The Golden State Warriors won their 23rd straight game this season on the strength of a 22-0 run in the first quarter.

HOSPITAL WARD

Klay Thompson sprained his right ankle in the final minute of the Warriors' win. Prior to the injury, Thompson scored a season-high 39 points, all recorded before the fourth quarter, and sank 10 three-pointers while missing out on a triple-double with seven rebounds and six assists. Unfortunately, the Pacers turned a 32-point deficit into an eight-point loss, forcing coach Walton to bring back the starters for the final six minutes. The x-rays were negative, and he was able to walk off under his own power. The Warriors play four games over the next two weeks, alleviating any concern should he miss the fortnight. He indicated he'd be fine in a few days.

Trevor Ariza sustained a bruised lower back early in the first quarter and did not return. His availability for Wednesday's game is uncertain, and if the Rockets rest him until next Monday, he'd only miss two games, the latter coming against the Lakers on Saturday.

Corey Brewer started the second half in Ariza's place, and Marcus Thornton was revived. Thornton compiled a season-high 32 points (12-18 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 26 minutes. Brewer added a season-high 22 points (9-16 FG, 4-8 3Pt), three rebounds, three steals, and two assists in 34 minutes. Thornton acquitted himself well in six starts this season, averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.0 three-pointers in 35 minutes per game. He draws precedent over Brewer if Ariza has to miss several games. Brewer is a streaky, yet terrible three-point shooter who relies on fastbreak points and steals to become fantasy relevant.

Marc Gasol played through a sprained left ankle and aggravated the sprain when someone stepped on his foot. The Grizzlies began a stretch of five games in seven nights yesterday, and if Gasol is sidelined for any of the upcoming games, I think Zach Randolph will be asked to play center with coach Joerger relying on a group of wings off the bench to spread the floor, namely Matt Barnes. Brandan Wright (ankle) has no timetable for return, and JaMychal Green sprained a knee last night, potential costing him a few games. This is all speculative, but Barnes will become the primary beneficiary, much like last time when Randolph was out for an extended period with knee soreness.

Darrell Arthur played with right knee soreness. He was only able to go for seven minutes before aggravating his knee. The Nuggets play one game in the next five days. Arthur was finding his stride over the previous eight games, but the Denver frontcourt is such a mess that it's difficult to count on anyone outside of Kenneth Faried for over 25 minutes a night.

M.I.A.

• Brooklyn
  • Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle)
  • Andrea Bargnani (hamstring)
• Cleveland
  • Kyrie Irving (knee)
  • Iman Shumpert (wrist)
• Denver
  • Gary Harris (concussion)
  • Joffrey Lauvergne (illness)
  • Jusuf Nurkic (knee)
• Golden State
  • Harrison Barnes (ankle)
  • Leandro Barbosa (illness)
• Houston
  • Sam Dekker (back)
• Indiana
  • Myles Turner (thumb)
• Memphis
  • Brandan Wright (knee)
  • Jordan Adams (knee)
• Orlando
  • Aaron Gordon (ankle)
  • C.J. Watson (calf)
• Portland
  • Gerald Henderson (DNP-CD)
• Sacramento
  • Willie Cauley-Stein (finger)
• Utah
  • Rudy Gobert (knee)

ROTATION NOTES

LeBron James played 40 minutes after coach Blatt rested him on Saturday. He had a great game, supplying 33 points (14-24 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals. James is shooting 84.5 percent from the free-throw line over the past 10 games, a vast improvement from his early season swoon. He'll miss periodic games throughout the season to keep him healthy for the playoffs. The Cavaliers play five games over the next 16 days, so a DNP-rest won't occur until after Christmas.

Timofey Mozgov played seven minutes and was replaced in the second-half starting lineup by Jared Cunningham with the Cavaliers down nine points at halftime. Mozgov missed time in late November with a strained right shoulder, and he complained about knee complications dating back to the preseason after undergoing surgery in July. He's not as mobile as he was last season because the rehab chopped into his conditioning this summer, and he may have to take the next two weeks off to right the ship. As mentioned in the above paragraph, the Cavaliers have nine days off compared to five games over the following 16 days. Any prolonged absence boosts Tristan Thompson's value, but the sparse game total doesn't make him a must add.

