Mavericks' Nerlens Noel: Approaches double-double Tuesday

Noel submitted nine points (3-4 FG, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks across 21 minutes in a 98-87 loss to the Kings on Tuesday.

Analysis:

Noel filled out the stat sheet nicely during his time on the court, but those who rolled with him in DFS were surely expecting more with the Mavericks down three key players in Wesley Matthews (rest), Seth Curry (shoulder) and Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles). The limited production was through no fault of Noel, as coach Rick Carlisle deliberately limited the playing time of his more established rotation players and gave extended run to players like A.J. Hammons (26 minutes) and Jarrod Uthoff (21 minutes), who had largely been outside of the rotation. It's unclear how the playing-time distribution will shake out in the second half of the back-to-back set Wednesday against the Clippers, so it may just be best to avoid using Noel in daily contests.