James Harden added to his historic scoring bender and the evening witnessed multiple triple-doubles unfold, but the devastating loss of Indiana's Victor Oladipo to a potentially season-ending knee injury cast a gloomy shadow over Wednesday's slate.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports the team fears Oladipo suffered a season-ending injury in a win over the Raptors on Wednesday. Oladipo is averaging a team-leading 18.8 PPG this season as well as a career-high 5.6 RPG. Last season, he averaged a career-high 23.1 PPG and led the NBA with a career-high 2.4 SPG en route to Most Improved Player honors.
No single player will replace Oladipo's rare blend of offensive and defensive production, but we can try to discern and project which Indiana players will see the largest jump in opportunity rates.
Thaddeus Young stepped up with 23 points, 15 rebounds and four combined blocks and steals against Toronto, and he now has the second-best net rating on the team when Oladipo if off the floor. Young is rostered in 62 percent of ESPN leagues as of Thursday morning. Bojan Bogdanovic has seen the biggest usage jump (1.8 percent) with Oladipo off the court this season and could become an even stronger source of scoring and 3-point volume.
You can find point guard Darren Collison available in half of ESPN leagues for a few clicks, which is a fine price for a player who averaged 9.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 8.0 APG, and 1.8 SPG during an 11-game stretch without Oladipo in the lineup back in parts of November and December. Even Cory Joseph and Tyreke Evans should gain value with added usage in the games ahead.
Here's to a smooth recovery for Oladipo.
Wednesday recap
Highlights
James Harden, Houston Rockets: 61 points (17-38 FG, 22-25 FT), 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, 5 TO
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies: 22 points (8-15 FG), 17 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 3 TO
Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons: 37 points (14-28 FG), 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 TO
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 28 points (10-21 FG), 21 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers: 21 points (9-14 FG), 10 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 TO
Lowlights
Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic: 9 points (4-11 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Rodney Hood, Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 points (1-9 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
James Johnson, Miami Heat: 3 points (1-5 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Elfrid Payton, New Orleans Pelicans: 2 points (1-7 FG), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 TO
Wednesday takeaways
Harden scored a franchise-record 61 points on Wednesday against the Knicks and became the first player to attempt 20 3s and 20 free throws in a game in NBA history. The bearded one also became the first player to score 55 points or more three times in a single calendar month since Wilt Chamberlain in January 1963 and the first player with 60 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals in a game since steals became official in 1973-74, per Elias. Harden now has the three highest scoring totals in franchise history and is tied for the most points by a visiting player at the current Madison Square Garden. He also became the first visiting player with 50 points and 10 rebounds at the current Madison Square Garden (since 1968), per the Elias Sports Bureau. In addition, Harden became the first NBA player with 60 points and 15 rebounds against the Knicks since Wilt Chamberlain's famous 100-point, 25-rebound game on March 2, 1962, per Elias. Chris Paul is eyeing a return to action as early as this coming weekend, signaling this historic offensive run could slow soon, but we'll likely never forget this amazing scoring stretch.
For the spunky Knicks, a team that almost pulled the upset over Houston last night, Allonzo Trier tallied 31 points and sported a team-best plus-19 net rating off the pine. Trier is a free agent in more than 90 percent of ESPN leagues and has scored in double-digits in thee straight. It was also nice to see Noah Vonleh deliver the double-double I projected in this space yesterday. While lottery balls remain the main goal, it's good to see rising young players like Trier and Vonleh emerge for New York and fantasy managers, alike.
Simmons netted his 20th career triple-double on Wednesday, while only Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson reached 20 career doubles at a younger age in NBA history, and only Robertson reached this milestone in fewer games played than Simmons. With Jimmy Butler sidelined again with a wrist ailment, Joel Embiid stepped up with 33 points and 19 pulls for his 11th game this season with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds, tying him with Anthony Davis for most such games in the NBA.
Speaking of top picks for Philly, former 76er Jahlil Okafor had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks and 5 TO for the Pelicans in a loss to the Pistons on Wednesday. It's cool to see that Okafor can produce when called on, but he also posted a team-worst net rating in the loss and will likely fall back out of the rotation once Davis returns to the lineup.
John Collins' breakout campaign continued last night with a career-high 35 points on just 16 shots. Collins is producing one of the more efficient seasons for a player of his age and usage in league history. Fellow franchise building block Trae Young tallied his 14th 10-assist game on Wednesday, while all other rookies have combined for five such games. Atlanta could deal off some veterans at the deadline, adding even more usage and upside to this already impressive young duo.
The Brooklyn Nets are 18-5 in their past 23 games, have now won five straight and match the Pacers for the second-best record in the NBA since Dec. 7. Former fantasy sleeper Spencer Dinwiddie notched a game-high 29 points off the bench and should begin preparing a spot in his apartment for the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Brooklyn is still home to some underappreciated producers still, as DeMarre Carroll and Rodions Kurucs are productive wings worth considering in deeper leagues.
Injuries of note
Woj reported the Pelicans' Davis could return to action next week for the Pelicans after suffering a hand injury that potentially threatened to keep him out longer.
Damian Lillard is also dealing with a hand injury that has him listed as questionable for tonight's tilt with the Suns.
Deandre Ayton is considered unlikely to play against Portland, thanks to a lingering ankle injury that held him out of practice on Wednesday. Dragan Bender is a strong streaming play if Richaun Holmes is limited or sidelined tonight.
LeBron will miss his 15th straight game (Lakers 5-9 without him) to injury as the Lakers host the Timberwolves tonight. This is the most consecutive games he's missed due to injury and already matches the most games he's missed in a season in his career.
Analytics advantage for Thursday
First, there was the "death lineup," but with DeMarcus Cousins' return to health, the Warriors might have something more imposing for opponents. Their new All-Star lineup featuring Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Cousins -- who have all made at least the last three All-Star teams -- thoroughly dominated the Clippers and Lakers this past week. In just 18 minutes of action, this unit outscored the opposition 55-20.
Facing a Wizards team that plays hard in a game with a robust opening point total of 235, it could prove rewarding to stack this game from both respective rosters. I'll be looking to fit shares of Tomas Satoransky, Trevor Ariza and Thomas Bryant (could see more work with Cousins as a traditional center) around both Bradley Beal and the Warriors' core of stars in DFS competition.
Top players to watch tonight
Karl-Anthony Towns has averaged 21.4 PPG and 13.4 RPG in 14 career games facing the Lakers. Los Angeles, meanwhile, ranks 22nd in the league with 50 points allowed per game in the paint this season. Add in the fact the Lakers are 18th in rebounding percentage the past 10 games, and we could land a monster line for KAT on Thursday.
With James off the floor this season, Kyle Kuzma has seen his usage rate spike by 3.3 percent, highest on the team and a sign that he's the key scoring wing to target tonight against a Timberwolves defense that has proved porous on the perimeter sans Robert Covington.
