Beast of the Night: Chris Paul continued his hot post-concussion streak with 26 points, five rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two three-pointers. He shot 56 percent (9-16) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. Owners who endured Paul’s mediocre play in February and earlier this month are definitely being rewarded.
Lines for Discussion:
Greg Monroe: 9-14 FG (64%), 3-5 FT (60%), 21 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; Monroe has done some serious damage for his owners since the middle of February. He’s a strong candidate to hold onto in keeper leagues.
Andrei Kirilenko: 7-14 FG (50%), 1-2 FT (50%), 15 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; AK-47 has posted three consecutive lines of solid output. He and Al Jefferson are thriving for the Jazz lately. Kirilenko is always a strong play so long as he has his health, and for the moment it looks like he does.
Dirk Nowitzki: 10-22 FG (46%), 12-12 FT (100%), 2 threes, 34 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Age is just a number. Despite seeing declines in his points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and free-throw percentages, Diggler has remained one of the five best fantasy players of the season.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Josh McRoberts: 14 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; This was McRoberts’ first notable line in a while. He might be worth owning in deeper leagues, but whether he even starts in those formats is questionable at best. Just keep an eye on him.
Nenad Krstic: 11 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Blk; Krstic should continue to be the Celtics’ main center going forward this season. He’ll be pretty reliable, though his ceiling is certainly set.
James Johnson: 9 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; Johnson has been a pretty solid asset, given his minutes. He’s certainly worth a pickup in deeper leagues.
Leandro Barbosa: 18 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Barbosa is on a nice little scoring binge lately and is worth a look if you need points, threes and steals.
Richard Hamilton: 24 Pts, 4 threes, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He’s worth a chance if you need points, but is not reliable by any means.
Jared Dudley: 25 Pts, 5 threes, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; Dudley is certainly capable of this kind of line when given enough minutes. The problem is that his potential is capped so long as Vince Carter is healthy.
Chuck Hayes: 9 Pts, 17 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Pick him up if you’d benefit from owning a solid big man.
C.J. Miles: 40 Pts, 6 threes, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; After you read this sentence, go and see if Miles is available – if he is, pick him up.
Jodie Meeks: 22 Pts, 5 threes, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl; He’s worth owning in most leagues. Meeks has scored 11+ points and hit 2+ threes in 10 straight games.
Injuries:
Joakim Noah (illness): expected to play tonight
Carlos Boozer (ankle): will travel with the Bulls for tonight and tomorrow’s games
Richard Hamilton (personal): will leave the team to attend his grandfather’s funeral Friday; he’ll rejoin the Pistons for Saturday’s game
Luis Scola (knee): day-to-day
Andrew Bogut (migraine): monitor his status
Channing Frye (shoulder): could return for Friday’s game
Brandon Roy (back): missed practice yesterday but he’s expected to play tonight
Paul Millsap (knee): day-to-day
Rashard Lewis (knee): will seek a third opinion on his sore right knee in New York
Eric Gordon (wrist): coach Vinny Del Negro said he expects Gordon to play Saturday
Tyreke Evans (foot): should return in a week or two
Andris Biedrins (ankle): check his status
Luther Head (calf): day-to-day
Jason Thompson (ankle): day-to-day
For Tonight:
Gerald Wallace is set to get another start tonight as the Blazers host the Cavs. Baron Davis could return for this one.
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @fbasketballblog.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.