The Tape Tells All - Breaking Down Cole Beasley's Week 6 Performance

Cole Beasley is a rapper. I know this because I live in the Dallas area and back in May strongly considered going to his album release party when it popped up on my Facebook feed. I ultimately decided I had better things to do that night -- I think there was an NBA playoff game […]

Dragan Bender A Healthy Scratch In Opener

Phoenix Suns power forward Dragan Bender didn't play in the team's season-opening win over the Dallas Mavericks. After averaging 25.2 minutes per game last year in his second NBA campaign but not proving to be an effective scorer at the NBA level, the Suns brought in veteran power forward Ryan Anderson, who brings the same […]

Josh Jackson Plays Well Off Bench Wednesday

Phoenix Suns small forward Josh Jackson scored 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's victory over the Dallas Mavericks. After ending last season on a hot streak, many hoped Jackson could take a step forward this year, and Wednesday represented a step towards that for the second-year forward. A […]

Devin Booker Opens Season With 35 Points

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker scored 35 points on 12-for-19 shooting in Wednesday's victory over the Dallas Mavericks. He also passed for seven assists and pulled down four rebounds. With center Deandre Ayton in the middle and some good shooters stretching the floor for Phoenix, Booker could find life a lot easier this year, giving […]

Trevor Ariza Has Strong Season Opener

Phoenix Suns forward Trevor Ariza is looking like a fantasy steal after one game with the Suns. Ariza, who signed a one-year deal with the Suns in the offseason, played 37 minutes on Wednesday against the Mavericks, finishing with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including a 5-for-9 mark from deep. He also added seven rebounds […]

Deandre Ayton Records Double-Double In Debut

Phoenix Suns rookie center Deandre Ayton made his NBA debut in Wednesday's win over the Dallas Mavericks and contributed greatly for the Suns. Ayton scored 18 points on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting night and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. He had six assists as well and thoroughly outplayed Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic. There have been […]

Wesley Matthews Effective In Opener

Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Wesley Matthews scored 15 points on 4-for-10 shooting in Wednesday's loss the Phoenix Suns. He also added in five assists, a steal, and a pair of rebounds. Matthews will need to be efficient to make an impact this season for the Mavericks, as his assist numbers from Wednesday are unlikely to […]

Dennis Smith Jr. Struggles From Field Against Suns

Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. went just 6-for-19 from the field in Wednesday's loss the Phoenix Suns, finishing with 13 points while also dishing out five assists and swiping away three steals. Smith Jr.'s outlook at this point is difficult to tell, as he posted the second-highest assist percentage on the team Wednesday […]

DeAndre Jordan Opens Season With Double-Double

Dallas Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan made his Mavericks debut in Wednesday's loss to the Phoenix Suns, grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds while adding in 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Jordan isn't likely to be a focal point offensively for the Mavericks, but he'll have a good matchup on Saturday against the Timberwolves and their weak […]

Luka Doncic Struggles With Shot In Debut

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic scored 10 points in his NBA debut on Wednesday, a 121-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Doncic added eight rebounds and four assists to the ledger, but his shooting touch wasn't there, with the rookie going 0-for-5 from deep and 5-for-16 overall. Doncic will need to find his deep shot […]

Dwight Powell Leads Dallas In Scoring Off Bench

Dallas Mavericks power forward Dwight Powell scored a team-high 16 points while coming off the bench in Wednesday's season-opening loss to Phoenix. Powell was 6-for-8 from the floor and also grabbed five rebounds. He'll have a chance to follow this up with another productive performance on Saturday against a Minnesota team that allowed opponents to […]

Eric Gordon Leads Houston In Scoring In Opener

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon scored 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting in 29 minutes of action against the Pelicans on Wednesday, adding in three rebounds and an assist as well. Though the Rockets officially listed Carmelo Anthony as the sixth man in the game notes, Gordon is still clearly Houston's best bench player and the […]

Carmelo Anthony Has Poor Rockets Debut

Houston Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony made his first ever appearance off the bench on Wednesday in Houston's loss to the Pelicans. It...could have gone better for the veteran scorer. Anthony scored nine points on 3-for-10 shooting and was 1-for-5 from three-point land. He added four rebounds and a block as well. Time will tell if […]

James Harden Narrowly Misses Triple-Double

Houston Rockets guard James Harden had far from his best game in Wednesday's loss to the Pelicans, but for fantasy purposes his stat line -- 18 points on 6-for-15 shooting, 10 assists, nine rebounds, three steals, and a block -- helped salvage something from his performance. Harden is unlikely to flirt with triple-doubles as often […]

Chris Paul Scores 19 Points In Loss

Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul scored 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting in Wednesday's season-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Paul also recorded six assists, five rebounds, and two steals, but he was never able to get much going in a game where the Rockets looked lost at times. Paul will try to improve […]

