Welcome to the first installment of the Box Score Breakdown. It may also be the last. Following a devastating World Series outcome, I can finally shift my focus solely on basketball. That's unfortunate because I tend to overanalyze. Instead of unraveling the entire junket, this will be an abridged recap.

NEWS

The Kings play four games in five nights this week. DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) will sit out Tuesday and Wednesday. He may miss all four contests because there's no need to rush him back. Kosta Koufos and Willie Cauley-Stein will start in the frontcourt. They split the center minutes once Cousins was ruled out of the last game, and Rudy Gay will play a solid helping of minutes at the four. Shifting Gay to power forward will open up minutes for Omri Casspi, who averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 three-pointers in 23 minutes per game in 17 games without Cousins last year. They're borderline rosterable stats, but with four games on tap this week, and the specter of Cousins resting longer than two games, Casspi holds short-term relevance.

Jabari Parker (knee) will make his season debut on Wednesday against the 76ers. That's old hat for injured players returning to action. Parker won't exceed 20 minutes and he won't play both games of back-to-backs sets. The Bucks have back-to-back sets this week, next week, and the final two days of the month. Parker will be handle with Kidd gloves, and he fell outside the top-100 players last season in 30 minutes per game. Don't expect him to provide substantial and consistent value until 2016.

CLEVELAND @ PHILADELPHIA

LeBron James narrowly missed a triple-double (22 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds).

J.R. Smith was limited to five minutes with a right knee contusion. He's expected to undergo an MRI today. The Cavaliers play four games over the next 10 days, none against last year's playoff teams, so they can rest Smith even if the issue is minor.

Matthew Dellavedova played a team-high 34 minutes and started the second half in Smith's absence. He cobbled together 12 points, nine assists, five rebounds, and one three-pointer. I expected Jared Cunningham to receive Smith's minutes, but Cunningham (17 minutes) split time with James Jones (15) in a game the Cavaliers were trailing at halftime. Dellavedova possesses ephemeral fantasy value if Smith rests, and he's not my first waiver wire priority.

Tristan Thompson pulled down another nine rebounds in 26 minutes and is averaging 9.5 rebounds in 24 minutes per game. That's the extent of his fantasy value.

Mo Williams scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. I've been trying to trade him for Darren Collison since the preseason, to no avail. In three straight blowout wins, Williams averaged 25.5 minutes per game, which is fourth most on the team and fewer than Dellavedova. James and Dellavedova have been hoarding the assists, making Williams a points and three-point fantasy play with a timetable on his relevance tethered to Kyrie Irving (knee).

Robert Covington started in his first game of the season. He was limited to 22 minutes and shot 1-of-9 from the field while missing all five three-point attempts. A sprained right MCL and bone bruise held him out of the first two games, and his shot will eventually fall.

Nik Stauskas joined Covington in the starting lineup. He finished the night with 15 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and three three-pointers in 29 minutes. I'm not a believer. However, his opportunity eclipses my doubt. Coach Brett Brown has spoken highly of him, and he'll play a sizeable role in the offense until he flames out. The Sixers play four games each of the next four weeks, and the invest could pay off.

T.J. McConnell outplayed Isaiah Canaan. Truthfully, it's a low bar. Canaan has more turnovers (7) than assists (5) in three games. Both will eventually be surpassed by Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten in the rotation. Canaan isn't a point guard, and McConnell will join a trivia answer that includes Elliot Williams, Tim Frazier, Ish Smith, Larry Drew, Lorenzo Brown, Eric Maynor, and Casper Ware. Presently, Canaan is a three-point specialist and McConnell will help out defensively.

Jahlil Okafor scored 24 points (11-21 FG, 2-3 FT) and grabbed three rebounds for his only box score stats. He's 10-of-13 from the free-throw line thus far and made 8-of-9 in the preseason.

MILWAUKEE @ BROOKLYN

Michael Carter-Williams was limited to 23 minutes by foul trouble. He sustained a lower left leg injury at the end of the game, but all indications point to him being ready for Wednesday's game against his former squad.

Jerryd Bayless started in place of Johnny O'Bryant and played 47 minutes. He scored a game-high 26 points, hit six three-pointers, grabbed three boards, and dished out two assists. I'm reminded of a game from two seasons ago when Shaun Livingston recorded 19 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and one steal in 51 minutes. When comparing the two lines, Livingston provided much more value; Bayless' line is heavily concentrated in points and three-pointers. A scoring outburst flanked by minimal peripheral contributions in heavy minutes is a dead giveaway of unsustainability. The Bucks welcome back Jabari Parker and Tyler Ennis (shoulder) on Wednesday. This is a moot point.

Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokoumnpo combined for 44 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks. Each played at least 40 minutes. Coach Jason Kidd, perhaps by necessity, is playing Monroe 34 minutes per game, and Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton 36 minutes per game. Last November, Brandon Knight was the lone member in the 30-minute club, playing 33 minutes per game while 10 others ranged between 18-29 minutes. As Parker, O.J. Mayo (hamstring), and John Henson (Achilles) absorb rotation minutes, keep an eye on the playing time distribution.

Six Nets scored at least 10 points. Joe Johnson and Thaddeus Young finished first and second in team assists, providing six and five respectively.

Brook Lopez attempted his first three-pointer of the season. He missed.

SAN ANTONIO @ NEW YORK

Kawhi Leonard is one of two players averaging at least 20.0 points, 2.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game. The other is John Wall. Only Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson have sustained those numbers for an entire season.

Tim Duncan played 35 minutes the second night of a back-to-back set. He's played 60 consecutive games for the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Spurs don't engage in another back-to-back until November 20-21.

