Beast of the Night: LeBron James finished with 35 points, eight boards, three assists and a steal last night. He shot 76 percent (16-21) from the floor, 100 percent (3-3) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. James has improved his scoring, rebounding, blocking and accuracy from the floor from his marks last season and is the king of fantasy basketball this season.
Lines for Discussion:
Kemba Walker: 6-15 FG (40%), 6-9 FT (67%), 3 threes, 21 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 TO; D.J. Augustin is set to return for the Bobcats’ next game, so the window to sell high on Walker is nearly shut. Still, barring a rookie-wall experience or an injury, Walker will maintain decent value for owners who can stomach his poor field-goal percentage.
Nikola Pekovic: 6-13 FG (46%), 4-6 FT (67%), 16 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; In his eight games this month, Pekovic is averaging 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, a steal and 0.8 blocks per game, while shooting 62 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free-throw line. Those are top 50 averages.
Carlos Delfino: 8-12 FG (67%), 3-3 FT (100%), 5 threes, 24 Pts, 1 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; He’s getting a steady diet of minutes nowadays and has hit 16 threes in his last four games. Delfino’s a fairly strong start for owners who want help in the threes column.
Chris Kaman: 12-22 FG (55%), 3-4 FT (75%), 27 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He filled in quite nicely for a Hornets squad without its other prominent big man. Kaman’s value is difficult to predict on a game-to-game basis, but he’s worth starting for the time being in most leagues.
David Lee: 13-22 FG (59%), 2-4 FT (50%), 28 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Lee is back to being his double-double self this season. He’s giving his owners top 50 value, which falls a bit short of expectations.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Corey Maggette: 22 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Stl, 1 TO; He’s worth a look if you need points – and DNPs.
Reggie Williams: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He could lose significant value once Gerald Henderson returns, but Williams is worth consideration in deeper leagues until then.
Gustavo Ayon: 13 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk; Ayon is a decent source of blocks for fantasy owners in deep leagues.
Kenyon Martin: 10 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Blk, 1 TO; It’s strange seeing his name in NBA box scores again, but Martin is worth monitoring.
Delonte West: 10 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Even with Jason Kidd back, West is producing solid all-around lines.
Markieff Morris: 10 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He’s a low-end option whose appeal lies in his ability to hit threes and block shots on most nights.
Klay Thompson: 10 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s racked up 14 three-pointers in his last five games.
Injuries:
Gerald Henderson (calf): could return by week’s end
D.J. Augustin (toe): expected to return Wednesday in a limited role
Nene (calf): not expected to play tonight
Zach Randolph (knee): cleared for non-contact work
Sam Young (ankle): wearing a walking boot on his right ankle
Luke Ridnour (personal): day-to-day
Emeka Okafor (knee): day-to-day
Jason Smith (concussion): day-to-day
Baron Davis (back, elbow): worked out on the side during practice yesterday
Carmelo Anthony (groin): didn’t practice yesterday
Thabo Sefolosha (foot): day-to-day
Stephen Curry (ankle): monitor his status
For Tonight:
See how Amar’e Stoudemire‘s return affects Jeremy Lin, not to mention Steve Novak, as the Knicks visit the Raptors.
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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