Beast of the Night: Jarrett Jack posted 27 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, a steal, two blocks and a three-pointer last night against the Jazz. He shot 65 percent (11-17) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. This was a nice bounce-back game after putting up mediocre lines in his previous two games. Jack remains a strong fantasy starter in most leagues, as he’ll rack up plenty of minutes and numbers for the Hornets this season.
Lines for Discussion:
Jared Dudley: 6-14 FG (43%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 threes, 15 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; After two terrible games to start the 2011-12 season, Dudley seems to be finding his groove. He’s an efficient all-around producer who should be a solid utility player in most weeks.
DeMar DeRozan: 7-13 FG (54%), 5-6 FT (83%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 TO; His reported offseason work on his three-point shot appears to be paying off, as DeRozan has hit 63 percent of his three-point attempts so far this season and is averaging a three-pointer made per game. The rest of his stats are nearly identical from what they were last season, which is a great thing for his fantasy owners.
Andray Blatche: 10-20 FG (50%), 8-10 FT (80%), 28 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This was Blatche’s first standout game this season. His consistency will be an issue the rest of the way, which is why he was a middle-of-the-pack draft pick heading into this season.
Paul George: 8-10 FG (80%), 5 threes, 21 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Owners who began to get worried after two consecutive clunkers from George can breathe a sigh of relief now. He’s worth starting until further notice, though ups and downs should be expected.
Ben Gordon: 8-15 FG (53%), 8-9 FT (89%), 2 threes, 26 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 5 TO; Gordon appears to be on track to make the type of comeback some optimistic fantasy owners expected on draft day. If you need points, threes, assists and a solid free-throw shooter, look no further than this guy.
Michael Beasley: 8-15 FG (53%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 threes, 19 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; This line’s especially noteworthy because Beasley broke a finger on his shooting hand the night before. Props.
Kevin Love: 8-15 FG (53%), 4-5 FT (80%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk, 6 TO; He’s hit nine three-pointers in his last two games. If only Love would steal and block like this every night.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Brandon Rush: 13 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; He’s alternating bad games and good ones, but Rush is the undisputed sixth man for the Warriors and is worth owning.
Markieff Morris: 16 Pts, 1 three, 9 Reb, 2 Ast; He’s compelling but hard to trust at this point in the season, but feel free to stash him if you have roster space.
Shannon Brown: 10 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl; Brown’s been doing just enough lately to warrant some attention.
MarShon Brooks: 21 Pts, 2 threes, 7 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 TO; He’s clearly going to get his opportunities to indulge his inner-gunner in blowout losses this season, so pick him up if you need points and threes.
Jonas Jerebko: 8 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 TO; With Charlie Villanueva struggling to make a full return to the court, Jerebko is likely to hold onto his starting gig for the foreseeable future. He’s worth owning in most leagues.
Tracy McGrady: 16 Pts, 3 threes, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Take a flier on him if you need some points on your bench, but don’t expect too much from him.
James Anderson: 4 Pts, 1 three, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; The line wasn’t great, but a key injury to the Spurs’ starting lineup opens the door for Anderson to be worth a flier.
Danny Green: 9 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Ditto.
Jason Smith: 16 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Don’t go overboard, but give Smith a look if you’re in a deeper league and need a big man.
Injuries:
David Lee (illness): questionable for Wednesday
Manu Ginobili (hand): he broke a bone in his left (shooting) hand and could be out 4-6 weeks
Charlie Villanueva (foot): a minor injury appears to be hindering him
Nene (foot): day-to-day
Jeff Foster (back): targeting a Wednesday return
Zach Randolph (knee): scheduled for a precautionary MRI today
Mike Dunleavy (illness): day-to-day
Kris Humphries (shoulder): MRI scheduled today; day-to-day
Amar’e Stoudemire (ankle): day-to-day
Jared Jeffries (calf): could return in the next few days
Steve Nash (ribs): playing through bruised ribs
Josh McRoberts (toe): questionable for tonight
Trevor Ariza (groin): day-to-day
Thabo Sefolosha (foot): day-to-day
Daequan Cook (illness): day-to-day
For Tonight:
DeMarcus Cousins should rejoin the Kings as they visit the Grizzlies. Keep an eye on how J.J. Hickson is affected going forward.
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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