There's a rising Western Conference contender found in Tennessee. Whether the league's geography is as good as its product is debatable, but it's undeniable how well the Memphis Grizzlies have been playing this month. On Thursday, the Grizzlies dispatched of the struggling Lakers thanks to strong contributions from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane.
Jackson scored an efficient 25 points, marking just the second time in his career with at least 25 points in consecutive games. "JJJ" has been a revelation in recent outings as he makes a bid for his first All-Star nomination. He rates 27th on the Player Rater for the past 15 days and third overall in added value via blocked shots.
Bane rode shotgun and poured in 23 points while sinking five three-pointers, matching a season high from beyond the arc. The second-year sharpshooter now has 20 points in seven of his last 11 games after posting one 20-point game in his first 15 games of season. A free agent in well over half of ESPN leagues, Bane is 40th on the Player Rater during the past 15 days and should continue to provide value even when Ja Morant is back, thanks to strong shooting and defensive rates.
Thursday recap
Highlights
Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets: 25 points (9-12 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz: 17 points (6-11 FG), 21 rebounds, 2 blocks
Lowlights
Danny Green, Philadelphia 76ers: 0 points (0-5 FG), 2 rebounds
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers: 9 points (3-9 FG), 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 TO
Thursday takeaways
In the loss to the Grizzlies, Russell Westbrook's struggles continued, scoring his third-fewest points in a game this season while lofting his second-fewest shots. LeBron James posted his first triple-double of the season in the loss, marking the 100th of his storied career, becoming just the fifth player in this unique club.
It was impressive to see Rudy Gobert control the glass and protect the rim against a strong Philadelphia center rotation. Last night marked his 20th career 20-rebound game and his third game with at least 15 points and 20 rebounds this season. No other player has more than one such game.
Nikola Jokic joined Oscar Robertson (1961-62) as the only players with at least 500 points, 250 rebounds and 125 assists through their first 20 games of a season. Jokic has a triple-double in three straight games, tied for the longest streak of his career and tied for the longest streak in franchise history. This guy might be good. It's been impressive to see Aaron Gordon step up as a secondary scoring option for Denver. He's a free agent in more than half of ESPN leagues despite a helpful surge in scoring the last few weeks.
The Spurs cruised to a win over Denver thanks to 74 points in the first half, their most in a half this season. San Antonio never trailed in the game, as Dejounte Murray again flirted with a triple-double and is now just one of two players averaging at least eight rebounds and eight assists this season, along with James Harden. Combo guard Derrick White was brilliant for the second time this week, an encouraging sign for a somewhat streaky player.
Injuries of note
Joel Embiid suffered a shot to the ribs last night that required a trip to the locker room before returning to the floor. Embiid labored at times, but I'd expect him to be available for Saturday's marquee matchup with Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
Tonight's matchup between the Suns and Celtics will be without two top scorers, as Devin Booker and Jaylen Brown are both sidelined by respective hamstring injuries. Dennis Schroder takes on a high-usage role with Brown out, while Cameron Payne often sees an uptick in touches with Booker in street clothes.
Sacramento will be without Richaun Holmes for tonight's matchup with the visiting Hornets.
Cam Reddish has been upgraded to probable for Atlanta's game against the Nets.
Analytics advantage for Friday
Referencing the Player Rater again, Kelly Oubre Jr. ranks 39th on this index of value over the last seven days. Diving into how to best leverage this tool, you can sort by time frames and toggle lists of players performing best in each statistical category. It's a sound way to sift for steals, blocks and percentages, which can prove difficult to identify on the waiver wire at times.
Thankfully, the Player Rater isn't that complicated of a formula, as it's a somewhat simple standard deviation model that considers how a player compares at each of nine statistical categories compared to their peers. So, for instance, Oubre has been a negative value in free throw efficiency over the last week, but a major plus in 3-point production, steals and points.
Spinning this to tonight's slate, we find LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Ish Smith remain sidelined while in health and safety protocols. Oubre is available in almost 40% of leagues ahead of tonight's game against the Kings. He has played at least 39 minutes in three straight and has scored at least 18 in eight straight.
DFS discussion
Terence Davis, Sacramento Kings: Earning a real spot in the rotation thanks to a strong run of recent play, Davis faces a depleted Charlotte roster allowing 43.5 DraftKings points per game to shooting guards during the past month, the fourth-highest rate in the league.
Josh Hart, New Orleans Pelicans: Both Davis and Hart make for not just solid daily fantasy bargains this evening, but strong streaming plays if you are looking for some names in redraft leagues. Hart is one of the league's best rebounding guards and nearly recorded a triple-double in 42 minutes on Wednesday.