Beast of the Night: Joe Johnson posted 27 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, three blocks and three three-pointers last night. He shot 45 percent (9-20) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and turned the ball over once. Johnson has really turned things up a notch lately and is putting up top 40 numbers so far this season, a notable improvement from last year’s disappointing averages. There’s not much reason to think he can’t keep this up.
Lines for Discussion:
Mike Conley: 9-13 FG (69%), 1-1 FT (100%), 1 three, 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 4 Stl, 5 TO; Conley continues to impress. Though his scoring, field-goal percentage, rebounding and threes are down from last season’s marks, he’s shooting 92 percent from the charity stripe and is stealing 2.5 balls per game, which helps his top 30 value so far this season.
Ryan Anderson: 11-19 FG (58%), 1-1 FT (100%), 7 threes, 30 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He leads the league with 3.6 threes made per game – significantly ahead of the next guys on the list, who are each making 2.8 per game. Anderson continues to maintain top 10 value.
Kemba Walker: 6-21 FG (29%), 1-2 FT (50%), 1 three, 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Walker started his second consecutive game and put up another solid line. That Bobcats team needs all the scoring help it can get, so Walker should continue to have the green light to launch shots, which is great for his fantasy value.
Samuel Dalembert: 9-11 FG (82%), 2-2 FT (100%), 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Blk, 2 TO; Dalembert is averaging 10.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 2.0 blocks in his six starts this season for the Rockets. He’s also shooting 62 percent from the floor and 91 percent from the free-throw line so far this season.
John Wall: 13-22 FG (59%), 12-16 FT (75%), 38 Pts, 6 Reb, 8 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; He’s not out of the woods yet, but fantasy owners should expect him to find his way sooner than later.
Andray Blatche: 4-8 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 11 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He returned after missing three games and played 34 minutes last night. His shoulder is still a concern, so owners should expect more DNPs and limited minutes in the future.
Anthony Morrow: 0-2 FG (0%), 2-3 FT (67%), 2 Pts; After a solid six-game run, Morrow was relegated to the bench last night. All’s not lost yet, but owners should monitor his situation closely before making any decisions.
Blake Griffin: 9-15 FG (60%), 5-13 FT (39%), 23 Pts, 14 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Though he hasn’t improved his free-throw shooting (54 percent this season, down from 64 percent last season) or his blocking (0.5 per game this season, down from 0.6 last season), Griffin has improved his scoring (23.1 points per game, up from 22.5) and stealing (1.1 per game, up from 0.8). It hasn’t been quite the improved season owners had hoped for, but he’s still a stalwart.
Josh Smith: 13-19 FG (68%), 2-4 FT (50%), 28 Pts, 15 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Smith has cut down on his three-point attempts this season (0.6 per game), and it appears to be helping his overall value (increased field-goal percentage, rebounding and scoring). Though his horrible free-throw shooting (49 percent) weighs down his fantasy value, Smith is having an otherwise improved season.
Kobe Bryant: 7-22 FG (32%), 0-1 FT (0%), 14 Pts, 3 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; The magic carpet ride is over, but Kobe should be working on another hot streak soon.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Marreese Speights: 16 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Give him a look if you need some points and rebounds.
Alonzo Gee: 10 Pts, 1 three, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; With an injury to the starting lineup, Gee could be in for a more prominent role for the near future.
Greivis Vasquez: 3 Pts, 2 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Consider him in deeper leagues if you need some assists.
Jordan Farmar: 6 Pts, 7 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; He continues to put up numbers worth having on your bench in case of an emergency.
Randy Foye: 13 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; Whenever CP3 is out, Foye is a solid spot start.
Leandro Barbosa: 22 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; He’s on a hot streak and should be scooped up if he’s still available in your league.
Mickael Pietrus: 14 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Blk; Give him a look if you need threes.
Jason Thompson: 12 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk; He’s inconsistent but might be worth a look in deep leagues.
Wayne Ellington: 15 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; That’s two solid lines in a row from Ellington, who should be closely monitored.
Luke Ridnour: 25 Pts, 4 threes, 3 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He lost his starting PG job to Ricky Rubio, but shifted over to the starting SG spot and continues to hold top 70 fantasy value.
Injuries:
Keyon Dooling (knee): day-to-day
Anthony Parker (back): left last night’s game early; monitor his status
Rudy Fernandez (Achilles): doubtful tonight
Charlie Villanueva (ankle): out Tuesday and Wednesday
Monta Ellis (knee): monitor his status
Courtney Lee (calf): seems close; day-to-day
Mo Williams (foot): day-to-day
Chris Paul (hamstring): day-to-day
Zach Randolph (knee): he’ll soon start 4-6 weeks of rehab
Carmelo Anthony (ankle): aggravated his ankle injury last night; monitor his status
Jason Richardson (knee): likely out the next two games
Andrea Bargnani (calf): day-to-day
Rashard Lewis (knee): day-to-day
Tracy McGrady (back): left last night’s game early; monitor his status
Derrick Rose (toe): could miss tonight’s game
Vince Carter (foot): questionable for Wednesday
For Tonight:
C.J. Watson and John Lucas III could be decent spot starts again in deeper leagues if Rose doesn’t go for the Bulls, as they face the Suns.
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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