On a Tuesday night rife with hot shooting performances, one of the most impressive outings of the evening came from Miami's Duncan Robinson. The sharpshooting Michigan product produced 34 points, thanks to sinking 10 3-pointers, matching a Heat record.
In the overtime win over Atlanta, Robinson joined Kendrick Nunn, who delivered 36 points -- one shy of the franchise rookie record set by Sherman "The General" Douglas back in 1990 -- as the first pair of undrafted teammates to ever score at least 30 points in the same game in league history.
Rostered in just four percent of ESPN leagues as of Wednesday morning, Robinson is now making 3.1 3PG at a scintillating 44.9% clip. To put this amazing shooting efficacy into context, only Stephen Curry has ever sustained as many made 3-pointers at such elite efficiency over a full campaign.
If Nunn can sustain his current production, he would impressively join Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic and Allen Iverson as the only rookies in NBA history to average at least 16 PPG and at least two 3PG and three APG. You can currently find Nunn for the price of a few click and a roster spot in more than half of ESPN leagues.
Tuesday recap
Highlights
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat: 30 points (13-18 FG), 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 4 TO
Davis Bertans, Washington Wizards: 32 points (11-18 FG), 9 rebounds, 1 assist
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat: 20 points (8-19 FG), 18 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 TO
Lowlights
Jerami Grant, Denver Nuggets: 3 points (1-6 FG), 1 rebound, 3 assists
Josh Richardson, Philadelphia 76ers: 3 points (1-8 FG), 1 rebound
Tuesday takeaways
It wasn't just the Heat's undrafted rookies who enjoyed awesome statistical outings last night, as Adebayo delivered his first career triple-double, becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to notch a 30-point triple-double and the first since LeBron James in 2013. Butler, meanwhile, produced his third triple-double of the season while setting a new career high in rebounding.
The key bright spot for the Hawks was rookie De'Andre Hunter, who just happened to play hoops for the same high school I did in suburban Philly, so it's fun to note that he delivered a career-high 28 points and has produced at least 26 points three times in his past 10 outings. During this surge, Hunter is averaging 16.5 PPG with healthy 3-point production.
Continuing this theme of impressive rookie performances from last night, Philly's Matisse Thybulle again flashed a hot hand from beyond the arc in downing three 3-pointers to earn a team-best net rating. The defensive savant is showing some shooting prowess and is averaging 46.3% from beyond the arc.
In a battle of top candidates for this season's Most Improved Player, Washington's Davis Bertans and Charlottes' Devonte' Graham traded big shots in Tuesday's surprisingly entertaining matchup of struggling division foes. Graham tallied 29 points and made six 3-pointers, his 14th game this season sinking at least four 3-pointers, the most in the NBA. Bertans continued to singe the nets with a career-high 32 points and eight 3-pointers off the bench.
Injuries of note
Sacramento's Marvin Bagley III is set to return to action after a long absence due to a thumb injury. It's worth tracking how the Kings' rotation plays out with the second-year talent back in the mix.
Rookie big man Brandon Clarke is due to return to Memphis' rotation on Wednesday. If he's been dropped in your league(s), Clarke's unique scoring efficiency and sound defensive rates signals real value for fantasy purposes.
Another impressive rookie, Golden State's Eric Paschall, is listed as questionable with a hip ailment for tonight's matchup with the Knicks. Just in terms of usage, Paschall's potential absence could benefit wing Alec Burks the most.
Jamal Murray left last night's loss to the Sixers midway through the first quarter with a hip injury after a collision with Ben Simmons. Murray and the team downplayed the injury, but it's worth keeping up with the team's next injury report for more detail.
Analytics advantage for Wednesday
A massive 11-game schedule awaits fantasy managers tonight. When nearly three-quarters of the league is in action, we'll want to leverage some analytical tools to help sift through such a crowded slate.
Relying on Vegas for some insight, one can argue the most fantasy-friendly matchup for streaming candidates in redraft and cheap DFS options is found in Phoenix this evening, as the Suns host the Grizzlies in a game with the second-highest opening total of the slate (231.5).
Widely available talents such as Aron Baynes and Mikal Bridges could thrive for Phoenix, while Clarke, Jae Crowder and Dillon Brooks stand out for Memphis.
Top players to watch tonight
Last summer, Kawhi Leonard became just the fourth player to win Finals MVP in his first season with a team, joining Magic Johnson (1980), Moses Malone (1983) and Kevin Durant (2017).
Leonard will return to Toronto to face the Raptors for the first time as a member of the Clippers (7 p.m. ET on ESPN). In his only season with the Raptors, Leonard brought the country of Canada its first NBA title, winning Finals MVP honors and subsequently becoming the first to switch teams after winning that award.