Washington Wizards forward/center Kristaps Porzingis exploded for a career-high 41 points in Monday's 142-127 victory over Minnesota. The bucket was like an ocean for him as Porzingis shot 12-for-18 from the field with a 6-for-10 record from outside. He was perfect at the foul line with 11 attempts and capped off the night with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks. This was a comfortable victory for the Wizards in a high-scoring affair and Porzingis ended up playing for just 31 minutes, so he could've easily gotten near the 50-point mark if the game had stayed competitive. His previous career-best scoring night came back in his New York days in November 2017. This could end up being a very fruitful week for Porzingis, as Washington now faces Brooklyn, Charlotte and the Lakers, three teams that are vulnerable defensively.
New Orleans Pelicans center Willy Hernangomez remained on the bench despite Jonas Valanciunas' (quadriceps) absence on Sunday against the Kings, but he ended up having a very strong outing off the pine, collecting 22 points and 16 rebounds in 28 minutes. He also bagged four assists and blocked one shot while shooting 7-for-16 from the field and 8-for-8 at the line. The Spaniard has always been a good per-minute player and proved it again here. He could get another opportunity to shine Tuesday against Atlanta if Valanciunas remains out.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III got hot on Sunday and ended up posting a new season-high with 30 points in a blowout win against Sacramento. He got there with nearly perfect shooting as well, going 9-for-11 from the floor, including 6-for-8 from downtown, and shooting 6-for-7 at the line. In 36 minutes on the court, Murphy III added four rebounds, two assists and one steal to his tally. The 22-year-old is having a strong sophomore campaign, averaging 13.0 points with 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals. Brandon Ingram's (toe) absence played a part in his Sunday's outburst, but Murphy III also came through with 21 points Saturday against the Lakers with Ingram still next to him, so he had a very impressive finish to the week.
Memphis Grizzlies guard/forward Desmond Bane had one of his best games of the season Sunday with a 26-point effort in a 106-103 loss to Toronto. Bane had the leading role on offense with Ja Morant (wrist) absent and he didn't disappoint, netting four triples with seven attempts and finishing 10-for-17 overall from the field with two rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block. The 24-year-old has been a good sidekick for Morant all year, but he gets a good usage bump with him out of the lineup and Bane has upped his scoring output to 23.6 points in the games Morant has missed this season. The duo will likely be reunited for Tuesday's clash with Chicago, as Morant missed Sunday's contest only because of right wrist soreness.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid took his double-double streak to six games on Sunday against the Knicks with a 31-point, 14-rebound effort. He also had three assists and one block on a 108-97 loss, shooting 6-for-18 from the field and 18-for-19 at the charity stripe. The Process struggled from the field here, but still found a way to his 11th 30-point outing in 13 games. He's a regular on the injury report with a foot problem but has been playing through the injury and we can expect him to continue to do so. Embiid gets a rematch against the Knicks on Friday after facing the Celtics, who allowed him to go for 26 points and 15 rebounds in the first head-to-head meeting of the season.
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner logged only 24 minutes of action in Sunday's 122-103 defeat to Cleveland, but he still led all scorers with 27 points and added 10 rebounds, one steal and three blocks to his line. He finished with a 9-for-18 record from the field and went 2-for-6 from downtown while sinking all of his seven free throws. Centers typically struggle against Cleveland's Twin Towers in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, but Turner has been in good form lately and managed to carry it over into the new week. He'll be heading into Wednesday's matchup against Miami with a three-game double-double streak.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero recorded his eighth double-double of the season on Sunday, contributing a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 119-113 victory over the Hornets. He also had five assists and one steal for a nice line in 35 minutes, but Banchero's recent shooting struggles continued. He was 6-for-20 from the field with a 0-for- 4 record from deep and only managed to get past the 20-point mark with a good 10-for-11 effort at the foul line. The top pick of last year's draft is shooting a miserable 25.9 percent across his last three outings. Banchero hasn't managed to shoot better than 30 percent from the field in five of his last six games, so he's in a really bad shooting slump right now. Hopefully, a run of three straight home games helps him to get back on track.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball was the leading scorer in Sunday's 119-113 loss to Orlando, shooting 13-for-24 from the field en route to a season-high 33 points. He hit six triples with 13 attempts and had eight rebounds and six assists with four steals and four turnovers in 38 minutes. Ball has finally shaken off injury troubles and playing regularly, which has helped him to pick up speed for the final couple of months of the season. He has averaged 25.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists with 3.8 steals across the last four games.
Brooklyn Nets guard Seth Curry (adductor) exited the game on Saturday against the Washington Wizards with a left adductor strain and will miss Monday's contest against the Los Angeles Clippers. The 32-year-old has seen some starts lately as Kyrie Irving requested a trade, but now that he has to miss at least one game, Cam Thomas or Patty Mills will probably move up into the starting five. After a big 44-point performance on Saturday, Thomas may be the better streaming candidate over the veteran Mills.
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (ankle) was forced to exit Saturday's game after spraining his left ankle and will now miss at least one game because of it. The team officially ruled him out ahead of time which means the ankle sprain may end up keeping him out for a couple more games after this. Deni Avdija is the most likely candidate to take over the starting role while Taj Gibson and maybe even Will Barton could see some time off of the bench. The latter two aren't recommended as streaming options in any format.
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (foot) was unable to play in the team's contest on Saturday and is now questionable for their game on Monday as well. He currently has some lingering left foot soreness and is unsure whether or not that will keep him out of a second consecutive game. If Beal does have to remain sidelined, Corey Kispert would likely slot into the starting five again while Deni Avdija would be the safer streaming option if he happens to be available on the waiver wire.
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