Get used to the idea of Nikola Vucevic, NBA All-Star. The Magic's stretch big produced another monster line on Sunday night, driving Orlando to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference through a quarter of the season.
Vucevic led Orlando to its first win in Los Angeles over the Lakers since December of 2012. With 31 points, 15 rebounds, seven dimes and three blocks in the rousing win, the gifted stretch center became just the 10th player since the 2000-2001 season to meet these impressive milestones in a regular-season contest.
Vucevic was found at 11th overall on the Player Rater as of Sunday night -- just ahead of James Harden and Damian Lillard -- returning essentially first-round value after going well into the middle rounds in drafts ahead of the campaign. Meanwhile, the Lakers and LeBron James are now 9-3 in their past 12 games, with two of those losses coming to Vucevic & Co.
The .500 Magic have in several ways already adopted the mentality of their gritty head coach, Steve Clifford, as they are 11th in defensive rating the past 10 games and lead the entire NBA in assist percentage (rate of made shots that come from assists) during this sample. Getting down on defense and making the extra pass is a hallmark of Clifford's somewhat old-school, if effective, approach.
For an affordable path to this rising team, sharpshooter Terrence Ross is rostered in just 1.2 percent of ESPN leagues and yet has scored in double-figures in all but one of the past 12 outings, averaging 2.75 3-pointers and roughly 15 PPG as the team's Lou Williams-like microwave from the bench.
With an eye on meaningful fantasy performances and relevant statistical trends, let's delve into the weekend that was in the NBA.
Saturday and Sunday recap
Highlights
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: 34 points (9-16 FG), 18 rebounds, 8 assists, 2
steals, 3 TO
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors: 44 points (13-26 FG), 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks, 7 TO
Julius Randle, New Orleans Pelicans: 29 points (10-16 FG), 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 TO
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 35 points (13-23 FG), 22 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 TO
Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic: 31 points (10-20 FG), 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 3 TO
Lowlights
Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers: 0 points (0-5 FG), 7 rebounds, 1 TO
Ryan Arcidiacono, Chicago Bulls: 0 points (0-5 FG), 4 assists, 2 TO
Robert Covington, Minnesota Timberwolves: 4 points (1-18 FG, 0-10 3PG), 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 1 TO
Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic: 6 points (2-10 FG), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 TO
Weekend takeaways
Looking at the slash from Antetokounmpo above appears sort of routine for him at this point, right? For some context as to how amazing production has become normalized by the Greek Freak, consider there have been exactly 10 performances on record with at least 34 points, 18 rebounds, 8 assists, and two steals, as the Bucks' superstar had on Saturday in a win over the Spurs. Including DeMarcus Cousins' similar showing last season for the Pelicans, there have been only two such performances since Kevin Garnett did so in December of 2004 -- when Antetokounmpo was just 10 years old. A Milwaukee peer of his is thriving this year, as combo guard Malcolm Brogdon rates in the top 10 among shooting guards the past 15 days on the Player Rater and yet remains widely available, as I noted in my fantasy hoops free agency column.
Also found in that free agency piece is my pitch for you to rush to acquire Memphis rookie Jaren Jackson Jr., who is still available for a roster spot in more than half of ESPN leagues. The dynamic rookie netted seven blocks and hit four 3-pointers against the Knicks on Sunday, signaling just how special the Michigan State product proves. There have been just two other performances on record with as many blocks and 3-pointers.
We must go back to the 1975-76 season when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in his prime to find a player matching the points, rebounds and blocks Andre Drummond is averaging for the Pistons this season. Detroit's glass maven leads the NBA with 16.1 pulls per game to go with a career-high 19.5 PPG and 1.8 BPG. Add in the 1.1 steals he's averaging, and Drummond is simply a fantasy force in points leagues and far more palatable in category leagues now that he isn't the absolute free-throw anchor of years past. It's not often a player enjoys such an amazing blend of points, boards and defensive rates, signaling we should appreciate this new level of production from Drummond.
D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for a nice 69 points in a brutal last-second loss to the 76ers on Sunday evening at the hands of one Jimmy G. Buckets. While the result was upsetting, the team is getting plus-offense for much of the game when staggering these two gifted playmakers. While Russell is universally rostered, Dinwiddie is still floating in free agency in roughly two-thirds of ESPN leagues.