Danny Green continues to struggle. It's nothing new. Below are Green's stats through the first four games this season and four consecutive games during February of last season. His current woes are only problematic because they're occurring at the beginning of the season. Don't fret.

Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points on 17 shots in 35 minutes. He was shadowed by Kawhi Leonard much of the night.

Kristaps Porzingis filled up the stat sheet (13 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, one assist) before Anthony landed on his neck attempting to put back a loose ball in the closing minutes. X-rays were negative, but it's unclear if Porzingis can play Wednesday in Cleveland.

Kevin Seraphin played his first game this season. This is a situation to monitor regarding Kyle O'Quinn. They worked cohesively during the preseason, but minutes could dwindle with Derrick Williams staking his claim at backup power forward.

Langston Galloway played 29 minutes, Jerian Grant played 23 minutes, and Jose Calderon played 23 minutes. It's only a matter of time before Calderon comes off the bench. It may coincide with the eventual return of Arron Afflalo (hamstring), or when the Knicks realize showcasing Calderon to other teams in hopes of coaxing a trade won't work. Both Calderon and Sasha Vujacic are shooting 29 percent from the field, and Calderon is a team-worst -6.3 plus/minus.

OKLAHOMA CITY @ HOUSTON

Russell Westbrook picked up four fouls in 20 minutes and played 32 minutes. He still registered 25 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, three three-pointers, and seven turnovers.

Enes Kanter played 22 minutes to Steven Adams' 19 minutes. Obviously, their combined playing time doesn't equal 48 minutes. In 21 minutes per game, Kanter leads the Thunder with 11.0 rebounds per game while averaging a combined 1.5 assists/steals/blocks. Adams played at least 30 minutes in the first two games and followed with back-to-back games under 23 minutes.

James Harden is going to keep shooting until the ball goes in. Through four games, he's shooting 30 percent from the field and 16 percent from downtown. Last night's 37-point outing was accompanied by five rebounds, three assists, three steals, two blocks, and four three-pointers.

Dwight Howard returned to the lineup and provided 16 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, two steals in a season-high 35 minutes. He also made the game-clinching free throws with 5.7 seconds left. The Rockets play a back-to-back set at the end of the week, and Howard will miss one of those games.

Trevor Ariza, much like Danny Green, hasn't located his shot. He began last season in a similar bind, shooting 36 percent from the field and 32 percent from downtown in the 31 games before January. You can expect Ariza to get big minutes and take plenty of shots. His efficiency from the field will be a drag.

Marcus Thornton started and played more than 30 minutes for the second straight game, adding 12 points and seven rebounds. His presence is tied to Terrence Jones' eyelid laceration. The minutes will flow during his hiatus. It's not something that should be expected on a nightly basis.

PORTLAND @ MINNESOTA

Meyers Leonard was held to 24 minutes and continues to play through a numb left hand. I have the luxury of benching him in a rotisserie league. Those in head-to-head leagues likely don't have the patience to roster someone who's never proven himself for an entire season. The stock answer is: if there's no one on the waiver wire worth adding, don't drop someone. You also have to consider the long-term ramifications on your fantasy team. There are most certainly zero bigs available capable of providing Leonard's diverse production in percentages and serviceable numbers in the tertiary counting stats. Nemanja Bjelica stands out as a rival, and you might get some tread on the Nik Stauskas tires. I'm willing to hold one week into the season. In the worst case scenario, Leonard undergoes surgery, you throw him in your injured reserve, and you stream his roster slot until you find the next must-own player.

Karl-Anthony Towns hit his first three-pointer of his career. The only stat he hasn't recorded this season is a steal. Coach Mitchell ran the reserves longer than usual, and that's part of the reason why Towns played 27 minutes and Andrew Wiggins played 23 minutes. Wiggins picked up his second foul four minutes into the game, and maybe Mitchell wanted Towns and Wiggins on the court simultaneously.

Gorgui Dieng is Towns' backup. They've shared the court for a total of four minutes this season. Nemanja Bjelica is Kevin Garnett's back. They've never shared the court. Bjelica led the quartet with 31 minutes. Dieng is waiting for an injury to Garnett or the Timberwolves first back-to-back slate, which occurs at the beginning of Week 3. The Timberwolves play a league-low 14 back-to-backs this season, so you may end up waiting in vain for Dieng to replicate last season's stats.

Kevin Martin scored a team-high 24 points in a team-high 35 minutes. For the season, he has more combined turnovers and fouls (11) than combined rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks (9). It's a delicate dance when rostering Martin. Are you willing to sacrifice five categories for a large scoop of points, three-pointers, and free-throw percentage?

Ricky Rubio is sporting a pristine 7.75 assists-to-turnover ratio. He missed a triple-double by one rebound and assist, finishing with 12 points and three steals in 32 minutes.

MEMPHIS @ GOLDEN STATE

The Grizzlies were held to 49 points through three quarters. At one point, the score was 88-44.

Stephen Curry scored 21 of his 30 points in the third quarter.

Draymond Green fell shy of a triple-double, notching 11 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and three steals in 27 minutes. Last year, he was on of two players to average at least one steal, block, and three-pointer per game. This year, he's one of two players averaging at least one steal, one block, and two three-pointers per game. The other is Victor Oladipo.

PHOENIX @ LA CLIPPERS

Markieff Morris shot 7-of-22 and is shooting 32 percent from the field through four games. This was to be expected when his brother was shipped off to Detroit. Over the past two seasons, Markieff shot 50 percent from the field when Marcus was on the court. When Marcus was on the bench, Markieff made 44 percent of his baskets. We're to expect a rise in his current field-goal mark, but the loss of his brother altered Markieff's on-court performance dramatically. After a scintillating start to last season, Morris tailed off and provided top-80 value after January. If you plan on targeting him in a trade, don't expect surplus value.