Beast of the Night: Kevin Love finished with 39 points, 12 boards, one assist, one steal and five three-pointers last night. He shot 68 percent (13-19) from the field, 80 percent (8-10) from the free-throw line and had five turnovers. While Love’s rebounding, assists and shooting percentages are down from last season, he’s improved his three-point making, scoring and stealing. There’s not much else to say about this top 10 stud.
Lines for Discussion:
Kevin Garnett: 5-9 FG (56%), 4-4 FT (100%), 14 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; This was a great all-around line from KG, who played just 28:31 last night in a blowout victory over the Magic. He’s putting up top 85 numbers so far this season, which is about what owners should’ve expected heading into 2011-12.
James Harden: 8-11 FG (73%), 3-3 FT (100%), 5 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; He’s been shaky recently, but Harden has been averaging top 25 numbers so far this season. Though he continues to come off the bench, much to the frustration of his fantasy owners, Harden’s minutes are up from last season, along with his field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, threes, points, rebounds and assists.
Kyle Lowry: 4-13 FG (31%), 7-8 FT (88%), 1 three, 16 Pts, 10 Reb, 10 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; Lowry finally notched a triple-double after getting close a number of times already this season. His field-goal percentage and frequent turnovers have been the only knocks on his fantasy value so far in 2011-12, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a top five fantasy beast. Don’t be surprised to see him finish in the top 12 by season’s end.
Tony Parker: 8-14 FG (57%), 4-5 FT (80%), 20 Pts, 2 Reb, 17 Ast, 4 TO; Parker has dished out 30 assists in his last two games, and for the season he’s averaging a career-best 8.1 assists per game so far this season. As usual, his lack of threes limits his fantasy value, but Parker’s owners don’t have much to complain about.
Jarrett Jack: 12-22 FG (55%), 1-1 FT (100%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 6 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 TO; Jack has struggled with consistency this season, which was expected. Nevertheless, he’s managed to average top 60 numbers, and will continue to be a prominent fixture in that Hornets offense, even when Eric Gordon returns.
Anthony Morrow: 7-14 FG (50%), 1-1 FT (100%), 15 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast; He started last night, thanks to MarShon Brooks‘ injury. However, without hitting a three-pointer, Morrow showed his very vulnerable fantasy value, even when he starts. He remains a risky start at this point.
Derrick Rose: 9-16 FG (56%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 5 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Rose is back and all is well with the universe again, right? Wrong. That toe is still hurting and could be a season-long issue. His owners will be walking on eggshells for the foreseeable future.
Shawn Marion: 11-21 FG (52%), 3-5 FT (60%), 4 threes, 29 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl; With Dirk Nowitzki out two more games, Marion’s boost in fantasy value has a very small window. He’s a good start for those upcoming Diggler-less games. Now would be a great time to package him in a deal with a gullible owner.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Jordan Crawford: 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast; Crawford is averaging 16.4 points, 1.2 threes, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.6 steals in his last five games, and is worth picking up in most leagues.
Jonas Jerebko: 11 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He remains a decent guy to stash for owners who can afford to be patient, especially in deeper leagues.
Goran Dragic: 14 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl; Three of his last four games have been decent, though Dragic won’t be a starter in most leagues.
Luke Ridnour: 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; Ridnour has been a stalwart this season and should be owned in most leagues right now.
Tiago Splitter: 12 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Stl; He’s heating up in a small way and could be a nice stash.
Jordan Farmar: 22 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 TO; Farmar continues to post usable lines on many nights and should be a serious consideration for teams in deeper leagues.
Richard Hamilton: 22 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 TO; His frail health is a concern, but Hamilton is definitely worth a look in most leagues.
Zaza Pachulia: 9 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl; Inconsistency will plague him, but at least he’s starting again.
Ersan Ilyasova: 10 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Stl; He’s producing some decent lines lately and is worth a look in deeper leagues.
Markieff Morris: 7 Pts, 1 three, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s a game-to-game gamble but is worth stashing if you can afford some patience.
Injuries:
Kirk Hinrich (shoulder) aiming to return Wednesday
Rajon Rondo (wrist): could return Thursday
Chris Wilcox (calf): day-to-day
Mickael Pietrus (shoulder): day-to-day
Keyon Dooling (knee): hopes to return Thursday
Ray Allen (ankle): day-to-day
D.J. Augustin (toe): monitor his status
Taj Gibson (ankle): hopes to return by the end of the week
Luol Deng (wrist): consulting doctors before ruling out surgery
John Lucas (toe): day-to-day
Arron Afflalo (groin): hopes to play Wednesday
Rudy Fernandez (Achilles): questionable for Wednesday
Charlie Villanueva (ankle): day-to-day
Will Bynum (foot): day-to-day
Ben Gordon (shoulder): day-to-day
Baron Davis (back): returned to practice Monday; will see limited minutes when he returns
Nick Collison (ankle): monitor his status
Spencer Hawes (Achilles): day-to-day
Josh Howard (quad): returned to practice Monday; monitor his status
Wes Johnson (illness): day-to-day
MarShon Brooks (Achilles): day-to-day
Rodney Stuckey (groin): aggravated his groin injury; day-to-day
Marcus Camby (groin): day-to-day
DeMarcus Cousins (ankle): monitor his status
For Tonight:
See if Boris Diaw can get his footing back against the faltering Knicks, a team he’s torched in two games already this season.
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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