Here are the top performers on January 16 and the stats to highlight their impact:
BEST PLAYER OF THE DAY:
Paolo Banchero ORL PF 26 PTS | 13 REB | 4 STL | 57.6 FPS (vs. MEM)
Banchero put on a show, posting a team-high in points and game-highs in both rebounds and steals. This marked his 20th 20-point outing of the season, his 13th game with 10+ rebounds, and his fourth double-double in the last six games.
BREAKOUT:
Anfernee Simons BOS SG 39 PTS | 4 REB | 4 AST | 50.8 FPS (vs. MIA)
Despite some inconsistency this season, Simons continues to show his ability as a scorer, erupting for his best scoring performance of the year. He has also emerged as a reliable scoring option this month, reaching at least 14 points seven times while averaging four three-pointers. Additionally, he has been one of the league’s top bench scorers this season, ranking first in three-pointers made and third in total points.
SLEEPER:
Klay Thompson DAL SF 26 PTS | 6 AST | 1 BLK | 40.2 FPS (vs. UTA)
The sharpshooting guard stepped up in a big way, finishing with a season-high and team-high scoring effort. He also knocked down six triples and surpassed Damian Lillard to move into fourth place on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers list. It has been an up-and-down season for Klay so far, but with the Mavericks severely shorthanded, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him put together a few more performances like this moving forward.
ELITE ASSET:
Luka Doncic LAL PG 39 PTS | 3 REB | 4 AST | 47.6 FPS (vs. CHA)
Luka was explosive on offense as usual, pouring in 19 points in the first quarter alone to record his fourth game this month with at least 35 points. But he’s not as effective today in other areas, posting his lowest RA of the season while also recording 0 defensive stats.
CATEGORY SPECIALIST:
Julian Champagnie SAS SF 13 PTS | 11 REB | 1 STL | 28.7 FPS (vs. MIL)
Over his last seven games, Champagnie has been very steady in both scoring and rebounding. He posted two 20-point outings and followed them up with five straight games of 10+ points, while also recording at least eight rebounds in six of those contests.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Jimmy Butler GSW SF 32 PTS | 8 REB | 2 STL | 53.6 FPS (vs. NYK)
The star forward has been very efficient on offense in each of his last four games, resulting in his second 30-point outing in that span. He hasn’t met many of the scoring expectations this season, but today was a step towards the right direction. Despite that, he remains an elite all-around contributor with steady numbers from the line and consistent rebounds and assists.
STREAMER:
Moussa Cisse DAL C 10 PTS | 13 REB | 3 BLK | 36.6 FPS (vs. UTA)
The rookie big man recorded his second game this month with 10+ rebounds and three blocks. With so many injuries on the Mavericks’ roster and Davis expected to be out for some time, Cisse should continue to see increased minutes and maintain impactful contributions.
FLOPPER:
Kevin Porter Jr. MIL SG 1 REB | 2 AST | 1 TO | 3.2 FPS (vs. SAS)
It has been an excellent season for KPJ, averaging 17.1 points and 5.0 rebounds—his second-best marks—while also posting career highs of 7.5 assists and 2.2 steals. However, he really had a bad game today, going 0-for-9 from the field and finishing scoreless for the first time this season, along with his lowest totals in both rebounds and assists.
