Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks last night. He shot 82 percent (9-11) from the field, 83 percent (10-12) from the free-throw line and had four turnovers. With this monstrous line, Howard has amassed eight steals and nine blocks in his last two games. Though his boost in scoring has received the lion’s share of attention this season, it’s worth noting that Howard has also boosted his rebounding and thieving from last season’s marks.
Lines for Discussion:
Marcus Thornton: 9-14 FG (64%), 5-6 FT (83%), 2 threes, 25 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; Thornton has been straight-up nasty since he joined the Kings, but with Tyreke Evans possibly set to return by the end of the week, the good times might be coming to an end. Thornton should still maintain some value, but not this much.
Ty Lawson: 7-10 FG (70%), 7-7 FT (100%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 TO; He only played 30:31 last night despite Raymond Felton notching a DNP, thanks to a blowout victory. Felton should return Wednesday, though this has little bearing on Lawson’s newfound stud status.
Manu Ginobili: 9-18 FG (50%), 6-6 FT (100%), 4 threes, 28 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; Ginobili’s production hasn’t dropped off as much as some expected in this latter portion of the season. Despite playing just 28:18 per game so far this month, Ginobili has averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.8 threes.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Jordan Farmar: 14 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; This wasn’t a brilliant game, but Farmar’s worth owning until Deron Williams returns – if that even happens.
Sasha Vujacic: 14 Pts, 4 threes, 2 Reb, 2 Ast; Vujacic isn’t usable in many leagues, but he continues to tease owners with value every now and then. Give him a look if you need threes in a deeper league.
Ryan Anderson: 12 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 2 TO; He’s hit at least one three-pointer in all his games since Feb. 27.
Daniel Gibson: 16 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Boobie should see a nice boost in value until Baron Davis returns.
Tony Allen: 12 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Allen remains a solid source of steals and a smattering of other stats on most nights.
Darrell Arthur: 14 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 Blk, 2 TO; Arthur has been relatively steady lately and has become a decent source of blocks.
Omer Asik: 14 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; He got some extra run in the Bulls’ blowout victory. Asik is usually good for some decent lines when he gets enough minutes.
Ekpe Udoh: 15 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; With Andris Biedrins likely done for the season, Udoh is worth a sniff if you need help up front.
Acie Law: 14 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; He’s a decent option when he gets minutes, which means to just monitor him for now.
Tiago Splitter: 10 Pts, 14 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; He could be in for some extra run in these last few weeks of the season, thanks to Tim Duncan‘s injury. Scoop him up if you can.
Injuries:
Stephen Jackson (hamstring): says he’ll play Wednesday
Baron Davis (back): day-to-day
Arron Afflalo (hamstring): probably won’t return until next week
Raymond Felton (ankle): expects to play Wednesday
Anthony Morrow (finger): playing through it
Kelenna Azubuike (knee): will have to have another knee surgery
Marcus Camby (ankle): questionable tonight
Tim Duncan (ankle): will miss about two weeks
Devin Harris (hamstring): day-to-day
Damion James (foot): day-to-day
Amir Johnson (ankle): sprained his other ankle; day-to-day
Derrick Favors (ankle): day-to-day
For Tonight:
See what Jeff Teague can muster against Derrick Rose and the Bulls.
Jordan Crawford and Trevor Booker should be decent plays again as the Wizards visit the Blazers.
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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