Beast of the Night: Brandon Jennings put up 30 points, three boards, six assists, three steals and a block, and hit three treys along the way to a big line last night. He shot 59 percent (13-22) from the field, 50 percent (1-2) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. This was a nice bounce-back game from his 7/3/2 clunker the night before. Jennings is having a much-improved season so far, and he’s putting up top 30 averages to date. Nevertheless, it’s tough to fully trust his ability to maintain this kind of pace, and his owners should at least explore his trade value.
Lines for Discussion:
Dorell Wright: 4-11 FG (36%), 2-2 FT (100%), 10 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl; After his promising 20-point outburst on Jan. 10, it seemed like Wright had righted the ship. Then he missed a game with a bum knee and has looked pedestrian in his three games since then. He’ll find his way eventually and his owners should just sit tight.
Gerald Henderson: 7-10 FG (70%), 8-10 FT (80%), 22 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; Henderson is having a solid season, averaging 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks through 15 games. The one thing holding him back from being a more useful player is his lack of threes – he’s hit only five all season.
Richard Jefferson: 0-3 FG (0%), 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Jefferson is averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 boards, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 three in his last four games, good for top 170 value. He remains worth a bench spot while Manu Ginobili is out, but his hot streak is clearly over.
Chris Bosh: 14-22 FG (64%), 2-4 FT (50%), 30 Pts, 8 Reb, 5 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 TO; Bosh has a higher ceiling for however long Dwyane Wade sits out. He’s quietly posting top 20 averages so far this season. Not much to make fun of there.
Carlos Boozer: 14-21 FG (67%), 3-3 FT (100%), 31 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Things just haven’t quite come together yet this season for Boozer, who’s numbers are down in nearly every category. Still, he’s posting top 70 numbers, which is about what was expected of him heading into 2011-12. He should improve gradually as the season progresses and as the Bulls lineup settles in.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Nate Robinson: 17 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; So long as Stephen Curry is out, Robinson should be owned in most leagues.
Daniel Gibson: 6 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; With Anthony Parker out, Gibson has a shot at producing usable lines and deserves consideration, especially in deeper leagues.
Bismack Biyombo: 11 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Blk, 1 TO; He’s a decent source of blocks to have on your bench, but he’s too erratic overall at this point to recommend anything beyond monitoring.
Danny Green: 20 Pts, 6 threes, 2 Reb, 3 TO; He’s inconsistent but has hit 1.9 threes per game in January.
Mike Miller: 18 Pts, 6 threes, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; Don’t get too excited just yet – his health and inconsistency are still big concerns. Also, don’t forget that Wade was out last night.
C.J. Watson: 23 Pts, 3 threes, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl; Whenever Derrick Rose is out, Watson is worth a spot start.
Corey Brewer: 22 Pts, 3 threes, 4 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; He’s had flashes of promise this month but remains too inconsistent to use.
Tobias Harris: 14 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; That’s two games with double-digit points for Harris, who is worth monitoring.
Tayshaun Prince: 20 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Stl, 3 TO; That’s back-to-back 20-point outings for Prince, who’s looked decent lately.
C.J. Miles: 19 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Stl; While a big disappointment this season, Miles has posted two solid lines in his past three games, making him worth watching in the coming week.
Injuries:
Chris Wilcox (calf): eyeing a return on Friday
Keyon Dooling (knee): ditto
Anthony Parker (back): day-to-day
Vince Carter (foot); likely out tonight
Rudy Fernandez (Achilles): day-to-day
Will Bynum (ankle): day-to-day
Monta Ellis (face): elbowed late in last night’s game; monitor his status
Jeff Foster (back): out two weeks
Jeff Pendergraph (concussion): day-to-day
Mo Williams (foot): day-to-day
Chris Paul (hamstring): day-to-day
Dwyane Wade (ankle): day-to-day
Martell Webster (back): cleared to take part in contact drills
Jason Richardson (knee): day-to-day
Spencer Hawes (Achilles, back): monitor his status
Josh Howard (quad): day-to-day
Luke Ridnour (personal): day-to-day
Jerryd Bayless (ankle): not expected to play tonight
Jordan Hill (flu): day-to-day
For Tonight:
See if John Wall can extend his hot streak to two games, as the Wizards host the Thunder.
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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