Off Topic » uch. A recent roundtable of ESPN NBA Insiders

The Denver Nuggets players were warm and cozy in their homes Thursday, surely watching their Friday night opponents go play deep into the night.They saw a good game, but they probably saw the benefit of the Houston Rockets beating the Golden State Warriors 132-127 in double overtime. The game ended after midnight Colorado time, less than 21 hours before Fridays game at Pepsi Center is scheduled to tip off.The Nuggets have to feel fortunate. Stopping the Rockets is tough, but after 58 minutes of intense basketball their legs might be a little weary Friday night.Weary but happy after ending Golden States 12-game winning streak. James Harden had another big game in the win, recording his fourth triple-double with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists, and now hell have to turn around and do it again after a long night.Were a resilient team, Harden said on the TNT broadcast after Thursdays win. Big-time win on the road and we have another one tomorrow.The Rockets early morning win might be the break Denver needs after it collapsed defensively in a 106-98 loss to Miami on Wednesday. Another poor defensive game Friday could doom them against the prolific Houston offense.The Rockets set the single-game NBA record for 3-point attempts with 50 against the Sacramento Kings last week, and they put up 44 against the Warriors.Houston (12-7) is averaging 14 made 3-pointers this season, which is ahead of the league record set by Golden State last year. It means the Nuggets (7-11) have to get out on the shooters, something they didnt do in the fourth quarter against the Heat.Miami shot 61.1 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from long range to rally for the win.We didnt play that well, guard Emmanuel Mudiay said. Well just have to try to pick it up and have more energy. Contain (Houstons) guards in the next game from the 3-point line. They have a good 3-point shooting team.It starts with Harden, who is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 28.7 points a game, but it doesnt end with him. Five Rockets players are averaging 12.2 points or more this season, and Houstons 110 points a game is fourth in the league.The Rockets got a boost a couple of weeks ago with the return of guard Patrick Beverley. Beverley has helped an already potent offense that has scored 100 or more points in all but three games this season.Pats a dog, Harden told Bleacher Report. He brings a lot to our team, especially on the defensive end.His defense on the perimeter will be key on Mudiay and rookie Jamal Murray, who has come on strong after a slow start. Murray on Thursday was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November.Murray led all Western Conference rookies in scoring with 10.4 points a game to go with 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He scored at least 18 points in four of six games to close the month, including a 24-point, six-rebound effort on Nov. 22 in a 110-107 victory over the Chicago Bulls.Murray was a bright spot in the fourth quarter Wednesday when he hit two late 3-pointers to keep Denver in the game.Hes played at a high level, Nuggets coach Michael Malone told The Denver Post. As the year goes on, even though its going to be tough, I think his role is going to increase because hes that good of a player.The Nuggets will get guard Will Barton back. He has missed two straight games with a sore left ankle and another game for personal reasons. Barton played three games after missing nine after spraining the joint on Oct. 31 but said hes feeling better.Denver will need Barton to help slow down Houstons offense. The Nuggets hope a late game in Golden State will do that, too. Matt Joyce Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Jed Lowrie Jersey . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. http://www.athleticsrookiestore.com/Athletics-Catfish-Hunter-Kids-Jersey/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Rollie Fingers Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Sean Manaea Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. The Denver Nuggets?Nikola Jokic earned tons of hype this offseason as a potential breakout candidate. In a near-upset against the United States in the Olympics this past August, Jokic dazzled and dominated en route to 25 points on 11-for-15 shooting. That marquee performance helped push his stock to new heights.A lofty ranking and Jokics inclusion on sleeper lists throughout the industry propelled an average draft position of 49th overall in ESPN drafts this fall. The results so far this season, however, have been disappointing. Jokic is averaging just 23 minutes per game -- only a slight bump from his rookie rate of 21.7 minutes, and well shy of the exposure we expected and projected this season.Its still early, so we should hold firm to shares of Jokic. The talent is still very real, even if the opportunity to capitalize has yet to materialize. There is a breakout brewing in Denver, though.It just happens to be with another member of the Nuggets frontcourt. Center Jusuf Nurkic?ranks eighth in the NBA in rebounding chances per game with 18.4 (chances are defined as being within 3.5 feet of ?an available board). This rich rate is higher than the likes of Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin and DeMarcus Cousins.Tied for sixth in blocks and in the