Posted by Seth Landman, Special to ESPN.com
| WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28 |
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HIGHLIGHTS
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• Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets: 30 points (11-22 FG), 8 rebounds, 5 assists against the Jazz.
• Jeff Green, Thunder: 24 points (9-13 FG), 4 3-pointers, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks versus Sacramento.
• Al Horford, Hawks: 24 points (11-17 FG), 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks against the Pacers.
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LOWLIGHTS
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• Tyson Chandler, Bobcats: 0 points (0-5 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers against the Celtics.
• Al Harrington, Knicks: 15 points (5-14 FG), no rebounds, no assists versus Miami.
• O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies: 9 points (2-12 FG), 6 rebounds, 2 assists against the Pistons.
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For anyone worried that
Brook Lopez would wilt under the pressure coming off his stellar rookie season, it appears that your fears can wait another night, but don't get too excited about his 27 points, 15 boards and five blocks against the Timberwolves, either.
Without Kevin Love, the Wolves don't have a lot of size to throw around at the moment, and as good an offensive player as Al Jefferson can be, he's going to get his shot blocked with regularity, too.
Lopez, no doubt, is a fantastic fantasy player, but for the time being, a lot of centers are going to have huge nights against the Timberwolves, the way they do against the Knicks (see Jermaine O'Neal's 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat), the Suns (Chris Kaman's 22 and 9; Marcus Camby's 23 and 11), and the Warriors (Luis Scola's 21 and 11).
Let this all be an example that in fantasy, it matters quite a bit whom you are facing. Let's not start bailing on Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw because they had a bad game against the Celtics' ridiculous interior defense. Let's not start thinking Jermaine O'Neal is back to being his old 20-and-10 self because he had a good game against David Lee. Fantasy basketball is a game of matchups, and even though we can do a reasonably good job projecting season-long numbers in the aggregate, it's important to remember not to put too much stock in one game, especially this early in the season.
Under the boards
Although, as I said above, Scola's bounce-back night came against the Warriors and might not mean too much, the fact that he played 35 minutes is a great sign after playing just 22 minutes against the Trail Blazers in the first night of the Rockets' back-to-back. Go ahead and rely on him fully going forward. … With J.R. Smith suspended for another six games and the less-than-exciting Anthony Carter starting at the point for the Nuggets, it appears that rookie Ty Lawson is going to get good minutes off the bench in Denver. He won't average the 17 points and six assists he had against the Jazz on Wednesday, but he's worth playing in deep leagues for the next two weeks. … You can play a similar game with the Magic's Ryan Anderson, who will get plenty of run with Rashard Lewis suspended for another nine games. … With regard to Tim Duncan, there's probably not much you can do about the fact that he's going to play only 22 minutes on some nights. That's how it is with the Spurs, and it'll be that way all season. He's always worth starting; in 22 minutes, he's still capable of the near double-double he had against the Hornets. … Rasual Butler (19 points, three 3-pointers against the Suns) is a better player than Al Thornton for the Clippers at this point, and saw more minutes against the Suns. In deep leagues, Butler's definitely worth owning as a 3-point specialist, but at this point, I'd be hard-pressed to say what Thornton gives you from a fantasy perspective. … One would like to see more than five rebounds out of Raptors' center Andrea Bargnani, but the fact that he threw up 28 points in 30 minutes against the Cavaliers is probably a good sign for Bargnani going forward. … Danilo Gallinari played 28 productive minutes off the bench for the Knicks against the Heat, and finished with 22 points and six boards. All seven of his made field goals were 3-pointers, and that fact alone probably makes him worth a prospective add in most leagues.
Seth Landman is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
