The Spurs currently find themselves near the bottom of a deep and competitive Western Conference, but the team can at least claim a rising talent in second-year wing Keldon Johnson. A revelation so far for the Spurs, Johnson followed up a game against the Lakers on Friday that included his first pro performance with at least 25 points and 10 boards with a solid 22-point showing against Utah's deft defense on Sunday.
Johnson has now posted consecutive 20-point games for the second time in career, with all five of his 20-point showings in the NBA coming since entering the bubble last season.
Strong defensive rates have resulted in an awesome 2.4 "stocks" (steals plus blocks) per game for the Kentucky product. Still playing steady minutes even as the team works Derrick White back into the rotation, Johnson is emerging as a must-add player who remains widely available in ESPN leagues (rostered in just 37.9% of leagues as of Monday morning).
We also find Kyle Anderson of Memphis balling out for fantasy managers. "Slo Mo" has produced at least 18 points in four of his past five games, and he has three games already this season with at least 10 rebounds. With both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant sidelined for the foreseeable future with injuries, Anderson, available in free agency in more than half of ESPN leagues, is another productive wing to target early this season.
Weekend recap
Highlights
Saturday
Malcolm Brogdon, Indiana Pacers: 33 points (12-18 FG), 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 TO
Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers: 24 points (9-14 FG), 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, 5 TO
Sunday
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 62 points (18-31 FG, 18-19 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 TO
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls: 39 points (14-25 FG), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 4 TO
Lowlights
Saturday
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers: 8 points (3-14 FG), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 TO
Cam Reddish, Atlanta Hawks: 2 points (1-4 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 TO
Sunday
Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies: 9 points (3-15 FG), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 TO
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs: 4 points (1-13 FG), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Weekend takeaways
"Chef" Curry became the first player to score more than 30 points in both halves of an NBA game since 'Pistol' Pete Maravich did in 1977. Stephen Curry's 62 are the most by a Warriors player since Rick Barry went for 64 in 1974, and Steph became the second-oldest player (32 years, 295 days) in NBA history with a 60-point game (only Kobe Bryant was older at 37 years, 234 days).
Draymond Green made his season debut with the Warriors Friday evening in a loss to the Trail Blazers and played just 18 scoreless minutes. It was a good sign that Green was active again on Sunday against Portland, posting a team-best net rating, but it could be some time before he's actively helping fantasy rosters, given his limited minutes and quiet counting stats. More interesting in regards to rising fantasy value might be Kelly Oubre Jr., who shot 48.6% from the floor in his past three games after shooting just 17.5% in his first three contests of the season. If Oubre was dropped, go ahead and scoop him up.
Philly's Tobias Harris has been criticized by the team's fan base and is a bit of a forgotten man in regards to fantasy value, given his consistent scoring but overall uninspiring results last season with the 76ers. Overcoming a slow first few games, Harris on Saturday delivered just the second regular-season performance on record with at least 24 points, 9 rebounds, 6 dimes, 4 steals, 4 3-pointers and 3 blocks in league history, joining DeMarcus Cousins from 2017 with New Orleans. Harris finished last season in the top 25 on the Player Rater and is currently 11th this season, suggesting he is easily capable of paying off his average draft position of 41.6 this season.
In the loss to Philly on Saturday, Terry Rozier was indeed as scary as his Scary Terry moniker suggests; the scoring guard produced 35 points against the Sixers and now has at least that many points twice this season after producing just two games with at least 35 points in his first five NBA seasons. Rozier is a fun DFS play to consider for tonight's rematch with the Sixers in South Philly.
Brogdon's big scoring showing on Saturday marked a career high in points (previous high was 32 on Jan 22, 2018 against the Suns) and 3-pointers, and it marked only his fourth career game with more than 30 points. Brogdon started last season really hot from the floor only to slow down due to injury attrition, so it would be nice to see him sustain such success this year.
Sticking with surging backcourt scorers, Cleveland's Collin Sexton posted 27 points in a win over the Hawks on Saturday evening and became just the fourth player in Cavaliers history to score at least 20 points in each of his first six games of a season, joining LeBron James (2004-05), Austin Carr (1974-75) and Bingo Smith (1971-72). Can we please take a moment to celebrate Smith's incredible name?
The Thunder's Darius Bazley's awesome start to his second season continued over the weekend with yet another efficient double-double showing on Saturday in a win over the Magic. It's fun to note the list of players averaging at least 1.2 BPG, 11.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 1.0 3PG this season includes just Joel Embiid, Harris, Christian Wood, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Bazley.
Toronto's Pascal Siakam has struggled to begin the season -- he's averaging just 16.5 PPG on 16.5 shots per game at just 39.4% from the field. The larger sample suggests it's time to make some reasonable buy-low offers for Toronto's All-Star forward, especially as his defensive rates and assist and rebounding numbers have held steady.
Other than Jerami Grant asserting himself as a consistent scoring force, and the resurrection of Josh Jackson's career, a compelling narrative out of Motown has been the fact that a whopping 33 of Blake Griffin's 51 shots from the floor this season have come from behind the 3-point line. No longer a steady threat to draw fouls (just 11 free throws on the season) or build big rebounding lines (5.25 RPG) in this capacity as a floor spacer, it will be interesting to see if Griffin gets back to attacking the rim more in the coming weeks.
Injuries of note
Houston's James Harden is listed as questionable for Monday's game against Dallas due to a right ankle sprain that forced him to be scratched for Saturday's win over Sacramento. Eric Gordon could be a solid plug-and-play option if Harden sits, but it's worth noting the bearded one did go through a pregame shooting session on Saturday before being ruled out.
The Mavericks' Luka Doncic missed Sunday's tilt against the Bulls with a left quadriceps contusion, leaving him questionable for tonight's battle against the Rockets. Jalen Brunson is an ideal pickup if Doncic misses another game.
Cleveland's Garland is questionable for Monday's matchup with the Magic due to a shoulder strain. Larry Nance Jr. and Sexton could see increased playmaking duties if Garland sits.
The Hawks will be without Danilo Gallinari for a few weeks with an ankle injury, affording De'Andre Hunter steady minutes and touches in the games ahead.
Productive Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton has been ruled out for tonight's meeting with the Warriors due to a wrist injury.
Analytics advantage for Monday
Monday's busy nine-game slate provides a huge pool of players to consider in both redraft and daily competition. With a lens focused on DFS play, tonight's tilt between the Kings and Warriors provides strong plays in the backcourt. The Kings are allowing 53.2 fantasy points per game to point guards using DraftKings' scoring key, seventh-most in the league, aiding Curry's ability to cook once again.
Conversely, the Warriors are allowing 53 fantasy points per game to point guards and the most to shooting guards, setting up both De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield as strong complementary options to Curry.
Top players to watch on Monday
A nice pivot from the identifiable building blocks in the Kings vs. Warriors contest could be Ben Simmons and Steph's brother Seth Curry, as the Hornets are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to point guards and could struggle in transition in similar fashion to this past Saturday's blowout win for Philly.
The 76ers' Curry is still available as a free agent in 40% of ESPN leagues and is enjoying a rewarding role that includes career highs in minutes, 3-point volume, efficiency, scoring and assists.