Beast of the Night: Carmelo Anthony posted 34 points, three rebounds, five assists, one steal and hit four three-pointers last night. He shot 75 percent (12-16) from the field, 100 percent (6-6) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. This was a nice bounce-back game after shooting just 33 percent from the field on Sunday. Anthony’s stats have remained mostly steady since his transition into a Knicks uniform, with improvements in threes made and points per game.
Lines for Discussion:
Boris Diaw: 8-13 FG (62%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 threes, 19 Pts, 8 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; After three straight clunkers, Diaw pulls out this magical line. He’s failed to take full advantage of a depleted lineup, and with Tyrus Thomas set to return soon there’s no telling what Diaw will do down the stretch.
Al Jefferson: 17-26 FG (65%), 2-3 FT (67%), 36 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Jefferson continued his hot streak against the Knicks last night. To see that this line came in just 32:13 of play and it’s clear that the big man is definitely feeling it lately. He should finish the season a lot stronger than he started it.
Mike Conley: 9-20 FG (45%), 2-2 FT (100%), 20 Pts, 2 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; In four games this month, Conley is averaging 7.8 assists and 1.3 turnovers – a 6:1 ratio. His fantasy value has been surprisingly resilient this season and there’s now little reason to doubt that he’ll finish the season strong.
Samuel Dalembert: 4-12 FG (33%), 8 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Blk, 1 TO; Dalembert continues to start for the Kings and has racked up seven blocks in his last two games. He’s tough to rely on but is a decent source of rebounds and blocks on most nights.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Eric Bledsoe: 13 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO; This follows his strong showing from Saturday, when he notched 20 points, two threes, four rebounds, three assists and seven steals. He’s worth a pickup so long as Eric Gordon is sidelined.
Gerald Henderson: 20 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; With Stephen Jackson out until his hamstring heals, Henderson should be an especially strong play on most nights. Pick him up if you can.
Ryan Anderson: 13 Pts, 3 threes, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk; He benefited from more minutes with Dwight Howard suspended, but is having a solid March so far.
Derrick Favors: 16 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He got extra tick thanks to a blowout loss and some injuries to the Jazz’s frontline. Favors deserves a look in deeper leagues.
Toney Douglas: 20 Pts, 5 threes, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 TO; Douglas is worth a start so long as Chauncey Billups is out.
Brendan Haywood: 8 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He’s worth a look whenever Tyson Chandler is out.
Jarrett Jack: 23 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; Jack has been solid lately and saw an extra boost last night with Chris Paul out. He’s definitely worth a pickup so long as this situation persists.
Marco Belinelli: 17 Pts, 3 threes, 9 Reb, 1 Stl; Belinelli has started three consecutive games for the Hornets and is worth an add if you need points and threes.
Tony Allen: 20 Pts, 1 three, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Though he’s inconsistent, Allen is worth a pickup in many leagues, especially if you need steals.
Chase Budinger: 20 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Pick him up if you can make room without dropping anyone of too much value.
Injuries:
Shaquille O’Neal (Achilles): said he should return to action in a week
Matt Carroll (ankle): day-to-day
Tyson Chandler (ankle): expects to play Wednesday
Luis Scola (knee): questionable tonight
Corey Maggette (knee): didn’t travel with the team Monday
Trevor Ariza (groin): day-to-day
Bill Walker (knee): day-to-day
Ronny Turiaf (knee): day-to-day
Chauncey Billups (quad): day-to-day
Channing Frye (shoulder): could miss 2-3 weeks
Reggie Evans (foot): status for Wednesday is “up in the air”
Andrea Bargnani (illness): monitor his status
Paul Millsap (knee): left Monday’s game early; monitor his status
Andrei Kirilenko (back): day-to-day
Jason Kapono (personal): day-to-day
DeMarcus Cousins (ankle): questionable for Wednesday
For Tonight:
Baron Davis should have another nice as the Cavs host his former team, the Warriors.
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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