Kenneth Faried and J.J. Hickson replaced Darrell Arthur (knee) and Joffrey Lauvergne (illness) in the starting lineup. Faried played 36 minutes, shot 2-of-12 from the field, and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Hickson added 10 points (4-10 FG, 2-6 FT), 11 rebounds, and one block in 29 minutes. The Nuggets don't play again until Friday, permitting both Arthur and Lauvergne enough time to recuperate.

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

Kevin Durant: 32 points (11-14 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, 31 minutes

Durant is having the best season of his career, MVP season notwithstanding. In fact, outside of Stephen Curry, Durant is producing at an elite level this year. He's shooting a career-high 53 percent from the field, a career-high 46 percent on three-pointers, and 89 percent from the free-throw line.

ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT

Not tonight. Not like this.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH

Stephen Curry: 29 points (11-23 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 10 assists, seven rebounds, three steals, 36 minutes

Curry recorded double-digit assists for the first time since November 6th. Most of his assists were either Andrew Bogut dunks or Klay Thompson three-pointers, of which he made 10. Curry is the best fantasy player this season. I have nothing further to add.

Paul George: 33 points (11-27 FG, 5-13 3Pt, 6-7 FT), eight rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block, 36 minutes

I honestly thought George would regress as a shooter, but that has not been the case. I also thought he'd block a handful of shots with the position change. I was wrong again, mostly because C.J. Miles guards power forwards. In short, I was completely wrong about George this season. I will not root for regression; that comes off as petty.

Joe Johnson: 22 points (9-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-3 FT), eight assists, five rebounds, three steals, 43 minutes

Johnson has been much more passive this season, and with good reason. He's shooting a career-low 36.6 percent from the field and missing from all over the court, a steep decline in his 15th season. Stomaching such an inefficiency makes him bearable in head-to-head leagues, but I'd treat him as one of the last guys on my bench if I owned him.

Jarrett Jack: 10 points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, 37 minutes

Jack isn't having a good season, but his 6.8 assists per game vaults him in the top-10. He also improved his three-point efficiency to average after converting less than 30 percent last season.

Russell Westbrook: 13 points (5-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 16 assists, five rebounds, two steals, 25 minutes

Westbrook tied his career-high in assists in just 25 minutes. Aside from the league-high 5.1 turnovers per game, Westbrook is the second best fantasy player because he's nearly averaging a triple-double, close to leading the league in steals, and shooting a career-high 47.4 percent from the field. Westbrook is posting better stats this year with Kevin Durant in the lineup than he averaged last season with Durant in and out of the lineup.

Rajon Rondo: 17 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 13 assists, seven rebounds, two steals, six turnovers, 37 minutes

The Jazz allowed fewer than 18 assists per game entering last night's game. Rondo's 13 assists facilitated the Kings' 29 assists and fueled a 114-106 victory. I expected Rondo to play close to 30 minutes when Darren Collison returned from injury, but that has not been the case the last three games. Collison is still getting the most playing time among the reserves, but Rondo has fully engulfed this team with his fingerprint.

DeMarcus Cousins: 23 points (8-14 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 6-10 FT), 12 rebounds, six assists, one steal, 37 minutes

Cousins was shooting 24.5 percent in the previous three games combined. He fouled out and committed five turnovers. Coach Karl mentioned in the postgame about Cousins dealing with a sore ankle and sore back, two ailments that may lead to intermittent rest days for Cousins. Luckily, the schedule breaks right for the Kings as they play twice over the next nine days. If they rest him one of those games, he will earn a week off.

Gordon Hayward: 18 points (6-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, six assists, three steals, 37 minutes

Hayward is back to nearly triple-doubling on a nightly basis. Each of the past four games, all without Rudy Gobert (knee), Hayward has posted at least six rebounds and four assists while averaging 22.0 points, 3.0 three-pointers, and 1.8 steals per game. His chasedown blocks are down by about 50 percent, and surrounded by more capable ballhandlers, Hayward's 3.2 assists per game is comparable to his second and third year in the league when he was coming off the bench.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Matthew Dellavedova leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio. In 37 minutes, he scored 17 points (7-12 FG, 3-5 3Pt), grabbed three rebounds, handed out three assists, and nabbed a steal while limiting himself to one turnover. Dellavedova leads the team in three-point percentage (44.1), and he's outperformed Mo Williams over the last month. I can't recommend either because the Cavaliers only play five games in the next 16 days and Kyrie Irving (knee) is expected to debut before Christmas. However, it appears Dellavedova will knock Williams out of the rotation on nights Irving plays, something I didn't think possible in November.

