Denver's Paul Millsap posted a season-high 33 points while Nikola Jokic secured his first game-winning buzzer-beater as the Nuggets claimed a comeback victory over the Mavericks on Thursday night. The Nuggets entered the final frame trailing by 10, only to outscore the Mavericks by 11 in the fourth quarter. Resilience was the word of the night in the NBA, with the Celtics and Pacers also mounting double-digit comebacks in their respective victories.
Possibly lost in the shuffle of Jokic's dramatic final shot and Luka Doncic flirting with yet another triple-double is that fellow rookie Jalen Brunson delivered yet another spectacular effort in the loss for Dallas. Brunson somehow earned a team-best net rating of plus-13 in a one-point loss. The Villanova product has gone from fringe fantasy streamer to must-add asset in a matter of a few games, as his recent play has seen him tally at least 18 points in four straight appearances to go with a strong collection of dimes and rebounds during this successful sample.
During his past four games, all starts, Brunson is slashing for 22.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, and two 3-pointers per game and yet is still found for the price of a roster spot in more than 85 percent of ESPN leagues as of Thursday morning.
Thursday recap
Highlights
Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings: 34 points (14-24 FG), 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 TO
Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics: 31 points (11-28 FG), 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 TO
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: 24 points (10-23 FG), 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO
Lowlights
Danny Green, Toronto Raptors: 3 points (1-3 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 TO
Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets: 9 points (3-7 FG), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 TO
Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics: 10 points (3-7 FG), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 TO
Thursday takeaways
Irving netted his second career triple-double in helping the Celtics claw back from a double-digit deficit to the Kings on Thursday, with his first triple-double coming in February of 2014 against the Jazz while with the Cavs. The performance also marked Irving's sixth outing with at least 30 points and 10 dimes this season, the most in a season by a Celtics player since Larry Bird in 1986-87 (seven such performances that season).
With the loss to the Celtics, the Kings are now five games behind the final playoff spot in the West and are under .500 for the first time since January 8. Hield impressively tallied his seventh 30-point game this season, the most by a Sacramento guard in a single season since Kevin Martin had 16 such performances back in 2008-09.
The Timberwolves have allowed 121.9 points per game to opponents since the All-Star break and, thus, have the league's worst defensive rating (118.1 points allowed per 100 possessions) during this sample. Get shares of defensive stalwart Robert Covington where possible, but in the meantime, it's wise to stack and stream against this weak defensive team.
In chasing down the Thunder after being down 19 in the third quarter, the Indiana Pacers mounted their 19th comeback win of at least 15 points over the past three seasons, the most such victories in the NBA during this span. Wesley Matthews was cold for much of the game but came on strong late and helped the Pacers complete the comeback and is now averaging 13.7 PPG to go with 2.7 3PG and 1.2 SPG during his past 11 games with Indiana, all starts. The wily vet is available in free agency in more than 80 percent of ESPN leagues and should see plenty of minutes and usage in the weeks ahead.
Injuries of note
After some rumblings surfaced about shutting him down for the rest of the season with a minor knee ailment, Chicago's Zach LaVine practiced in full yesterday and is now listed as probable for tonight's matchup with the Clippers.
Ben Simmons missed practice yesterday with an upper-respiratory infection but is listed as probable for tonight's game against the Kings.
Analytics advantage for Saturday
In what could be a preview of the Western Conference semis or finals, the Warriors visit the Thunder on Saturday night on ABC in the second game of their tough four-game road trip. The Warriors secured a win over Houston on Wednesday night and are looking to win consecutive games for the first time in more than a month with this visit to Oklahoma City.
Kevin Durant missed Wednesday's win over the Rockets with an ankle injury but is expected to return for tomorrow's tilt against his former team. The former Thunder great has the highest career scoring average against the Sonics/Thunder franchise in NBA history at 31.4 PPG in nine career matchups, just ahead of Michael Jordan's 29.9 clip.
The Thunder, meanwhile, are thriving behind Paul George's spectacular season that looks very similar statistically to Durant's final campaign in OKC. No one can replace Durant's statistical legacy in Oklahoma City, but George is putting up numbers that are like what KD posted in his final season with the Thunder back in 2015-16.
George has the second-highest scoring average in the NBA this season behind only James Harden and ranks third in 3-point makes (239). Not only will this game be fun for fantasy purposes, but the narrative energy the matchup delivers is truly worth of the Saturday night marquee.
Top players to watch tonight
Jrue Holiday will miss yet another game due to a core injury, setting up Elfrid Payton as a savvy streaming option and DFS target against Portland's smaller backcourt tonight. With Holiday sidelined, Payton has averaged 14 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 9 APG, 2 3PG, and 1.7 combined blocks and steals the past three games, including consecutive triple-double performances. You can find Payton at reasonable pricing on DraftKings this evening.
With tonight's matchup between the Trail Blazers and Pelicans set with an opening point total of 235.5 points, there is plenty of room for Portland's Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to deliver value as building blocks in daily fantasy play, as well.
