It was another big Wednesday in the NBA with 12 games on the league slate including some unusual things including a bizarre situation where the Lakers ran out of players. There were also some big performances from a fantasy perspective as some of the NBA’s biggest stars put up huge statistical games and helped their owners move closer to a big week. Here were the top performers from Wednesday:
Griffin did all he could for the Clips, but they still fell short against the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat in LA late last night. Griffin totaled 43 points on 16-34 shooting from the field and added 15 rebounds and six assists in a monster game in a losing effort.
While he didn’t quite match Griffin’s totals, James led his team to the win out West with a big game of his own. He scored 31 points while taking just 20 shots from the field and hit three triple’s as well. To his 31 points he added 12 assists, eight rebounds, three steals, and a block in his 41 minutes on the floor.
Green and the C’s got a rare road win as they traveled to Phily and beat the fast-fading Sixers. In his 35 minutes, Green finished with 36 points including five three-pointers while also adding eight boards, two assists, and a pair of blocked shots. The Celtics offense will continue to rely on Green and the return of Rajon Rondo will only help Boston’s offense run better which should result in better numbers for Green coming down the stretch.
Duncan and the Spurs continued their Rodeo-trip with a game in Washington that went to double-OT before San Antonio pulled out the win. Duncan led them with 31 points to go with his 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots, and two steals.
Wall and the Wiz fell short, but he played 44 minutes and was effective once again contributing a very nice point guard line for this fantasy owners. Wall went 12-29 from the field on his way to 29 points to go with nine assists, four steals, and five rebounds.
Howard and the Rockets put up 122 points against the Phoenix Suns in their home win last night. In his 39 minutes, Howard poured in 34 points and even made 12 of his 18 free throws. He also added 14 rebounds, three steals, and a pair of blocked shots.
Continuing to contribute huge fantasy numbers, Durant dropped 26 on the Wolves last night while adding seven assists and nine rebounds. While the 26 point would be a good number for most players, it almost seems like a low number for KD which shows just how dominant he’s been.
Blake turned in his first triple-double of his career since he was one of the few Lakers able to suit up and play against the Cavs last night. He ended up with 15 assists, 10 rebounds, and 11 points in a game the Lakers pulled out somehow despite not having five players eligible to finish the game.
Sanders has been an overall disappointment this season, but last night he reminded all of us how good he can be as he scored 25 points and pulled in 15 rebounds in Denver. Ultimately, the Buck lost again, but Sanders may still be a contributor going forward if he can put up more lines like this.
One of the waiver wire pickups I’ve been touting the last few weeks came up big and is still available in just over half of ESPN leagues. Carroll is our sleeper of the day after scoring 22 points last night against the Pelicans while taking just 12 shots from the field. He’s not going to hurt your percentages on most nights since he’s not a volume shooter, but when he’s on like last night he can contribute across the board. He added seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals to his scoring output last night which did include four three-pointers. Carroll is averaging almost three steals a game over his last five while also adding over five rebounds and averaging over 15 points per game over that span.
