A 44-point fourth quarter helped the suddenly hot Houston Rockets down the Hawks in Atlanta on Monday night. The Rockets, winners of eight of their last 10 games after starting the season 1-16, were led by veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon in a game that saw Houston trail by as many as 19, marking the team's largest comeback this season.
A recent theme in this column has been identifying helpful statistical runs from unlikely sources, such as a 14-year veteran scoring guard on a lottery-bound Houston roster. Gordon has been posting fantasy-relevant numbers for much of December, averaging 22.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.4 3-pointers during his last five games.
Houston's Swiss Army knife Jae'Sean Tate also stepped up in the comeback win last night, as the small forward produced an efficient 15 points to go with four combined blocks and steals. Even with young stars Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. sidelined, the Rockets are providing fantasy value.
Highlights
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: 42 points (16-25 FG), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks: 41 points (14-22 FG), 4 rebounds, 9 assists
Lowlights
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings: 3 points (1-9 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks: 4 points (2-8 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 TO
Monday takeaways
The Clippers downed the Suns last night in a game that lacked some star power with Paul George and Devin Booker both sidelined. Marcus Morris Sr. stepped up for the Clippers with a game-high 24 points and now has scored at least 20 Pts in four of his last six games. Terance Mann shined for Los Angeles, as well, evidence both of these players are worth rostering whenever George misses time.
The Grizzlies blew out the Sixers in Memphis, as Joel Embiid was a late scratch due to a rib injury he suffered last week. It's unlikely Embiid misses much time, while it remains impressive how well second-year guard Tyrese Maxey had adapted to a more demanding starting role this season. Maxey produced a team-high 23 points for the Sixers and is now averaging 16.4 PPG this season after just 8.0 PPG last season. Maxey's 8.4 PPG scoring increase is the largest in the NBA.
The Pacers threw waves of defenders at Stephen Curry last night in hopes of keeping him from setting the all-time 3-point record on their home floor. The strategy worked in the sense that Curry finished one 3-pointer shy of tying Ray Allen in the history books, but Curry also orchestrated a successful comeback in the final few minutes with some clutch shot-making, including a signature step-back 3-pointer. All eyes are on Curry in Madison Square Garden tonight.
Injuries of note
Portland has ruled out CJ McCollum and Cody Zeller for this evening's matchup with Phoenix. Anfernee Simons figures to play a larger role with McCollum sidelined.
Milwaukee's Middleton left last night's loss due to a knee injury. We'll learn more about this injury in the coming days, but initial signs are that the injury won't cause him to be out for a lengthy period of time.
Analytics advantage for Tuesday
The Knicks won't have RJ Barrett for tonight's matchup with the Warriors due to being in health and safety protocols. This morning, we learned from ESPN NBA reporter Tim Bontemps that rising rookie Quentin Grimes has entered the health and safety protocols and will miss tonight's game against Golden State.
This could lead to a big line from Alec Burks, who is due to return to the lineup after missing Sunday's game for personal reasons. Entering this past weekend, Burks had averaged 18 PPG with strong shooting and steal rates and a usage rate above 22% in his past six starts. Facing his former team this evening, Burks could be in line for a big role.
DFS discussion
Larry Nance Jr., Portland Trail Blazers: The struggles of Robert Covington became clear enough to finally shift Nance into the starting lineup for Portland. With Phoenix playing last night and Deandre Ayton dealing with an illness, Nance could enjoy some favorable interior matchups this evening.
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors: Save for one ugly recent outing against the Knicks, Siakam has been an efficient source of scoring and rebounding for fantasy managers during the last month. Brooklyn could struggle with Siakam's size and length around the paint this evening, setting him up with a solid projection during this somewhat limited three-game slate.
