Beast of the Night: D.J. Augustin put up 31 points, four rebounds, eight assists, one steal and three three-pointers last night. He shot 65 percent (11-17) from the field, 100 percent (6-6) from the line and had three turnovers. He has exceeded most owners’ expectations so far this season by averaging top-50 numbers so far, and is in the midst of having his best month yet.
Lines for Discussion:
Andre Iguodala: 7-11 FG (64%), 5-9 FT (56%), 19 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 4 Stl; Iguodala has been fairly solid since returning to the lineup earlier this month. He’s averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals and just one turnover in his five games back. His Achilles’ heel remains his free-throw shooting, which is stuck at 64 percent in January and 66 percent for the season.
Thaddeus Young: 9-14 FG (64%), 3-3 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Blk, 2 TO; He’s had his moments, but Young is proving that he should’ve been sold high back when he was on fire in November.
Tyson Chandler: 5-9 FG (56%), 2-2 FT (100%), 12 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Blk; A day after puking in the first quarter of the Mavs’ game against the Lakers, Chandler put up this gem of a line against the Bulls. He’s a solid starter in many leagues and will remain just that so long as he’s healthy.
Derrick Rose: 9-28 FG (32%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 26 Pts, 7 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Blk, 4 TO; The dirty secret about Rose’s season is that he’s shooting four full percentage points worse than he did last season (44.9 percent vs. 48.9 percent). In December he shot 43.4 percent from the field and in January he’s shooting 44.3 percent. This will likely be resolved once Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer return to the lineup full-time, but along with his increased turnovers, Rose’s much-hyped season comes with its flaws.
Eric Gordon: 13-26 FG (50%), 2-3 FT (67%), 7 threes, 35 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; The kid is having one helluva season and one helluva month. In his nine games in January, Gordon is averaging 25.3 points, three rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals and three three-pointers made, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 83.7 percent from the line. For the season, Gordon is putting up top-20 averages. He deserves a lot more credit than he’s getting.
Wesley Matthews: 10-18 FG (56%), 4-4 FT (100%), 4 threes, 28 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl; This was a nice bounce-back night for Matthews, who had just four points on 1-7 shooting the night before. He remains a solid starter in most leagues, though he’s apt to have clunkers every now and then.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Nazr Mohammed: 15 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He’s worth a look in deeper leagues, but that’s about it.
DeShawn Stevenson: 12 Pts, 4 threes, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He hasn’t done much since his early streak of solid games in 2011, but Stevenson deserves consideration from owners in deep leagues who are desperate for threes.
Kurt Thomas: 9 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Forget Taj Gibson – Thomas has looked pretty decent lately. He’s worth a flier as a short-term fix in deeper leagues.
Rudy Fernandez: 17 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He’s on a three-game hot streak and is worth a pickup if you have dead weight to swap. Just know that Fernandez is incredibly streaky.
Injuries:
Al Horford (ankle): likely out for the next two games
Marquis Daniels (ankle): didn’t practice Thursday, questionable tonight
Tyrus Thomas (knee): out up to eight weeks after an MRI revealed a tear of the lateral meniscus in his left knee
Carlos Boozer (ankle): coach Tom Thibodeau said Boozer is close to returning and said the next game is a possibility
Joey Graham (quad): expected to play tonight
Roy Hibbert (illness): expects to meet up with the team in Portland tonight
Andrew Bynum (elbow): probable tonight
John Salmons (hip): didn’t practice Thursday, questionable tonight
Carlos Delfino (concussion): might be activated tonight
Jameer Nelson (quad): sat out Thursday’s practice; check his status
Marcus Camby (knee): expected to be out about three weeks
Francisco Garcia (calf): will miss tonight’s game
Matt Bonner (knee): didn’t practice Thursday, unlikely tonight
Reggie Evans (foot): targeting Feb. 17 for his return
Josh Howard (knee): “several weeks” away
Rashard Lewis (knee): playing with a sore knee; monitor his status
For Tonight:
Listen to who gets the louder boos: Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony in Denver.
Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions should have strong games as the Cavs host the Bucks.
For Next Week:
4 games: BOS, CHA, CLE, DEN, DET, GS, HOU, MEM, MIL, MIN, NJ, NO, NY, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHO, SAC, TOR, UTA, WAS
3 games: ATL, CHI, DAL, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, SA
2 games: POR
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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