Beast of the Night: LeBron James finished with 38 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and two threes last night against the Bobcats. He shot 58 percent (15-26) from the field, 100 percent (6-6) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. All is well in the kingdom of LeBron, who has lifted his fantasy value from the slump it was in earlier this season.
Lines for Discussion:
Stephen Jackson: 7-15 FG (47%), 7-8 FT (88%), 1 three, 22 Pts, 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; Jackson is on quite a tear, though it should be noted that many of his strong games lately have come with Gerald Wallace out of the lineup. Consider selling high on him.
Stephen Curry: 5-13 FG (39%), 2-2 FT (100%), 3 threes, 15 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; This Stephen didn’t fare as well as the other last night. Curry has struggled since he returned from a sprained ankle on Christmas, but should be seen as a good buy-low candidate.
Hedo Turkoglu: 3-9 FG (33%), 3-4 FT (75%), 1 three, 10 Pts, 14 Reb, 10 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 TO; The prodigal son has returned to Orlando and has seen a resurrection in production. In his eight games back, Turk is averaging more than 35 minutes a game, along with 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.0 threes. There’s no reason to think he’ll slow down.
Kevin Love: 3-11 FG (27%), 6-8 FT (75%), 12 Pts, 24 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; It’s been a long time since his last game with 20+ rebounds on Dec. 8, so his owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Love remains a fantasy stud and has managed to notch top 10 value despite his lack of steals and blocks.
Ben Gordon: 5-10 FG (50%), 1-1 FT (100%), 3 threes, 14 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk; He started again but was limited to 24 minutes of playing time. Gordon’s value has certainly seen a small boost because of his starting role but hasn’t really blown up yet. If the Pistons deal Richard Hamilton out of town, Gordon’s fantasy value would follow the way of Jose Calderon, so if you’re comfortably in first place in your league and are willing to take a small gamble, try buying low on Gordon.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Ryan Anderson: 13 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 2 Ast; Anderson has been playing well lately and deserves an add in deeper leagues, and is well worth monitoring in other leagues.
J.J. Redick: 13 Pts, 4 threes, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Who knew the big trade for the Magic would be a plus for Redick? The man is fighting for his role in that rotation and is succeeding. He’s worth adding in most leagues.
Brandon Bass: 10 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Blk; His line and minutes were paltry, but the good news is that he started and played after his worrisome knee injury. Bass is still worth stashing in most leagues.
Martell Webster: 15 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 3 TO; He continues to be a good guy to have on your bench if you need threes, and could be a starter in deep leagues.
Marreese Speights: 12 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 TO; He started in place of an injured Spencer Hawes last night and should be mildly appealing value so long as Hawes is out.
Ty Lawson: 12 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Lawson has played himself into a significant role in the Nuggets rotation and should be picked up if you can spare a dead spot. At worst, he’s great Chauncey Billups insurance.
Kenyon Martin: 11 Pts, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; His knee is still a concern but Martin is worth consideration in deeper leagues.
Tracy McGrady: 11 Pts, 1 three, 9 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 TO; He started his third straight game in the Pistons backcourt and notched a stellar line. Add him if you want, but don’t drop anyone sturdy for T-Mac. The next DNP looms.
Injuries:
Nazr Mohammed (knee): a bone bruise kept him out of last night’s game
DeSagana Diop (Achilles): out for the rest of the season
Gerald Wallace (ankle): out for at least a few more games
Al Harrington (thumb): day-to-day
Chris Wilcox (groin): day-to-day
David Lee (back): day-to-day
Chris Kaman (ankle): not close to returning
Drew Gooden (foot): plantar fasciitis will keep him out of the next four games
Spencer Hawes (back): day-to-day
Andrea Bargnani (calf): expected to play tonight
Mehmet Okur (back): day-to-day
Danilo Gallinari (knee): MRI showed a mild sprain, could be out for 2-3 weeks
Jose Calderon (ankle): didn’t practice Monday, questionable tonight
Amir Johnson (back): should play tonight
Eric Maynor (foot): day-to-day
For Tonight:
Shawn Marion and Toney Douglas could both continue their strong production thanks to injuries to their respective lineups.
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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