Beast of the Night: Jose Calderon started March off in a huge way, posting 22 points, seven rebounds, 16 assists, one steal and three three-pointers. He shot 70 percent (7-10) from the field, 100 percent (5-5) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. This was the first time in a while that Calderon’s offense was as good as his dishing. He remains a strong fantasy play, especially if you need assists.
Lines for Discussion:
Chauncey Billups: 4-12 FG (33%), 18-20 FT (90%), 4 threes, 30 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; Billups flew under the radar in that big trade that brought him to New York, but fantasy owners should know by now that he’s clearly benefited from the change in scenery. He’s averaging 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, six assists, 1.8 steals and 2.5 threes in his first four games with the Knicks, all marks that are higher than the ones he posted in Denver this season. He did leave the game early with an injury, but shouldn’t miss too much time, if any at all.
Danny Granger: 5-11 FG (46%), 16-16 FT (100%), 1 three, 27 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; As with Billups, the free-throw shooting was a big boon for Granger’s owners. Granger has been a top-70 fantasy player this season, proving that it was wise to allow him to drop out of the first round of many drafts.
Amir Johnson: 3-10 FG (30%), 2-3 FT (67%), 8 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 7 Blk; After going two games without a block, this was a refreshing line for Johnson’s owners, though they could’ve done without the poor shooting from the field.
Jason Kidd: 3-8 FG (38%), 4-4 FT (100%), 3 threes, 13 Pts, 10 Reb, 13 Ast, 3 Stl; This was a near-flawless line from Kidd, who has been a resilient top-40 fantasy player this season. Expect him to get a few extra minutes of rest in the final few games of the season.
Jason Terry: 13-18 FG (72%), 1-3 FT (33%), 3 threes, 30 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Clearly, Terry hasn’t been affected much at all by Roddy Beaubois‘ return. He’s still scoring, dishing and hitting threes at a solid rate, and is even shooting the ball well lately.
Gerald Wallace: 5-11 FG (46%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 threes, 14 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 5 TO; He’s still not starting, but that doesn’t matter. Wallace has been reunited with his headband and is playing on a squad that lightens his load, which makes him a solid play.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Ryan Anderson: 16 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Ast; He’s lost his magic touch lately but this was a nice flash in the pan. Anderson remains worth stashing in deeper leagues, and is worth monitoring in others.
Reggie Williams: 25 Pts, 5 threes, 4 Reb, 2 Ast; This was a great line from Williams, but with Al Thornton set to sign with the Warriors and eat into his minutes, long-term expectations for this Warrior should be kept low.
Tyler Hansbrough: 14 Pts, 6 Reb; Hansbrough remains a decent player to own in deeper leagues. It would be interesting to see what he’d do if set free in the starting lineup, but that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
James Johnson: 13 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; Johnson has shown his ability to fill up the stat sheet since joining the Raptors. Reggie Evans‘ possible return in the near future limits Johnson’s long-term appeal.
Gary Neal: 14 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 TO; He’ll be a solid play so long as Tony Parker is out.
Darrell Arthur: 21 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Blk, 3 TO; He got extra run thanks to a blowout victory, but Arthur could be a decent add in deeper leagues if you need points along with some rebounds and blocks.
Richard Hamilton: 10 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl; The masked man who cusses out his coach is back. The Pistons lineup is in reset mode, which means Rip could be worth a speculative add.
Carlos Delfino: 16 Pts, 3 threes, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Delfino will be a solid producer so long as Ersan Ilyasova is out.
Wes Johnson: 20 Pts, 3 threes, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl; His last three games have been solid. Pick him up if you can, but know that Martell Webster‘s return could dent Johnson’s value.
Chase Budinger: 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Pick him up if you can make room for him.
Injuries:
Shaquille O’Neal (Achilles): will miss 1-2 more weeks
Jermaine O’Neal (knee): will miss 3-4 more weeks
Baron Davis (knee): not expected to play tonight
Tayshaun Prince (back): day-to-day
Andrew Bogut (side): out for at least a week
Martell Webster (back): day-to-day
Semih Erden (shoulder, groin): a few games away from playing for the Cavs
Tyson Chandler (ankle): monitor his status
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (flu): day-to-day
Gilbert Arenas (knee): day-to-day
Brandon Roy (knees): will sit out tonight for rest
Eric Gordon (wrist): set to return tonight
Rudy Fernandez (illness): day-to-day
Dorell Wright (ankle): should be fine for tonight, but monitor his status
Darko Milicic (personal): not traveling with the team for tonight’s game
Chauncey Billups (thigh): questionable tonight
For Tonight:
Gordon makes his long-awaited return as the Clippers host the Rockets. Randy Foye‘s days of steady fantasy value are over for the time being.
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
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