Beast of the Night: Brandon Jennings posted 31 points, three rebounds, seven assists, five steals and six three-pointers last night in a loss to the Kings. He shot 52 percent (12-23) from the floor, 25 percent (1-4) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Jennings’ poor free-throw percentage remains his major weakness, but through the first six games of the season, he’s putting up top 70 numbers.
Lines for Discussion:
Chris Bosh: 14-27 FG (52%), 4-4 FT (100%), 1 three, 33 Pts, 14 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 7 TO; Bosh was the man for a Heat team without its two biggest stars last night and fared well in a triple-overtime win. In the first eight games of the season, Bosh is shooting 54.6 percent from the field, which certainly boosts his appeal. He remains an underrated fantasy asset.
Richard Jefferson: 5-12 FG (42%), 3-3 FT (100%), 3 threes, 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Jefferson is on a roll right now and should continue to post solid lines so long as Manu Ginobili is out. Just remember that Jefferson started strong last season only to sputter out about two months into the season.
J.J. Hickson: 2-5 FG (40%), 3-4 FT (75%), 7 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; With Chuck Hayes out for a bit, Hickson could be a short-term option as a utility player in some leagues.
Tyreke Evans: 8-18 FG (44%), 9-9 FT (100%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO; His points, rebounds, assists, steals and threes are all down this season, which is hugely disappointing for fantasy owners who reached early to draft him. Evans is talented, no doubt – but his flaws remain too large to ignore for fantasy owners.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Terrel Harris: 9 Pts, 1 three, 14 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO; He benefited from a short-handed Heat roster and doesn’t deserve consideration unless you’re in a deep league.
Udonis Haslem: 14 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; He’s averaging 10.1 rebounds off the bench for the heat, so give him a look if you need help in that department.
Mario Chalmers: 29 Pts, 3 threes, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; He probably won’t take 21 shots or play 49 minutes again this season, but this was definitely a good line.
Tracy McGrady: 14 Pts, 1 three, 7 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; He’s worth a roster spot in most leagues, but beware of his health.
Gary Neal: 12 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Neal is worth picking up if you want some threes.
Matt Bonner: 17 Pts, 5 threes, 6 Reb; He’s worth a look in deep leagues.
Rodrigue Beaubois: 4 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; With Jason Kidd‘s injury, Beaubois started the second half of last night’s game. He’s worth a flier if you have dead weight to spare.
Injuries:
Derrick Rose (elbow): questionable tonight
Jason Kidd (back): monitor his status
Stephen Curry (ankle): out tonight, will be re-evaluated Saturday
Andrew Bogut (personal): could miss a few more games
Nene (foot): game-time decision tonight
Reggie Evans (foot): expects to play next week
Mike Bibby (foot): day-to-day
Nikola Vucevic (back): game-time decision tonight
Michael Redd (knee): about 10 days away from game action
Tracy McGrady (knee): questionable tonight
Chuck Hayes (shoulder): will miss 2-3 weeks
Rodney Stuckey (groin): game-time decision tonight
Andris Biedrins (ankle): didn’t practice Thursday; monitor his status
LeBron James (ankle): day-to-day
Dwyane Wade (foot): day-to-day
Mike Miller (hernia): aiming to return Tuesday
Luc Mbah a Moute (knee): day-to-day
Mike Dunleavy (groin): day-to-day
Anthony Tolliver (wrist, back): questionable tonight
Kris Humphries (shoulder): will play tonight
Deron Williams (ribs): ditto
Trevor Ariza (groin): will likely miss a few more games
Thabo Sefolosha (illness): questionable tonight
Thaddeus Young (hand): probable for tonight
Marcin Gortat (thumb): will play without a splint tonight
Manu Ginobili (hand): expected to miss 6-8 weeks after having surgery Thursday
Devin Harris (calf): practiced Thursday; monitor his status
Josh Howard (quad): ditto
For Tonight:
If Rose can’t go, John Lucas III could be a good spot start, as the Bulls (without C.J. Watson) visit the Magic.
For Next Week:
5 games: CHA, CHI, DET, PHI, TOR
4 games: ATL, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, IND, LAL, MIN, NJN, NOR, NYK, PHO, POR, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS
3 games: BOS, CLE, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, OKC
2 games: ORL
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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