Beast of the Night: Dorell Wright put up 32 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block and three three-pointers made. He shot 67 percent (14-21) from the field, 75 percent (3-4) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. While Wright’s field-goal percentage is usually his Achilles heel, it was clearly no problem last night. His surge into fantasy superstardom is astounding. Owners shouldn’t expect to see him last too long on draft boards next fall.
Lines for Discussion:
Kris Humphries: 6-14 FG (43%), 6-6 FT (100%), 18 Pts, 23 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; Now we know why Brook Lopez hasn’t rebounded well this season: to make room for the new guy. Humphries is averaging 15.2 points, 16.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and two blocks per game in March. He’s clearly out of his mind – for reasons beyond his dating decisions.
Danny Granger: 11-19 FG (58%), 9-11 FT (82%), 2 threes, 33 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; This was the version of Granger we were expecting to see this season. He’s a curious fantasy player after this lackluster season. While he has top-10 potential, his drop-off in production in 2010-11 makes his value even harder to peg than it was heading into this season.
Serge Ibaka: 6-11 FG (55%), 3-4 FT (75%), 15 Pts, 13 Reb, 4 Blk; Ibaka will be a very appealing player heading into next season, so long as he keeps his starting gig. He’s averaging 10.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in 30:06 per game so far in March.
Beno Udrih: 8-16 FG (50%), 9-11 FT (82%), 25 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Udrih has been steady lately but this line stands out as his best this month. He’s been a top-65 player this season, which says a lot given his low pick in many drafts.
Aaron Brooks: 9-16 FG (56%), 3-4 FT (75%), 4 threes, 25 Pts, 4 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; Brooks played 33:39 to Steve Nash‘s 21:30, which makes sense given the Suns’ triple-overtime marathon the night before. While he remains good Nash insurance, Brooks still doesn’t have enough value to be a starter in most leagues.
Blake Griffin: 14-19 FG (74%), 5-8 FT (63%), 33 Pts, 17 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO; It was only a matter of time. This was Griffin’s first career triple-double. It’s going to be very exciting to see what he can do next season.
JaVale McGee: 11-14 FG (79%), 0-2 FT (0%), 22 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Stl, 4 Blk, 1 TO; He gets everyone’s attention for his highlight reel-worthy blocks, but his fantasy value has been frustrating this season. That said, he’s making some decent progress this month, thanks to a banged-up frontcourt. McGee’s age and athleticism certainly work in his favor, despite his inability to pull it all together so far.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Sasha Vujacic: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl; He started at SF last night, which wasn’t the first time that’s happened this season. Vujacic remains a good source of threes, albeit an inconsistent overall threat.
Jodie Meeks: 15 Pts, 5 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Ast; Meeks is playing at an incredibly high level right now and should be owned in most leagues.
Richard Hamilton: 27 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; Rip’s been mostly decent this month. Give him a look if you need some points and threes.
Chris Wilcox: 10 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; He started at center for the Pistons, though he only played 17:50. Still, Wilcox has had some nice lines lately, making him worth a look if you need a big man in deeper leagues.
Toney Douglas: 17 Pts, 3 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; Give him a look if you need threes.
Carlos Delfino: 30 Pts, 5 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 TO; He’s a man on a mission. If you need threes, he should be at the top of your list.
Ekpe Udoh: 9 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This wasn’t as great as his line from Monday, but Udoh should be a fine low-end big man in deeper leagues. He’s averaging two blocks per game in just 20:23 through 14 games this month.
Chuck Hayes: 13 Pts, 14 Reb, 11 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; This was a monstrous line, of course. Hayes should’ve already been owned in most leagues. Pick him up if he’s available.
Jordan Crawford: 25 Pts, 2 threes, 7 Reb, 10 Ast, 4 Stl, 7 TO; He’s not going to help you in the FG% and TO columns but if you don’t mind those drawbacks, Crawford’s definitely your man.
Gary Neal: 25 Pts, 6 threes, 5 Reb, 1 TO; He’s battling inconsistency lately but is still averaging 12.8 points, three rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 threes per game this month.
Courtney Lee: 25 Pts, 5 threes, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; This line came in a start in place of Chase Budinger and against the Warriors, but Lee still warrants a pickup in most leagues until Budinger returns, which could be as early as Sunday.
Injuries:
Shaquille O’Neal (Achilles): didn’t take part in the team’s shootaround yesterday
Jermaine O’Neal (knee): could return to the lineup in a couple weeks
Shawn Marion (wrist): practiced Tuesday and should be good to go tonight
Rudy Gay (shoulder): should be ready for training camp next season
Joel Anthony (nose): will wear a mask going forward
Ersan Ilyasova (concussion): still no timetable for his return
Deron Williams (wrist): will join the team Friday; keep an eye on his status
Marquis Daniels (back): will undergo surgery next week to give him a shot at playing in the NBA again
Devin Harris (hamstring): day-to-day
Tyrus Thomas (ribs): monitor his status
Ben Wallace (knee): day-to-day
Sundiata Gaines (hip): monitor his status
Stephen Jackson (hamstring): played last night but should still be monitored
Arron Afflalo (hamstring): plans to return next Wednesday
Andre Iguodala (knee): tweaked his knee last night; questionable for Friday
Mickael Pietrus (knee): day-to-day
Grant Hill (flu): day-to-day
Andrei Kirilenko (knee): he left last night’s game early with a bruised nerve in his left knee; day-to-day
Darren Collison (knee): monitor his status
For Tonight:
Anthony Randolph will start in place of the injured Kevin Love tonight, as the Timberwolves visit the Mavericks.
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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