Clint Capela Struggles Against Pelicans

While all three of the Pelicans key big men had strong nights on Wednesday, Houston Rockets center Clint Capela struggled on the other side of the matchup. Capela finished with eight points on 4-for-9 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds while blocking a shot. New Orleans looks like a bad matchup for Capela, but things could […]

P.J. Tucker Scores 19 Points In Opener

Houston Rockets small forward P.J. Tucker was one of Houston's top offensive players in Wednesday's season-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, finishing with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including a 4-for-7 mark from three. Tucker didn't add too much elsewhere, finishing with two rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. Tucker is likely […]

Julius Randle Looks Good In Pelicans Debut

New Orleans Pelicans power forward Julius Randle played 24 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's season-opening win over the Houston Rockets, scoring 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds and adding three assists. Randle was 2-for-4 from deep, tying his career-high in three-point attempts. If he continues to step out onto the perimeter […]

E'Twaun Moore Scores 21 Points Against Rockets

With the New Orleans Pelicans running a fairly short rotation so far, expect to see strong production from shooting guard E'Twaun Moore this season. In the team's Game 1 win over the Houston Rockets, Moore scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists. Moore won't put up 20 […]

Elfrid Payton Has Triple-Double In Pelicans Debut

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton scored 10 points on 5-for-13 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Wednesday's win over the Houston Rockets. Payton's passing ability is going to lead to a lot of double-digit assist nights with this Pelicans team, and while he won't be putting up 10 […]

Jrue Holiday Struggles From Three Against Houston

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday scored 10 points on 5-for-12 shooting on Wednesday against the Rockets, but he missed all six of his three-point attempts. Holiday also added eight assists. On a night where New Orleans had all three of their big men feasting on the Rockets, Holiday took a bit of a backseat. […]

Anthony Davis Has Huge Night Against Rockets

New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis was the first overall pick in many fantasy drafts this year, and Wednesday's victory over the Rockets reminded owners why they chose the Brow with that pick. Davis scored 32 points on 13-for-21 shooting while also grabbing 16 rebounds and adding in eight assists. The Pelicans play the Kings […]

Nikola Mirotic Scores 30 Points In Season Opener

New Orleans Pelicans power forward Nikola Mirotic came up huge in his team's season-opening win over the Houston Rockets, scoring 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting, including a 6-for-8 mark from downtown. Mirotic also grabbed 10 rebounds to open the year with a double-double, and he added in three assists as well. Don't expect the same […]

Ish Smith Scores 11 Points Off The Bench

Detroit Pistons point guard Ish Smith scored 11 points in 29 minutes of action against the Nets on Wednesday, going 5-for-11 from the field and adding in three assists. Despite playing nearly 30 minutes, Smith isn't a hugely intriguing fantasy player unless he can start to offer more production across the board. He'll look to […]

Bruce Brown Jr. Barely Contributes In First Start

With both Detroit Pistons Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson unavailable on Wednesday, the team inserted rookie Bruce Brown Jr. into their starting lineup. It didn't go well for Brown, though, as he was held scoreless in 19 minutes of action. Brown missed all three of his shot attempts, grabbed a pair of rebounds, and added in […]

Reggie Jackson Scores 19 Points Against Nets

Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson scored 19 points in Wednesday's win over the Brooklyn Nets, making seven of his 20 shot attempts, including a 2-for-9 mark from three. Jackson grabbed a pair rebounds while also dishing out four assists while playing a team-high 35 minutes. Jackson's likely to have some uneven production over the […]

Blake Griffin Leads Detroit In Scoring In Opener

Detroit Pistons power forward Blake Griffin scored a team-high 26 points on 8-for-17 shooting while also adding in eight rebounds and six assists. Detroit will likely run the offense through the former Clippers star a good amount this season, so expect strong assist numbers to continue for Griffin. When Detroit meets Chicago on Saturday, expect […]

Andre Drummond Grabs 20 Rebounds

Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond pulled down 20 rebounds in Wednesday's season-opening victory over the Brooklyn Nets, including nine offensive boards. Drummond also added 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting. Drummond was 1-for-3 from downtown after having attempted just 30 threes through his first six NBA seasons. That development is worth paying attention to as the […]

Spencer Dinwiddie Shoots Well Against Pistons

Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting off the bench in Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons. He also added six assists, four rebounds, and a steal. Dinwiddie played 32 minutes for the Nets and finished as a plus-six overall. He'll continue to serve as the team's top backup […]

D'Angelo Russell Ineffective Against Detroit

Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell only managed to score eight points on 3-for-9 shooting in Wednesday's loss to the Detroit Pistons, with the former Laker making just one of his four attempts from three. Russell added five assists and a pair of rebounds, but his 25 minutes ranked just sixth on the team. Russell will […]