It's safe to say that the Splash Brothers are officially back with the performances of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson against the Detroit Pistons and the Warriors fans are loving it. Thompson had his best performance since returning. In only 22 minutes, he scored 21 points with three rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three triples. During the first half, Thompson scored 17 points, his most points in a half since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, when he suffered a torn ACL.
Curry returned to action after missing one game due to a right hand injury. In 29 minutes, he scored 18 points, collected three rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and four 3s. Curry didn't play during the fourth quarter after appearing to jam a finger on his left hand. He snapped a streak of nine consecutive games shooting under 50%, the longest streak in his career.
With Curry and Thompson on the floor for just 14 minutes, the Warriors shot 64% from the field as a team and outscored the Pistons by 11 points. On defense, Golden State continues to excel, holding their opponent under 90 points for the sixth time this season.
Let's explore some of the highlights, lowlights, and takeaways below.
Highlights
Julius Randle, New York Knicks: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks
Lowlights
Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors: 5 points (2-6 FGs), 1 rebound, 3 assists
Alec Burks, New York Knicks: 0 points (0-3 FGs), 4 rebounds
Tuesday's Takeaways
In 39 minutes against the New York Knicks, Anthony Edwards recorded 21 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two 3-pointers. In category formats, Edwards has provided fantasy managers with third-round value this season with 22 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished three assists, and blocked two shots against the Knicks. Towns and Edwards have each scored 20 or more points in the same game 15 times this season, tied with Kevin Durant and James Harden for second-most among teammates. The only duo with more such games is DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine (23).
The Timberwolves only had seven points from Patrick Beverley. Additionally, he accumulated five rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block, and one 3-pointer. Beverley can make a significant contribution to your fantasy team in several areas. He is available in 80.5% of ESPN leagues.
Jaylen Nowell, who scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, had three assists, a steal, and one 3-pointer against the Knicks, deserves a look in deep leagues. He has averaged 24 minutes, 15.5 points, four rebounds, and 3.5 assists over the last two games, outplaying Malik Beasley.
After missing the previous nine games with a sore left knee, Kemba Walker delivered a strong performance for the Knicks. Walker got off to a slow start against the Timberwolves, finishing with 19 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and four 3-pointers in 30 minutes. As Burks struggles, Walker may be back in the starting lineup for the Knicks. Walker is available in 34% of ESPN leagues.
For the Knicks, Evan Fournier scored 27 points, collected four rebounds, four assists, a steal, a block, and five 3-pointers in 37 minutes. Fournier is still a top-50 player in category formats and available in 46% of ESPN leagues despite his inconsistent play. He's a reliable source of points and triples.
Despite injuring his leg, RJ Barrett played 37 minutes and ended with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and two triples. He had seven turnovers, a career high. As of right now, Barrett is rostered in 82.4% of ESPN leagues, but is not a must roster player because he is not currently a top-200 player in most formats.
Jonathan Kuminga started for the Warriors against the Pistons in place of Draymond Green, and he finished with a double-double for the first time in his career. In 25 minutes, he scored 12 points, accumulated 10 rebounds, had an assist, a steal, and two triples. At 19 years and 104 days, Kuminga became the second youngest player in Warriors history to record a double double behind Andris Biedrins.
Thompson's return is negatively impacting Jordan Poole, who scored just five points in 21 minutes. Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points, had three steals, a block, and three 3-pointers.
With 14 points, 11 rebounds, and a block in 28 minutes, Isaiah Stewart recorded his fourth double-double of the season against the Warriors. Stewart has averaged 7.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game this season. Keep an eye on him.
Hamidou Diallo, who is available in 86% of ESPN leagues, also finished with a double double. He had 16 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, a block and a triple in 35 minutes. In the last two weeks, Diallo has been excellent and is worth picking up if you are looking for statistical production to close out the week since the Pistons still have three games left.
Saddiq Bey has scored at least 10 points in five of his last six games for the Pistons, who have been without Jerami Grant due to a finger injury. Against the Warriors, he shot an atrocious 23% from the field. In 30 minutes, he had just 10 points, a rebound, and an assist.
Analytics advantage for Wednesday
The schedule for Wednesday night includes 13 games. Players are still transitioning into and out of the COVID-19 protocols as teams manage rotations. The good news is that fewer players are coming and going from the protocols than a month ago. In the absence of LaVine (knee) and Lonzo Ball (knee) from the Bulls' matchup against the Cavaliers, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are top streamers as the top backcourt options for Chicago.
DFS discussion
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings: Several days ago, Tyrese Haliburton entered the league's health and safety protocols, leaving the Kings with a large void on the perimeter. Fox will now have even more opportunities to show his abilities, which will further raise his ceiling. Averaging 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per 40 minutes, he has a usage rate of 28% so far this season. Fox faces a Pistons team that has surrendered the third-most FanDuel points (49.3) to point guards this season. Detroit allows the seventh most DraftKings points per game (50) to point guards.