Fantasy Basketball: Top Performers from January 17, 2014

The NBA celebrated Friday night with a huge 12-game slate that had some great games and some remarkable performances from some of the best players in the game.  While Kevin Durant will definitely steal the headlines, he wasn’t the only player thrilling his fantasy owners.  Here’s a quick look at the biggest contributors of the night:

Kevin Durant-Oklahoma City Thunder

Durant poured in a career high 54 points as the Thunder knocked off the Warriors.  He hit five three-pointers and 19-28 overall while adding six assists, four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Durant showed why he’s one of the top picks in fantasy hoops and a real contender for MVP.

Al Jefferson-Charlotte Bobcats

While Jefferson didn’t have the scoring output of KD, he still had a solid line with 30 points on 13-17 from the field while adding 16 rebounds in Charlotte’s win over Orlando.  Big Al also added a block, thre steals, and a pair of assists.

Goran Dragic-Phoenix Suns

Dragic continued his huge statistical run with Eric Bledsoe sidelined in the Suns loss to Dallas last night.  Dragic finished with 28 points, three steals, five rebounds, and seven assists.  He’ll continue to be a regular on ths list as he continues to run the Suns attack.

Stephen Curry-Golden State Warriors

Curry couldn’t quite keep up with Durant’s output as the Warriors fell short in Oklahoma City.  Curry did finish with 37 points and 11 assists while adding three steals and three rebounds.  He went 6-10 on three-pointers continuing to produce big-time numbers for his fantasy owners.

Manu Ginobili-San Antonio Spurs

Ginobili came off the bench once again for San Antonio and excelled in the role as he has so many times over the past years.  He scored 29 points in 25 minutes hitting four three-pointers and adding seven boards, five assists, and a block.  Ginobili is still available in some leagues and makes a great addition as he returns to his sixth-man role.

Blake Griffin-Los Angeles Clippers

Griffin showed off in the Big Apple last night going off for 32 points against the Knicks while adding three steals, two assists, a block, and seven boards.

Pau Gasol-Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers went into Boston and spoiled Rajon Rondo’s return winning 107-104.  Gasol led the way with 24 points on 9-15 from the field while pulling in 13 rebounds and adding six assists.  Gasol has scored at least 20 points in his last three games and continues to provide consistent boards and assists as well.

LeBron James-Miami Heat

The Heat snapped their three-game losing streak as they went into Philadelphia and got a big game from LeBron.  He only scored 21 points but was just two rebounds short of a triple-double.  In total, James had 10 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, and a block.

Carmelo Anthony-New York Knicks

Anthony had one of his strangest lines of the season last night against the Clippers.  He couldn’t find his shot making just four of his 23 field goal attempts.  He did have plenty of success from the line where he was a perfect 16-16 on his way to 26 points. Even though his .174 FG% didn’t do your team any favors, his 20 rebounds were a nice contribution and he also added three assists and a pair of steals.

John Wall-Washington Wizards

Wall helped the Wiz get their third straight win scoring 23 points to go with 11 assists along with four boards and a steal.  Wall has scored 19+ points in four straight games and has had at least seven assists in each of those games as well.  He continues to be a consistent source of assists while scoring points in bunches as well making him one of the top point guards in the league.

Kendall Marshall-Los Angeles Lakers

Marshall turned in his fourth straight double-double for the Lakers scoring  19 points and handing out 14 assists against the C’s last night.  He hit four three-pointers and will continue to produce points, assists, and three’s for as long as he keeps leading the Mike D’Antoni show in LA.

Kelly Olynyk-Boston Celtics

Olynyk’s early-season success was derailed by injury, but he looked to be back to form and possibly fantasy relevancy with a big game against the Lakers last night.  Olynyk had a career-high 25 points last night playing 33 minutes and adding seven assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot.  Since Olynyk is owned in less than one percent of ESPN leagues, he earns our sleeper stat line of the night and could be a nice big-man pickup if he continues to get this much playing time in the Celtics constantly shifting rotation.