Absences often create opportunities in fantasy hoops. So, when Paul George went down with a significant elbow injury earlier this week, Marcus Morris Sr. became a primary scoring option for the LA Clippers. That option came through in a big way last night as Morris scored 23 points and collected 10 boards in a win over the Boston Celtics.
Morris paced the Clippers in scoring for the second straight game and has now tallied at least 23 points in four consecutive appearances. There's no clear timetable for George to return to play, yet for some reason, Morris remains rostered in only 15.3% of ESPN leagues. His production suggests this number should be much higher: 19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 3-pointers (per 36 minutes) with George off the floor.
Morris is obviously serving up fantasy-relevant production from Morris, which merits far more attention from fantasy managers in the games ahead.
Wednesday recap
Highlights
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers: 37 points (13-25 FG), 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies: 41 points (13-27 FG), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Lowlights
Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Lakers: 5 points (2-11 FG), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 TO
Kemba Walker, New York Knicks: 2 points (1-5 FG), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 TO
Wednesday takeaways
The Thunder endured a blowout loss to the Suns last night, but at least rookie guard Aaron Wiggins continued his strong play for Oklahoma City. A second-round pick out of Maryland, Wiggins was vaulted into the starting lineup recently due to the team's injuries and COVID-19 woes. He's responded by averaging 20 points and 6.3 rebounds during his last three games, including 22 against the Suns. Available in free agency in nearly every fantasy hoops league, Wiggins is making a case to retain a starting gig.
Morant became just the second player with multiple 40-point games in a single season when going up against King James, joining Anthony, who achieved the feat in 2011-12. It's great to see Morant thriving after having to miss multiple weeks due to injury.
James became the oldest player in NBA history with at least eight 3-pointers in a game, matching his own career-high. The performance marks six straight 30-point games for James, his longest run since a seven-game stretch back in 2013. He becomes the oldest player in NBA history to have six straight 30-point games.
The Trail Blazers have lost three straight games, yet there are some signs of statistical life coming from Larry Nance Jr., as he's delivering the nice mix of elite defensive rates and helpful offensive rates once posted by Robert Covington, a player competing for minutes with Nance this season. Last night, Nance collected three-plus steals for the second time in three games. He also finished just one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double against Utah.
Like Portland, Detroit is struggling, now with four straight defeats. Also like Portland, there are still some positives to target, such as Hamidou Diallo delivering 31 points and 13 rebounds in last night's loss to the Knicks. Diallo has served a larger offensive role lately with Detroit's roster depleted. He has averaged 19.2 points over his last five games -- all starts. Saddiq Bey also produced a strong line last night, as the second-year forward established a new career-high with 32 points. Both Diallo and Bey should be on more fantasy rosters.
In the win over Detroit, the Knicks' Alec Burks posted 34 points off the pine, marking the most bench points by any Knicks player since J.R. Smith (back in 2013). Burks also became the first bench player to single-handedly outscore his team's starting lineup this season. With performances like this, you can see why Tom Thibodeau is such a fan of the veteran combo guard.
Injuries of note
The loss of Ricky Rubio to an ACL injury is a real blow for Cleveland and fantasy managers, as the savvy point guard was enjoying a renaissance season with elite steal and assist rates. Cedi Osman has seen his fantasy value inflate with Rubio and Collin Sexton off the floor this season, while the main story might just be more shots, passes, and pick-and-roll possessions for rising star Darius Garland, once he's able to be cleared from the COVID-19 protocol.
Orlando's Cole Anthony continues to deal with an ankle injury that will keep him from competing against the Bucks tonight. Mo Bamba and Terrence Ross are both out due to the league's health and safety protocol, while Jalen Suggs will be sidelined for quite a bit with thumb injury.
Golden State won't have Draymond Green (COVID-19) this evening. Jordan Poole has seen the largest leap in usage rate and fantasy production on the Warriors roster with Green off the court this season.
Analytics advantage for Thursday
Cleveland lists Jarrett Allen as doubtful as he works his way back from the league's health and safety protocol. The Cavaliers will likely ask Denzel Valentine to take on a larger role in the backcourt, but the bigger story is likely Kevin Love's wild per-36 rates with both Rubio and Garland off the floor this season. Cleveland has funneled their offense through the veteran big in such scenarios and he's posted 31.8 points and nearly a dozen combined rebounds and assists with the two point guards off the floor this season. Granted, this is only a 35-minute sample size, but it speaks to Love's ability to produce big numbers whenever he's called upon to do so.
DFS discussion
Daniel Gafford, Washington Wizards: With Montrezl Harrell in the league's health and safety protocol, Gafford should pace the team in rebounding opportunities and could lead the Wizards in paint touches against the short-handed Cavaliers.
R.J. Hampton, Orlando Magic: With so many starters missing for the Magic, Hampton is likely going to be tasked with more creation and playmaking duties against Milwaukee. With the ability to compile strong peripheral stats even when his shot isn't falling, Hampton is the rare "punt play" with a reasonably stable fantasy floor.