Mason Plumlee fouled out in 22 minutes, and Meyers Leonard only played 16 minutes. The latter grabbed three rebounds, and it felt like a season-high. He's also shooting 27 percent on three-pointers. So much for 50/40/90 splits.

In case you're unaware, coach Stotts runs a fixed rotation in the first half and sticks with the guys who are going well in the second half. One player who's emerged from the abyss is Allen Crabbe. He provides solid defense and above-average three-point shooting. While he doesn't offer enough in the peripheral stats, he's scored at least 11 points and played at least 23 minutes in five straight games. Crabbe is shooting 49 percent from the field and a team-high 44 percent on three-pointers to go along with extensive knowledge and practice of the defensive scheme. His minutes affects those of Leonard because coach Stotts shifts Al-Farouq Aminu to power forward in late game situations alongside Crabbe. I've rostered Crabbe all season in a 14-team salary cap league expecting better production, but anything exceeds baseline expectations. I suspect you'll throw him on your watch list now.

Brandon Rush scored 13 points (5-10 FG, 3-6 3Pt) in 25 minutes. He's starting for the injured Harrison Barnes (ankle), and he could be in line for additional playing time if Klay Thompson's ankle injury from last night turns serious. Regardless, Rush has a 13 percent usage rate in seven starts, attempting more than four shots only twice in that span. And, if you've studiously read this breakdown, you know the Warriors play four games in the next two weeks, the lowest amount in that timeframe.

Solomon Hill played 21 minutes off the bench after accumulating 44 minutes the entire season. He grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and was asked to play more minutes with the Pacers down 32 points in the third quarter. His name has been rumored in trade talks, and the best way to get a team to trade for him is to play him more minutes. I think last night was an aberration because Hill has been a consistent DNP-CD.

C.J. Miles is on the hot streak that won't end. He scored 24 points (8-15 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 3-3 FT) and grabbed four rebounds to go along with an assist in 34 minutes. He's shooting a career-high 44 percent on three-pointers and attempting 7.4 per game, inflating and sustaining his fantasy value. Miles has always struggled with lower leg injuries, but those have remained dormant this season. I'm not calling him a bad fantasy option; On the contrary, his volume and efficiency has returned top-50 per game value. I'm merely revealing that his value is concentrated in points and three-pointers, of which he's third in the NBA with 3.2 per game.

Patrick Beverley provided five steals. He's averaging 2.4 steals in 29.6 minutes per game since supplanting Ty Lawson as the starting point guard. I covered Beverley in Sunday's Category Strategy article. He's rosterable because he's getting the minutes, hitting 50 percent of this threes as a starter, and providing elite steals when he's not in foul trouble. However, he's only play 56 games each of the past two seasons due to injury, a repercussion of his defensive tenacity.

James Harden attempted nine shots and turned the ball over seven times in 35 minutes. His nine assists and three steals were fine, but it was an off night for last season's MVP runner-up. He scored a season-low 10 points and only attempted six free throws. Harden is making a career-low 30 percent of his three-pointers, a fact I bring up every time Harden plays. He's improved that mark to 39 percent over the last nine games, but he dug himself an insurmountable hole to start the season.

Bojan Bogdanovic reached double-figure scoring for the first time in 12 games, producing 19 points (8-16 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five rebounds, two steals, and one assist in a season-high 38 minutes. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) is projected to miss at least 10 weeks, providing Bogdanovic immense opportunity. He's been dealing with an ankle injury that stems back to EuroBasket and lingered into the preseason. Let us not forget, Markel Brown replaced Bogdanovic in the second-half starting lineup two games ago. Also, coach Hollins has relied on Shane Larkin, who was limited to 16 minutes, in two-point-guard lineups. I would expect Bogdanovic to get near 25 minutes a night, but I don't see him running away with the job. At his best, Bogdanovic will hit a ton of three-pointers and offer solid percentages, a la C.J. Miles.

As mentioned above, the Grizzlies were defeated by 37 points. Mike Conley and Mario Chalmers combined for 19 points, except Conley was held scoreless in 22 minutes.

