Beast of the Night: LeBron James ruined the Magic last night with 51 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, one steal, one block and three three-pointers made. He shot 68 percent (17-25) from the field, 82 percent (14-17) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Maybe Dwight Howard‘s pre-game mockery of James sparked this outburst. Whatever the case, this was one of the most monstrous fantasy lines we’ve seen so far this season.
Lines for Discussion:
Monta Ellis: 10-25 FG (46%), 3-3 FT (100%), 1 three, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; Ellis has struggled with his shooting lately but was fine last night. He didn’t make the cut for the All-Star team and might have some extra motivation because of that.
Andrew Bynum: 4-7 FG (57%), 2-2 FT (100%), 10 Pts, 10 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Blk, 2 TO; It was good to see that he was able to come back after missing just one game, but the tune remains the same: sell high.
Tony Parker: 9-17 FG (53%), 3-3 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s cooled off from his hot start to the season, as expected, and with the prospect of rest and a possible injury down the stretch, Parker’s owners need to consider selling high on the guy.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Mike Miller: 5 Pts, 1 three, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; Miller has now grabbed 11 rebounds in each of his last two games and has notched double-doubles in four of his last six. He’s worth an add in deeper leagues and is worth stashing in others.
Eddie House: 10 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; If you need points and threes, give House a look.
Carlos Delfino: 20 Pts, 2 threes, 8 Reb, 5 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 TO; We’ll have to see what happens when John Salmons gets his legs back, but for now Delfino is a must-own player in most leagues.
Ersan Ilyasova: 23 pts, 1 three, 13 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He started at center again and has proven to be effective there. So long as Andrew Bogut and Drew Gooden are out, Ilyasova is worth a look.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute: 15 Pts, 19 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; He’s also worth a look so long as Bogut and Gooden are out.
Injuries:
Shaquille O’Neal (Achilles): day-to-day
Baron Davis (back): game-time decision tonight
Dwyane Wade (back): he expects to play Friday, but monitor his status
Andrew Bogut (knee): a bone bruise makes him day-to-day
For Tonight:
If Wade can’t go tonight, expect Miller to have another fine night.
For Next Week:
4 games: CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GS, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIL, MIN, NO, ORL, PHI, PHO, SAC, SA, TOR
3 games: BOS, CHI, HOU, MIA, NJ, NY, OKC, POR, UTA, WAS
2 games: ATL
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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