As I began to work on this article, I realized I do not have any particularly interesting Thanksgiving stories. The closest would be the time I went out for White Castle Thanksgiving night, only to spend Black Friday with food poisoning. Needless to say, I did not eat a hamburger until after Valentine’s Day.
I considered opening this article with a discussion of the things I am thankful for, but if Facebook has taught us anything, it has taught us people care about what other people are thankful for about as much as they care about other people’s fantasy teams. Thankfully for this article, my dog Lucy bailed us out this year with a funny Thanksgiving story.
While we were eating Thanksgiving dinner I noticed Lucy was underneath the table where he cut the turkey, licking the floor. I knew we had dropped a little bit of turkey on the floor, so I did not think anything of it until Lucy came up to our dinner table a little while later. When I pet Lucy, I realized her entire head was wet. The rest of her was dry, only her head was wet.
It turned out some of the juice from the turkey had leaked off of the cutting board, through a crack in the table and onto the carpet. Lucy was licking the juice off the carpet while more juice dripped onto the top of her head. If she had been smart she would have just licked the juice from the bottom of the table, instead he she missed out on even more juice, and just made a sticky mess. I wish I would have taken a picture; she had a faux hawk with her fur sticking straight up on her head.
If you are wondering what all of this has to do with fantasy basketball, here it is: I think a lot of fantasy players are like Lucy when it comes to pickups. They try to ride the hot pony, as my buddy Ken likes to say, but they pay little attention to the upcoming schedule. They get some of the juice, but they could get even more if they just looked a little closer.
One of the things I tried to do with this article is identify players who are playing well and have favorable upcoming schedules. One of the other things I tried to do, as I did last week, if find schedules that are favorable in one particular area. You cannot always pick up guys who play the Lakers, 76ers and Magic all in one week, but you can find schedules that are good for assists, three pointers or rebounding. This article looks ahead to the week from Monday, December 1 to Monday, December 8.
J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers (Home vs. Timberwolves, Home vs. Magic, Home vs. Pelicans, Home vs. Suns) Redick is averaging career-lows in points, field goal percentage and three-point percentage. As a result, he has been dropped in many shallow leagues. Redick has played better lately, with double-digit scoring in four consecutive games. Redick has shot 18-of-39 from the field and 12-of-26 from beyond the arc over that time, and there is a good chance things are about to get even better. The Clippers have four consecutive games at the Staples Center, where Redick shot .490 percent from the field and .421 on threes last season compared to .420 and .367 on the road. He also has the benefit of facing the Timberwolves and Suns, who are among the five-worst teams in the NBA this season in opponent field goal percentage from 20-24 feet. The Timberwolves and Magic are also among the five-worst in opponents’ percentage from 25-29 feet, while the Timberwolves, Magic and Pelicans are all in the bottom half of the league in defensive efficiency.
Jameer Nelson, Dallas Mavericks (Road vs. Bulls, Road vs. Bucks, Home vs. Suns, Home vs. Bucks) Like Redick, Nelson is averaging nearly two made three-pointers per game, has been shooting better lately and faces a couple of teams who have struggled to defend the three. The matchup with the Bulls is not ideal, though it will be better if Derrick Rose is out.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons (Home vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Road vs. Celtics, Home vs. 76ers, Home vs. Thunder) I actually was not planning to recommend another shooter here, because the Pistons’ upcoming schedule is favorable for the entire team. All of the bigs are owned, however, so we will go with Caldwell-Pope. He is averaging 1.8 3PM this season, and while the Lakers, Celtics and 76ers cannot really defend anything this season, they are particularly poor against outside shots.
Jose Calderon, New York Knicks (Home vs. Nets, Home vs. Cavaliers, Road vs. Hornets, Home vs. Trail Blazers) Like J.J. Redick, Calderon should be owned in all leagues regardless of the schedule. Also like Redick, Calderon’s upcoming schedule plays directly into his skill set. The Cavaliers, Nets and Hornets have allowed the third, fifth and ninth-most assists per game this season. Calderon has averaged 6.8 apg over his career.
Marreese Speights, Golden State Warriors (Home vs. Magic, Home vs. Pelicans, Road vs. Bulls, Road vs. Timberwolves) As I pointed out above, the Bulls are not a great matchup. That is, they are not a great matchup unless you need rebounds. The Bulls and Pelicans have each allowed 43.9 rebounds per game to opponents, tied for fourth-most in the league. Speights has come on of late, recording at least five rebounds in three consecutive games and six of his last seven.
Picking up hot players with favorable schedules is a good way to have your cake and eat it too. Or perhaps I should say, get all of the turkey juice without letting any drip on your head.
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Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.