top 15 in rebounds per game, Nurkic is thriving thanks to 28.4 minutes per game, a sizable leap from the 17.1 minutes he averaged last season for the Nuggets. Nurkic is still available in nearly a quarter of ESPN leagues as a free agent and can likely still be acquired at a relatively inexpensive price in trade talks. With a high floor developing based on steady minutes and rewarding rebounding opportunities, and playing for a team that ranks fifth in the league in pace (104.1 possessions per 48 minutes), Nurkic appears to be the breakout asset we envisioned Jokic would become.Since Nurkic is likely rostered in most competitive fantasy leagues by this point, Ill also endorse the Suns Tyson Chandler as another potential elite rebounding resource. Owned in just shy of 25 percent of ESPN leagues as of Friday afternoon, Chandler ranks third in the NBA in rebounds per game. Hes also third in the league with 22.2 rebounding chances per game. The Suns are even faster than the Nuggets, as they rank third in the league in pace (104.6), so we can expect this rich opportunity rate on the glass to continue for the under-the-radar veteran.Access the downloadable forecaster chart PDF hereMatchup ratings are based on a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup). These are calculated using a formula that evaluates the teams year-to-date and past 10 games statistics, their opponents numbers in those categories and their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played. The column to the left lists the teams total number of games scheduled, as well as home games, and lists the overall rating from 1-10 for that teams weekly schedule.Ratings roundupNot that they need much help to produce prolific box scores, but the Warriors are in a great position for the coming week with three of their four games at home and with all of their opponents proving friendly in regards to pace and defensive rating. We have to like the Trail Blazers schedule, as well, as they play a series of up-tempo Western foes. The Pacers have struggled a bit with their new-look roster and scheme, although its inviting to consiider two matchups with the 76ers on the week.ddddddddddddAs for tougher setups during the upcoming slate, shares of the Mavericks and Bucks are troubling in weekly formats given they play just two games apiece. If you have heavy shares of either team, it makes sense to supplement them with some of the teams with full weekend schedules, such as the Suns, Timberwolves and Nuggets.Driving SuccessI like to look at drives per game as an indicator of players with a rewarding and ball-dominant role. We see superstars like Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard ranked first and second in drives per game, for example. A quick look at the early-season drive rates has the name?Dion Waiters?jumping out at us. The Heat guard ranks tenth in the league in drives per game.With nearly 36 minutes per game and freedom to crash the lane in the wake of?Dwyane Wades departure, Waiters has become a helpful utility player for fantasy purposes so far this season. Even if efficiency escapes his game -- hes shooting only 36.5 percent from the field --13 field goals per game and 10.8 drives helps fuel his fantasy value.I ?also like the Mavericks J.J. Barea, ranked fifth in the league and just behind the Rockets James Harden, with 12 drives per game. As the leader of the Mavericks second unit and a key complementary scoring option, Barea is playing more than 30 minutes per game and can help in steals, assists and 3-pointers this season.Elite EfficiencyThe Warriors Kevin Durant has always proven to be productive on a per-touch basis. This season, Durant ranks fourth in the league with .533 points per touch. Its encouraging to see Minnesotas Andrew Wiggins become a per-touch peer of Durants, as hes leading the league with .568 points per touch. This efficiency has been achieved via the combination of his strong free throw rate -- Wiggins ranks 12th overall in total attempts from the stripe -- and some awesome post metrics. Wiggins is averaging a very big-man-like 1.57 points per touch in the post.Among other efficient starts to the season, the Sacramento Kings Rudy Gay ranks 11th with .431 points per touch. A recent roundtable of ESPN NBA Insiders praised Gays great start to the season. Tom Haberstroh noted that Gay has proven more active defensively (six blocks) than usual and getting to the line twice as often as he did last season.The Suns?TJ Warren?is also enjoying a proficient rate of .415 points per touch, good for 15th in the league. Warren is among the most surprising early breakout candidates and is still available in more than 30 percent of ESPN leagues. Averaging 36 minutes and given rare offensive freedom for the up-tempo Suns, Warren could actually sustain his current pace for around 20 points per game this season.Touch TrendsThe 76ers Sergio Rodriguez is third in the NBA in frontcourt touches per game, behind only the Celtics Isaiah Thomas and Thunders Westbrook. As long as Jerryd Bayless remains sidelined, Rodriguez is a fine resource for dimes and 3-pointers.George Hill has been stellar for the Jazz so far since coming over in a trade this past summer. This success is in part buoyed by Hill averaging 70.2 frontcourt touches per game, 14th in the league and ahead of the likes of ball-dominant assets like LeBron James and Rajon Rondo. ' ' '