the season for the Kings, matching his total from the previous two seasons combined.
With a win last night, the 76ers earned consecutive season sweeps of the Clippers for the first time since 2008. In his 130th game, Embiid surpassed 3,000 career points to become the fastest player in franchise history to reach that mark, per the Elias Sports Bureau. I wasn't able to get the exact game deduced this morning, but it took Allen Iverson around 137 games to tally 3,000 points. Embiid also posted his NBA-high 32nd double-double of the season, breaking a tie with Utah's Rudy Gobert. The performance also marked his 12th game with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds, tying Davis for the most in the NBA. If you've already trusted the process, it's time to enjoy it.
Injuries of note
Gary Harris returned to action for the Nuggets after missing 11 games with a hip injury. Harris made just one shot on five attempts in 20 minutes, so his return to full form might take a few more outings.
Nikola Vucevic suffered a strained calf against Charlotte last time out, thus he's questionable for tonight's matchup with the Bulls.
The Celtics could be without Kyrie Irving, who suffered an eye injury in their last game against the Spurs. Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart would earn increased usage and upside if Irving sits.
LeBron James continues to be out with the groin injury he suffered on Christmas.
Analytics advantage for Wednesday
The Lakers beat the Kings on Sunday after dropping their first two games without James. That snapped a 13-game losing streak by LeBron teams without him in the lineup. For his career, LeBron's teams have a 25-50 (.333) record without him in the lineup,
Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram have all enjoyed sizable surges in usage rate and raw production sans James' ball-dominant presence these past several games. Finding ways to stack these young Lakers in DFS lineups against the Thunder could prove rewarding.
I'm building around Paul George in lineups tonight; he's averaging career-highs in scoring (26.4 PPG), rebounding (8.2 RPG) and 3-pointers (3.3 3PG), and is also on pace to post a career-best 23.2 PER. George has been particularly on fire over his past five games, averaging 36.2 PPG on efficient rates, his highest scoring average over any five-game stretch during his career. The added matchup narrative to consider for George against the Lakers, a team he might have ended up on long-term had they traded for him in the summer of 2017, only adds to the fantasy fun.
Top players to watch tonight
The Celtics went 14-8 without Irving during the regular season last season, then advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. However, the offense has struggled without Irving on the floor this season, posting a 98.1 offensive efficiency when he sits. For context, the Bulls have the worst offensive efficiency this season at 100.2.
No matter Irving's status, the top matchup I'm eyeing tonight is Karl-Anthony Towns, fresh from a monster statistical outing, facing off directly with defensive savant Al Horford, a player who capably stymied the Sixers' talented duo of Ben Simmons and Embiid in the playoffs last spring. This should prove to be a legitimate test for Towns' ability to overcome a savvy veteran defender and yet another test for Horford against a prodigious frontcourt talent.
