Beast of the Night: Carmelo Anthony finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and five three-pointers last night. He shot 52 percent (12-23) from the field, 67 percent (2-3) from the free-throw line and had no turnovers. Anthony’s fantasy value has taken a step in the right direction since landing with the Knicks, thanks mostly to his 1.8 threes per game – one whole three-pointer more per game than his career average.
Lines for Discussion:
Gilbert Arenas: 9-14 FG (64%), 1-2 FT (50%), 6 threes, 25 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; This line came way too late for most owners. Arenas started in place of Jason Richardson and did well. However, with Richardson set to return sooner than later, this could be Arenas’ last hurrah for a hugely disappointing season.
Jordan Crawford: 9-23 FG (39%), 10-10 FT (100%), 1 three, 29 Pts, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; You know his deal by now – prolific scorer who tanks it from the field on most nights. He contributes in a few other categories, but his scoring is where it’s at.
Elton Brand: 11-16 FG (69%), 2-2 FT (100%), 24 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 Blk, 1 TO; Brand had himself a fine season. He improved in all nine major statistical categories from his marks in 2009-10.
Rodney Stuckey: 8-16 FG (50%), 6-6 FT (100%), 22 Pts, 5 Reb, 10 Ast, 5 TO; He made an appearance after two games in the dog house. He’s a restricted free agent after this season, so keep an eye on how that players out — or if coach John Kuester sticks around.
Michael Beasley: 10-23 FG (44%), 4-4 FT (100%), 24 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 5 Stl, 5 TO; Beasley certainly showed us he has a pulse this season. He should finish the season on a high note. Though he’s still a flawed fantasy player, Beasley should still make for an intriguing player to consider in next season’s drafts.
Eric Gordon: 7-18 FG (39%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; He just hasn’t been the same since injuring his wrist, and maybe he isn’t meshing as well with Mo Williams as he was with Baron Davis. Whatever the case, Gordon still managed to average top-40 numbers this season and should be a solid fantasy player for years to come.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Jerryd Bayless: 28 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl; Even with Jose Calderon back, Bayless tore things up. He remains a solid start.
Gerald Henderson: 32 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; With Stephen Jackson all but shut down for the season, Henderson looks like a fairly safe bet to finish the season strong.
Dante Cunningham: 16 Pts, 1 three, 10 Reb, 2 Ast; He’s worth a look if you need a big man.
Paul George: 23 Pts, 5 threes, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Keep an eye on him.
Toney Douglas: 17 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Douglas continues to do good things. With Chauncey Billups banged up again, he could finish the season strong.
Richard Hamilton: 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He should be scooped up if he’s still floating on your league’s waiver wire.
Jordan Farmar: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 2 Reb, 11 Ast, 2 TO; He got the start in place of Deron Williams. If Williams shuts it down, Farmar could be the difference between first and second place for fantasy owners.
J.J. Barea: 12 Pts, 10 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; He benefited from extra run with Jason Kidd resting. Barea also got more minutes than Rodrigue Beaubois, who started last night. This was Barea’s second double-double in three games this month — he had just one double-double this season heading into April.
Injuries:
Josh Smith (knee): day-to-day; coach Larry Drew said Smith would’ve played Tuesday if it had been a playoff game
Jason Collins (ankle): mild ankle sprain; day-to-day
Stephen Jackson (hamstring): day-to-day
Shaun Livingston (tailbone): day-to-day
Tyrus Thomas (knee); day-to-day
Keith Bogans (knee): sat out Wednesday’s practice with soreness in his right knee
Tyson Chandler (back): day-to-day
Jason Kidd (rest): didn’t play last night; monitor his rest situation down this final stretch
Arron Afflalo (hamstring): day-to-day
Ryan Gomes (knee): questionable for the rest of the Clippers’ road trip
Dwyane Wade (thigh): day-to-day
Anthony Morrow (knee): day-to-day
Deron Williams (wrist): coach Avery Johnson said he’ll update Williams’ status Friday
Kris Humphries (ankle): may be done for the season
Jason Richardson (knee): just got the night off, should be back shortly
Marcus Camby (neck): out tonight
Amir Johnson (ankle): day-to-day
Leandro Barbosa (finger): day-to-day
Andrea Bargnani (ankle): day-to-day
Devin Harris (hamstring): game-time decision tonight
Andrei Kirilenko (knee): doubtful tonight
Raja Bell (foot): ditto
Ronnie Price (calf): ditto
Ben Wallace (knee): day-to-day
Chauncey Billups (thigh): monitor his status
Will Bynum (calf): day-to-day
Darko Milicic (ankle): day-to-day
John Salmons (head): got 12 stitches last night and didn’t return to the game; day-to-day
Amar’e Stoudemire (ankle): tweaked it last night; questionable for Friday
Andre Iguodala (knee): monitor his status
For Tonight:
Nicolas Batum could be in for a solid night with Camby sidelined, as the Blazers visit the Jazz. See if Derrick Favors gets another start, too. Even if he doesn’t, he should put up a decent line.
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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