While the Detroit Pistons lost their 13th straight game on Thursday night, second-year forward Saddiq Bey posted an encouraging performance with a season-high 28 points. Pulling down 10 boards and dishing five dimes fleshed out a full fantasy line for Bey, as he finished second behind only Kevin Durant among forwards in DraftKings points during Thursday night's five-game slate.
The Pistons couldn't keep Indiana out of the restricted area last night, as the Pacers compiled a season-high 68 points in the paint. Caris LeVert slashed his way to a season-high 31 points in the victory. Maybe trade buzz circling Indiana's roster has inspired LeVert. No matter the motivation, after weeks of struggles, LeVert has averaged 21.9 points with strong peripheral stats during his last seven games.
Back to Bey, even amid the league's longest active losing streak, he could emerge as a helpful fantasy option. The Villanova product is rostered in only 47.5% of ESPN leagues, but has seen the largest uptick in DraftKings points per 36 minutes with Jerami Grant off the floor this season.
Thursday recap
Highlights
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets: 34 points (13-24 FG), 11 rebounds, 8 assists
Daniel Theis, Houston Rockets: 22 points (8-12 FG), 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Lowlights
Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards: 4 points (2-6 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Derrick Rose, New York Knicks: 0 points (0-2 FG), 1 rebound, 1 assist
Thursday takeaways
Daniel Theis hasn't really lived up his unexpectedly large contract with the Rockets just yet, so it was nice to see him shine as the leading scorer with the team's best net rating last night. It's unclear if this performance is an outlier or a trend for Theis, but it's encouraging that he played a season-high 32 minutes in the loss to the Knicks.
The Rockets are depleted on the perimeter with several injuries to some top young talents, vaulting rookie Josh Christopher into a larger role recently. Christopher scored 14 last night for Houston and has averaged more than a dozen points with solid shooting and steal rates during his last six games. The minutes and shots aren't there for Christopher to help you out in 10-team leagues, but I can see him becoming relevant in deeper formats until Houston gets healthy.
For the Knicks, second-year guard Immanuel Quickley sank a career-high seven 3-pointers to tally a season-high 24 points. You'd hope Quickley could ascend in a fairly limited backcourt depth chart beyond Derrick Rose when it comes to offensive creation. Alec Burks remains a favorite of the coaching staff, but has shot below 30% from the floor in December, potentially opening a window for Quickley if such a funk continues. There's been talk of the Knicks searching for offensive help via the trade market, but I'd hope they look to Quickley first.
Ah, yes, the offensive engine known as JaVale McGee. The backup center led the Suns in scoring last night. Just as we expected. This statistical surge came from left field given Deandre Ayton was active, but McGee was able to tally 17 points on just eight shots in an efficient evening. The key lesson is just how helpful McGee can prove on those nights when Ayton rests or is sidelined.
Injuries of note
Both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler remain sidelined for the Heat, while the Magic list Cole Anthony and Mo Bamba as questionable with respective ankle injuries for tonight's game in Orlando.
Charlotte's LaMelo Ball is listed as questionable to play against the Trail Blazers as he ramps up his conditioning in a return from COVID-19.
Analytics advantage for Friday
The Milwaukee Bucks will be without Bobby Portis for tonight's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to health and safety protocols. Forward Jordan Nwora has averaged 15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per 36 minutes with Portis off the court this season and just posted 15 points with three swipes in Milwaukee's recent blowout win over the Pacers. Nwora is available in nearly every ESPN league and is a nice plug-and-play option for tonight's slate.
DFS discussion
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: Really diving deep into unknown depths of the league for this gem. But really, the Lakers are yet another team with multiple key players sidelined in health and safety protocols. With Russell Westbrook and several backup guards unavailable, James will have to take his do-everything offensive orchestration to a new level against the Timberwolves tonight.
Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings: De'Aaron Fox is considered doubtful tonight, while Tyrese Haliburton is questionable to play against the Grizzlies. Sacramento won't have Terence Davis or Marvin Bagley III in the rotation, consolidating more touches for Mitchell at a reasonable price in daily fantasy competition this evening.
