Beast of the Night: Paul George finished with 24 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, a block and four threes last night against the Nets. He shot 73 percent (8-11) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. George has had clunkers every now and then this season but has still managed to average top 60 numbers. He’s an all-around producer who doesn’t drag any category down for his owners, making him a sleeper-turned-stud.
Lines for Discussion:
Anthony Morrow: 10-17 FG (59%), 3-3 FT (100%), 5 threes, 28 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 TO; With MarShon Brooks out with a bad toe, Morrow’s value looks like it will remain intact for a while longer. His owners should still test his value on the market.
Danny Granger: 6-15 FG (40%), 9-9 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; After struggling with inconsistency earlier this month, Granger appears to have found a groove since the middle of January. He’s scored 21+ points in six of his last eight games.
Anderson Varejao: 10-17 FG (59%), 20 Pts, 20 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Sideshow Bob was huge against the Celtics last night. He’s averaging 10.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks for the season, good for top 60 value.
Al Harrington: 8-16 FG (50%), 4-4 FT (100%), 3 threes, 23 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; He failed to connect on a three-pointer in his previous three games, a reminder of how streaky Harrington could be. Still, he’s been one of the pleasant surprises this season, as he’s taken advantage of the heavier offensive load that’s fallen to him thanks to a depleted roster.
Andre Miller: 8-13 FG (62%), 3-6 FT (50%), 1 three, 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; Miller went back to the bench but still put up a great line. For the season, Miller has sustained top 75 value and has pretty much maintained his averages from last season in Portland.
Rudy Gay: 7-20 FG (35%), 4-4 FT (100%), 2 threes, 20 Pts, 13 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; Gay has been a disappointment so far this season, mostly thanks to his poor free-throw shooting. He’s still an all-around helper but is failing to fulfill the expectations of owners who drafted him in the second or third rounds of their drafts.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Tracy McGrady: 15 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; He got extra run in a blowout victory and is only appealing in deeper leagues.
Ed Davis: 11 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; The blowout loss worked in Davis’ favor, but he remains unreliable for the time being.
Jerryd Bayless: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He started again and is worth an add if you need a scoring guard.
Lance Stephenson: 2 Pts, 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; With George Hill out for a while, Stephenson becomes an intriguing add for teams desperate for a point guard.
Alonzo Gee: 11 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Stl; Though inconsistent, Gee fills up the stat sheet in small doses on most nights.
Ramon Sessions: 6 Pts, 5 Reb, 10 Ast, 3 TO; He’s hard to trust on a game-to-game basis, but is worth a look for owners in need of a point guard in deeper leagues.
Austin Daye: 7 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Daye’s getting steady minutes and should be a candidate for a pickup in most leagues right now.
Landry Fields: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 5 Stl, 1 Blk; Besides his clunker from Saturday, Fields has put together a very nice string of games and should be given consideration in all leagues.
Andrew Goudelock: 12 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; He’s getting more playing time lately and is worth a look if you need threes.
Brandon Rush: 20 Pts, 4 threes, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; He’s inconsistent but is usually good for some points and threes.
Injuries:
Antawn Jamison (hand): probable for Friday
Tristan Thompson (ankle): day-to-day
George Hill (ankle): a small chip fracture takes him out indefinitely
Amar’e Stoudemire (ankle): probable for Thursday
Craig Smith (illness): day-to-day
Rajon Rondo (wrist): day-to-day
Luol Deng (wrist): could be on his way back soon
Richard Hamilton (groin): will be out for a little while
Steve Blake (ribs/sternum): cleared to run on a treadmill; day-to-day
Zach Randolph (knee): MRI rescheduled to Wednesday
Mehmet Okur (back): had a “procedure” and is out until at least Saturday
Thabo Sefolosha (foot): monitor his status for tonight
Spencer Hawes (Achilles): day-to-day
Al Jefferson (ankle): monitor his status
Tyreke Evans (hamstring): probable for Thursday
Stephen Jackson (personal): monitor his situation in Milwaukee, which appears to be delicate
For Tonight:
Dwight Howard crushed the Wizards with 28/20/2 and three blocks in early January. See if he can replicate that kind of production tonight, as the struggling Magic host the Wizards.
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @fbasketballblog.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
