Beast of the Night: Ray Allen posted a smooth line to the tune of 25 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals and five three-pointers. He shot 60 percent (9-15) from the field, 100 percent (2-2) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Allen deserves a lot of credit for turning in a surprising season. He’s improved on every category except for free-throw percentage and blocks from last season’s marks.
Lines for Discussion:
Kris Humphries: 8-15 FG (53%), 0-1 FT (0%), 16 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Humphries played 40:52 in this game and turned in a great line. He’s started the past three games, since Derrick Favors‘ departure, and should be a solid guy to own during fantasy playoffs.
Deron Williams: 5-14 FG (36%), 2-2 FT (100%), 1 three, 13 Pts, 5 Reb, 18 Ast, 1 Stl, 6 TO; Williams continues to struggle wit his shooting since landing with the Nets, but he’s averaging an impressive 15.7 assists in his three games with his new teammates. He’s struggling with a right wrist injury to go along with a bruised left hand. Expect his points and shooting from the floor to improve as those injuries heal.
Joakim Noah: 8-10 FG (80%), 3-4 FT (75%), 19 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; This was Noah’s most complete line since returning from his thumb surgery. He’ll handsomely reward owners who were able to buy low on him, or who had the patience to hold him.
Raymond Felton: 7-12 FG (58%), 2-2 FT (100%), 16 Pts, 5 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; All’s not lost for Felton just yet. He’s stuck in a timeshare with Ty Lawson (six points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, one turnover last night), but Felton should still put up decent lines every now and then.
Al Horford: 10-15 FG (67%), 1-2 FT (50%), 21 Pts, 16 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; While he still hasn’t crept into double-double territory, Horford has taken hold of his place among the elite fantasy centers in the league. The nicest surprise is his 3.6 assists per game, an aspect of his value that’s probably overlooked by most.
Mo Williams: 7-18 FG (39%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 5 Stl, 3 TO; Williams (and his marriage) should see a revival in L.A. The only real questions are whether or not he can stay healthy, and how he’ll mesh with Eric Gordon.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Jared Dudley: 10 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; He won’t play the Nets every night, but Dudley has the ability to produce well-rounded lines more times than not, making him worth adding in deeper leagues.
Mickael Pietrus: 13 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Stl; He’s a good source of threes and is having a decent month.
Jeff Teague: 7 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; So long as Kirk Hinrich is out, Teague could be usable in deeper leagues.
Marcus Thornton: 29 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Thornton’s worth an add in most leagues, though his value will be squashed once Tyreke Evans returns.
Injuries:
Delonte West (wrist, ankle): day-to-day
Shaquille O’Neal (Achilles): looks set to return Wednesday
Antawn Jamison (finger): had surgery on his left pinky finger, out 5-7 weeks
Andrew Bogut (torso): questionable tonight
Jordan Farmar (ankle): day-to-day
Rudy Fernandez (flu): monitor his status
LaMarcus Aldridge (knee): MRI came back negative; check his status
Tony Parker (calf): out 2-4 weeks
Mehmet Okur (back): not close to returning
Will Bynum (personal): check his status
Eric Gordon (wrist): will practice today, could return Wednesday
Kelenna Azubuike (knee): cut by the Knicks
Danilo Gallinari (toe): he’s expected to play Wednesday
Josh Smith (knee): monitor his status
Kirk Hinrich (calf): ditto
Kenyon Martin (illness): day-to-day
For Tonight:
George Hill should kick off a few weeks’ worth of solid lines as the Parker-less Spurs visit the Grizzlies.
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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