• With eight games on tap we had yet another eventful Monday night in the Association.  Big names shined, the Magic looked borderline unwatchable and the Clippers embarrassed the Nets.  With that, here’s Tuesday’s Daily Dish.

    Pacers 88, Magic 69

    After missing Saturday’s game with a sore right ankle Paul George returned to action on Monday, scoring 13 points in a full line.  His shot wasn’t falling, but he looked fine.  Elsewhere, C.J. Miles impressed to the tune of 16 points, four 3-pointers and four combined defensive contributions.  His usage rate has been significantly higher when he comes off the bench, so a return to his 6th man role may actually help his fantasy value.

    As has been the case all season the Magic struggled offensively.  Serge Ibaka made just 3-of-13 from the field and finished with six points and zero blocks or steals (again!).  His 13 rebounds were nice, but he continues to struggle as the lead option for Orlando.  Conversely, Elfrid Payton showed signs of life, scoring 12 points on reasonably efficient shooting (5-of-11 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the line) and grabbing two steals.  The talent is certainly there for the young guard, but his game remains deeply flawed.

    Pistons 104, Thunder 88

    The Pistons handed the Thunder their fourth consecutive loss behind Tobias Harris and Aron Baynes.  Harris played a team high 37 minutes and finished with 22 points, six rebounds, three assists, two treys, one steal and two blocks, flashing the versatility that makes him a mid round value.  Baynes started in place of Andre Drummond (ankle) and notched an efficient 20 points to go with eight boards and one assist.

    More than ever, tonight was the Russell Westbrook show for OKC.  The superstar point guard shot the ball well on his way to a whopping 33 point, 15 board and 8 dime line.  Interesting, Jerami Grant started the second half at the four spot, totalling two steals, two blocks and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes of action.  He deserves heavy consideration if you’re looking for a high upside stash.  Things were pretty barren down the rest of the roster, however, as Victor Oladipo and company continued to struggle.

    Knicks 93, Mavs 77

    The Knicks went small throughout Monday night’s contest, playing Kristaps Porzingis at center for long stretches.  The sophomore big man tortured Andrew Bogut on the perimeter, using his quickness to draw contact time and time again.  Porzingis finished with 24 points, 11 boards, two threes and a block.  He’s the epitome of a modern NBA center, and could see his value continue to climb if he sees more time at the five.  Carmelo Anthony also benefited from the extra breathing room, posting 24 points and three 3-pointers.

    On the Mavs’ side of the ball, Harrison Barnes continues to post high scoring lines without much else to show for his efforts.  He poured in 20 points tonight, and while he did add a steal and a block, his game simply lacks versatility.  Popular waiver wire pickup J.J. Barrea stayed hot, scoring 17 points with four assists and one 3-pointer.  He’ll never give you much beyond those three categories, but he’s worth streaming right now.

    Rockets 115, Sixers 88

    As we’ve come to expect this season James Harden was a one man wrecking crew, obliterating the Sixers to the tune of 33 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, four 3-pointers, one steal and one block.  What else can you say?  He’s a top-3 fantasy asset the rest of the way.  Meanwhile, the Trevor Ariza bounceback continued, as the swiss army forward scored 17 points, including five treys, while chipping in three steals and a block.

    For the Sixers The Process remained effective despite his minutes restriction, double-doubling with contributions across the stat sheet.  We can only wait in anticipation for the day the organization finally takes the training wheels off of Embiid.  Despite the loss, the news was also positive for Dario Saric.  He chipped in across the board tonight, and is now averaging 9.5 points, 6.5 boards, two assists, 1.3 3-points, one steal and 0.5 blocks over the past week.

    Pelicans 106, Celtics 105

    Anthony Davis continued his torrid pace in Monday’s nail biting home win.  He finished with 25 points, 16 boards, four steals and two blocks.  The injury risk isn’t going away, but he’s the top player in standard leagues right now by a decent margin.  Alvin Gentry may finally have caught up to what fantasy owners have known all season: Terrence Jones is a near perfect fit next to Davis.  In 30 minutes Jones scored 15 points with 10 rebounds, one steal and one block.  Go get ’im!

    The Celtics were led by Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, but simply didn’t get enough from their bench to pull out the win.  Thomas went off for 37 points, seven assists and three 3-pointers, and Bradley double-doubled with 19 points and 10 boards.

    Spurs 94, Heat 90

    While he wasn’t exactly the model of efficiency we’ve grown accustomed to Kawhi Leonard still managed an impressive 24 points with 12 boards and four assists.  He didn’t manage to accrue any defensive stats (surprisingly) but his owners have little room to complain.  Aside from Leonard, the Spurs spread the scoring around, as four of their five starters – along with Patty Mills – each finished in double figures.

    Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters kept the Heat afloat for most of the night, as the team continues to struggle offensively without Goran Dragic (ankle).  Whiteside scored 23 points with 17 boards, two steals and two blocks.  If you took him in the first round of your drafts you’re probably feeling pretty good right now.  Despite his impressive line tonight, Waiters remains too mercurial to warrant a bench spot in most leagues.

    Grizzlies 102, Jazz 96

    On a night of impressive performances, perhaps the most heartening was Vince Carter turning back the clock.  He scored 20 points with three 3-pointers and seven rebounds, and while he’ll never be a fantasy staple again it is fun to remember the good ol’ days on nights like tonight.  In more fantasy relevant news, Marc Gasol scored 22 points and hit two 3-pointers, but didn’t bring his usual assists or blocks to the party, while Mike Conley posted a well rounded line of his own.  The threat of injuries looms for both players, but they remain solid starters as long as their health holds out.

    The story was fairly simple for the Jazz tonight: their bigs disappeared and Gordon Hayward looked overwhelmed trying to carry the offense in the absence of George Hill.  Derrick Favors looked hobbled, seemingly not over the knee injury that plagued him earlier this year, and Rudy Gobert continued his return to earth after a hot start.

    Clippers 127, Nets 95

    Yuck.  The Clippers were up by 24 at the half and never took their foot off the gas.  Chris Paul lit up the box score with 21 points, nine assists, four rebounds, four 3-pointers and five assists.  There isn’t a more complete point guard in the NBA.  Similarly, Blake Griffin went off for 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.  The Clippers remain one of the hotter teams in the league and show no signs of letting up.

    The Nets looked completely lost without Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez.  In Lin’s place they started Sean Kilpatrick who struggled to shoot the ball on his way to 14 points and five boards, and Bojan Bogdanovic saw 25 minutes on his way to 18 points and one 3-pointer.  Hoop Ball favorite Justin Hamilton did virtually nothing in his start, but should bounce back tonight against the Lakers.  Nothing to see here, let’s just hope for a better slate of games tonight.

    That’ll do it for this Tuesday’s dish.  Follow @HoopBallTweets for up to the minute updates or hit me up on Twitter (@AbyssAlsoGazes) if you have any questions.  See you all next week.

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