Dwyane Wade turned back the clock with 35 points, four 3-pointers and 11 combined boards and assists in a loss to Toronto on Sunday night. The future Hall of Famer has produced as many points, 3-pointers, dimes and boards just twice before in his career, both coming in a one-week stretch in March of 2009. It's worth noting Wade was averaging 16.6 PPG with increased efficacy from beyond the arc in five games before getting injured earlier in November, suggesting there could be some merit to streaming the vet in the coming weeks -- especially with Goran Dragic on the mend.
In Miami's loss to the Raptors, second-year big Bam Adebayo hauled in a career-high 21 rebounds. Hassan Whiteside has battled knee issues for some time, which means Adebayo would become a priority add if Miami's starting pivot ever went down.
The Thunder lost to the Nuggets on Saturday, but it's worth noting Russell Westbrook tallied his 106th career triple-double, placing him just one shy of Jason Kidd for third-most all-time. Paul George registered his ninth straight game with at least three 3-pointers, setting a new Oklahoma City record.
The Cavs are enjoying a momentous two-game winning streak; having entered this past weekend with two wins, waking up Monday with four after surprisingly downing the Sixers on Friday night on the road, only to return home and beat Houston on Saturday night. Tristan Thompson is rostered in just 23.8 percent of ESPN leagues and yet is one of only six players averaging at least 11 PPG, 11 RPG and at least one steal this season. Suggesting his work on the glass is sustainable, Thompson is sixth in the NBA with 20.4 rebounding chances per game (within 3.5 feet of an available rebound), just ahead of Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns.
Even in a loss in Motown on Sunday, there are some bright rays emitting from the Suns lately. Deandre Ayton became the first Phoenix rookie to produce at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a game since Amar'e Stoudemire on Feb. 16, 2003, against the Celtics. Devin Booker, meanwhile, produced 37 points, marking his fourth 35-point game this season, tied for second most in the NBA. Only Kemba Walker has more with five such games.
Kawhi Leonard entered Sunday's game against the Heat with 421 career regular season appearances and zero technical fouls in such games. Last night, however, while up 20 late in the third over Miami, a non-call on a Leonard drive to the basket ended this awesome streak, as some vocal displeasure earned the vet the first Rasheed Wallace moment of his career.
Injuries of note
Donovan Mitchell missed last night's game against the Kings with a rib injury suffered on Friday and is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Pacers. Indiana's Victor Oladipo also is considered questionable for the game in Salt Lake tonight, meaning both potent playmakers could be missing from the floor.
The Warriors' Draymond Green is dealing with a sprained toe and remains day-to-day. Teammate Stephen Curry is expected to resume practice this week, but will miss a few more games.
The Pelicans list Anthony Davis as questionable with a hip strain for tonight's meeting with the Celtics. Davis was sidelined over the weekend with the ailment, so this is worth tracking all the way up until tip.
Analytics advantage for Monday
Tonight's seven-game slate presents some fun fantasy climates to consider. The top fantasy climate appears to be in the Queen City. Charlotte was quietly ninth last season in the NBA in offensive rating with 108.9 points scored per 100 possessions, and now with a former Greg Popovich disciple in James Borrego at the helm, they rank fifth in the league with a gaudy 112.7 O-rating.
The Bucks lead the NBA with 116.1 points per 100 possessions this season, adding up to an awesome opening point total of 234.5 points for this conference showdown -- the highest of the slate and clear evidence this is an ideal game for stacking and streaming in both DFS and redraft competition.
Top players to watch tonight
Scoring should also be up in be up in D.C. tonight, with the visiting Rockets averaging nearly 110 points per 100 possessions, good for the 10th-best offensive rating in the league. The Wizards, meanwhile, are 28th in the league in defensive rating (112.2), with Houston coming in at 23rd (110.7). This is another fun fantasy climate to consider, especially when paying up for superstar guards such as a John Wall and James Harden, two of the rare recipients of the designated player veteran exception, which will pay both in excess of $200 million on their current extensions.