With his performance against the Washington Wizards, Giannis Antetokounmpo once again proved why he is a dominant force in the NBA. In what was his 29th career triple-double, he scored 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had 11 assists. Amazingly, Antetokounmpo now has more career triple-doubles than Michael Jordan.
The Milwaukee Bucks' win over the Wizards featured other outstanding performances from Jrue Holiday (22 points) and Bobby Portis (17 points, 7 rebounds). Holiday stood out on defense as well. As a primary defender, he limited the Wizards to 4-of-14 field goals (29%).
We are lucky to have players such as Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. All three players have scored 25-plus points in 17 consecutive games, marking the first time in league history for any trio to have this long of an active streak at the same time.
For the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma has outperformed his draft position this year. Without Bradley Beal in the lineup, he scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his 35 minutes. The double-double was Kuzma's 20th of the season.
Tuesday recap
Highlights
DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls: 29 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 21 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal
Lowlights
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Chris Boucher, Toronto Raptors: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
Tuesday takeaways
Brandon Ingram played exceptionally well for the Pelicans on Tuesday night against the Detroit Pistons after missing the previous five games due to a sprained ankle. He recorded 26 points, three rebounds, and four assists in 32 minutes of play. The Pelicans offense should remain centered around Ingram. When he plays, New Orleans is 17-20 and when he does not, they are a sad 2-12.
The Miami Heat's top player on Tuesday was Bam Adebayo, who had a season-high 32 points, along with 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals against the Raptors. The double-double was his 13th of the season. Over the last two weeks, Adebayo has been a top-25 player in category formats. With five straight games of 30-plus points, Gary Trent Jr. has been in fine form for the Raptors. This ties DeRozan's franchise record set in 2016. During the last two weeks, Trent has averaged 26.7 points per game and 5.4 triples per game. It's time to sell high.
The Orlando Magic had a quiet game from Mo Bamba. Wendell Carter Jr. utilized this opportunity to demolish his former team (the Bulls) with a team-high 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Fantasy managers who took a chance on Carter in drafts this season were handsomely rewarded. Over the last six games, he's averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds.
Despite losing a late 17-point lead against a Warriors team without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Otto Porter Jr., Dejounte Murray continued to deliver statistical goodness for fantasy managers. With 27 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, he very nearly had a triple-double.
In just his ninth game of the season, Kyrie Irving led the way for the Brooklyn Nets with 26 points. As a reminder, he is unvaccinated, and he is not allowed to play in home games due to COVID-19 mandates. Irving entered the game averaging 24.5 points for this season.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Nuggets. So far this season, he has provided first-round value to fantasy managers in category formats. With 24.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, Towns has been on fire over the last 14 games.
Injuries of note
After going to the locker room with a hip injury in the third quarter against the Pelicans, Pistons rookie point guard Cade Cunningham did not return. Detroit plays three more games this week and, if Cunningham cannot play, this opens the door for Killian Hayes to start. Consider him to be on the streaming radar.
Isaiah Jackson, who scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds against the Clippers on Monday night, would be a solid streamer if Domantas Sabonis cannot clear the league's COVID-19 protocol for the Indiana Pacers.
Charlotte's Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to play against the Celtics on Wednesday night and should play a significant amount of minutes with Gordon Hayward already out.
For the already shorthanded Cavaliers, Darius Garland is out with a back injury. Rajon Rondo will get the start against the Rockets, but Cedi Osman is the better fantasy option.
Nikola Jokic is dealing with right toe soreness and could be rested as the Nuggets play the Jazz at the end of a back-to-back. As a result, Aaron Gordon would immediately benefit.
In the absence of LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers, Carmelo Anthony is expected to get more playing time against the Trail Blazers.
Analytics advantage
There are nine games scheduled for Wednesday night. The Hornets take on the Celtics in a matchup that has the potential to be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate. Charlotte leads the league with 114.5 points per game and rank fourth in offensive rebounds per game. The Celtics are not too far behind, ranking ninth in that category. LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams III are among the players with the potential to exceed expectations.
DFS discussion
Maxi Kleber, Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined with a knee injury on Wednesday, which makes Kleber an excellent value play against the Thunder, who have allowed the third most FanDuel fantasy points per game to power forwards over the past 30 days.
Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies: Steven Adams is questionable against the Knicks on Wednesday night due to an ankle injury he suffered on Monday while playing a season-high 38 minutes. This is the perfect spot to let the 28-year-old center rest. Clarke has averaged just 18.5 minutes per game this season, but has a per-40 minute average of 21.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
