The Warriors are again at the center of the NBA universe. Draymond Green was suspended by the team for Wednesday night's win over the Atlanta Hawks due to an angry late-game exchange between Green and Kevin Durant on Monday. As proof of just how quickly the NBA churns through narratives, just a few days ago, it was the Rockets atop the NBA drama leaderboard as news of Carmelo Anthony's descent and looming dismissal in Houston drove traffic.
Lost in the shuffle of these meme-inducing moments might be the actual results on the hardwood, with Houston quietly reinserting themselves into the contention conversation with yet another sound win on Tuesday night over a strong opponent.
In downing the Nuggets in Denver, the Rockets have now held five of the last six opponents under 100 points and last night made 76.5 percent of their 2-point field goals, good for the highest such rate by any team this season. The most encouraging individual performance was seeing center Clint Capela thrive with a season-high 24 points after being listed as questionable with a knee bruise entering the contest.
Potentially speaking to an offense seeking more usage equity throughout the rotation, Capela led the team in scoring last night after having done so just once all last season. In regards to actionable fantasy information gleaned from Houston's rousing win, it appears small forward James Ennis III, available in nearly every ESPN leagues for the price of a roster spot, is getting more comfortable in his bid to replicate Trevor Ariza's efficient production from last season. Embodying the 3-and-D archetype, Ennis hit two 3-pointers and tallied three combined blocks and steals last night.
The Nuggets have now lost four straight after beginning the campaign 9-1, although a visit from Atlanta on Thursday could remedy this trend. The key fantasy intel from Denver reveals a surging playmaker from the bench in Monte Morris, who tallied 19 points and six dimes on clean shooting in the Will Barton role for the Nuggets. Given that Barton is still at least a few weeks away from returning, Morris is a worthy streaming candidate to consider for those in need of assists.
With an eye on meaningful fantasy performances and relevant statistical trends, let's delve into the night that was in the NBA.
Tuesday recap
Highlights
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors: 29 points (9-23 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 TO
James Harden, Houston Rockets: 22 points (7-16 FG), 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 TO
Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers: 11 points (5-6 FG), 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 TO
Lowlights
Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets: 7 point (2-16 FG), 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 TO
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks: 4 points (2-12 FG), 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 TO
Tuesday takeaways
A big story from an otherwise sleepy three-game Tuesday slate was the Cavaliers enjoying a 24-point win over the Hornets, their largest of the season. When the Cavs win, they do so boldly, as their only other win this season was by 22 points. An influential part of the team's success last night was due to Tristan Thompson's stellar 21-rebound performance. Still widely ignored by fantasy managers, only six other players are averaging more than the 19.4 potential rebounds (defined as being within 3.5 feet of an available rebound) Thompson has this season.
A big reason the Cavs won so comfortably was the Hornets just couldn't hit open shots. This was particularly true for Kemba Walker, who made only 12.5 percent of his shots, his worst field goal percentage in a game this season and his worst since December 2015 against the Warriors. This is merely an outlier off night for Walker, but there might be a positive fantasy trend underway for Charlotte worth monitoring, as shooting guard Jeremy Lamb has averaged 16.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 1.8 SPG with nice shooting rates the past five games.
Durant finished with 95 touches on Tuesday, tied for his second-most in a game since joining the Warriors. Durant has recorded at least 95 touches in three games with the Warriors -- and in all three games, Stephen Curry and Green did not play. Without Green in the lineup, Jonas Jerebko earned his second start of the season. Finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds, his first double-double since January of 2016, when he was a member of the Celtics. Jerebko finished plus-23 on the night, best of any player in the game, but it's difficult to trust him outside of the deepest of fantasy formats at this stage. The Warriors' next game is against the Rockets in Houston on Thursday. Last time these teams faced was in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.
Injuries of note
New Orleans lists both Nikola Mirotic and Elfrid Payton as questionable with respective ankle ailments for tonight's tilt with the new-look Timberwolves.
Analytics advantage for Wednesday
Anthony Davis recently said he feels like he must "play almost perfect every night to give us a chance to win." The Pelicans outscore teams by 11 points per 100 possessions with Davis on the floor and are outscored by nearly 12 with him off. Only the Warriors have a better offensive efficiency than the Pelicans with Davis on the floor, and their defensive efficiency with Davis on would rank in the top six.
The Pelicans lead the NBA with 60.2 points in the paint per game. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves, tonight's opponent, give up the sixth-most points in the paint per game at 50.6, per ESPN Stats & Info. Loading up on shares of not only Davis, but also Julius Randle (if Mirotic) sits, could pay off handsomely in daily fantasy tonight.
Making his debut in Minnesota, Robert Covington will do the small things for the Timberwolves. He is holding opponents to 37 percent shooting from the floor, fifth-best in the NBA, per Second Spectrum (min. 100 FGA defended) and is tied for seventh in deflections per game among players with at least 10 games (3.1).
It will be interesting to see how the Wolves perform on defense, not just with Covington's elite skills in the mix, but with the more lenient frontcourt duo of Dario Saric and Karl-Anthony Towns, thus the interest in stacking the New Orleans' frontcourt tonight.
Top players to watch tonight
Jimmy Butler is expected to make his 76ers debut on Wednesday. Butler is averaging more than 20 points per game for the fifth straight season while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc, both the second-best percentages in a season for his career.
Butler has been asked to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball and limit the other team's best scorer. How Philly integrates Butler's pick-and-roll heavy game into a scheme that ran the fewest such sets in the NBA last season will prove compelling.
In a marquee matchup with Damian Lillard and the Blazers tonight on ESPN, it's fun to note that LeBron James is just 39 points away from passing Wilt Chamberlain for fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list. After passing Chamberlain, James will have his sights set on Michael Jordan. James is currently 912 points shy of passing Jordan and if he averages 25 PPG, he could pass him on January 27 against the Suns.