Will Barton has surpassed all expectations. He played 37 minutes because Gary Harris (concussion) is out and Randy Foye doesn't need to play more than 10 minutes. Barton recorded 23 points (9-23 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 2-4 FT), four rebounds, four steals, one assist, and one block. I profiled Barton in the Shot Chart Breakdown last month, emphasizing his switch from isolation player to spot-up shooter, which has improved his percentages and shot selection. Barton is also transition artist, averaging 3.8 fastbreak points per game, good for 11th in the NBA. Coach Malone even called Barton one of the team's two best players. Aside from his career-high 41 percent three-point shooting, Barton's per possession numbers are congruent with his career numbers, numbers that were cultivated in garbage time with the Trail Blazers.

Andrew Nicholson grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds. He's not going anywhere, but he's mainly an efficient scorer who doesn't get to the free-throw line. His stats over the last eight games are comparable to Enes Kanter and Luis Scola's numbers the entire season. Nicholson doesn't strike me as a must-add player in head-to-head formats. The frontcourt players in Phoenix intrigue me more so.

Evan Fournier picked up three fouls in seven minutes and still managed to play 26 minutes. He's averaging 24.2 minutes per game since coach Skiles demoted Victor Oladipo, which is the sixth most on the Magic in that span. He's lost traction in the rotation because Oladipo is his backup and he's dealt or may still be dealing with a sore hip. I think it's worth holding onto him for the time being. He proved himself earlier this season in close to 38 minutes a night. Fewer minutes may be a result of the injury, or he might finally be done as a standard league player. The Magic play two games over the next three days against small-ball type teams. If Fournier can't get it going against them, I would discard him and open up a streaming spot. Full disclosure: Fournier is one of my favorite players and I have a difficult time providing objective analysis on his behalf.

Trevor Booker came off the bench for the second straight game, but he registered 12 points (4-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT), a team-high 10 rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 27 minutes, ten more minutes than starter Trey Lyles. I added him a 12-team rotisserie league over the weekend in search of rebounds. Booker is a scrappy player who will occasionally attempt a three-pointer. Coach Snyder admitted to being unsure how he would handle to rotations without Gobert. Booker, whether he starts or comes off the bench, appears the primary beneficiary over Lyles and Jeff Withey four games in.

Omri Casspi continued to start after Willie Cauley-Stein's fractured finger. He provided 19 points (7-16 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists, and one steal in a season-high 41 minutes. Coach Karl is still waffling on using Casspi in the starting lineup because it weakens his bench, and he only ran an eight-man rotation last night. I am a fan of Casspi, but the Kings play two games in the next nine days. Streaming Casspi isn't an immediate option because of the schedule. However, he's thriving in Karl's uptempo system, averaging 13.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 three-pointers in 32 minutes over the last 11 games. He's a subpar free-throw shooter, and his steals and blocks are below average, but with all these minutes at his disposal, you have to ready to pounce when the schedule allows.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. Klay Thompson, G, GSW: 39 points
2. LeBron James, F, CLE: 33 points
3. Paul George, F, IND: 33 points
4. Damian Lillard, G, POR: 33 points

Rebounds

1. Andrew Nicholson, F, ORL: 14 rebounds
2. Nikola Vucevic, C, ORL: 13 rebounds
3. Thaddeus Young, F, BKN: 12 rebounds

Assists

1. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC: 16 assists
2. Rajon Rondo, G, SAC: 13 assists
3. Stephen Curry, G, GSW: 10 assists

Steals

1. Andre Iguodala, F, GSW: 5 steals
2. Patrick Beverley, G, HOU: 5 steals
3. Will Barton, G, DEN: 4 steals
4. Kevin Love, F, CLE: 4 steals

Blocks

1. Brook Lopez, C, BKN: 5 blocks
2. Victor Oladpio, G, ORL: 4 blocks
3. LeBron James, F, CLE: 3 blocks

Three-pointers

1. Klay Thompson, G, GSW: 10-16 3Pt
2. Marcus Thornton, G, HOU: 5-8 3Pt
3. Paul George, F, IND: 5-13 3Pt
4. C.J. Miles, F, IND: 5-11 3Pt

Minutes

1. Joe Johnson, F, BKN: 43 minutes
2. LeBron James, F, CLE: 40 minutes
3. Damian Lillard, G, POR: 39 minutes
4. Brook Lopez, C, BKN: 39 minutes