Beast of the Night: Josh Smith exploded for 30 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, three blocks and two three-pointers last night. He shot 52 percent (12-23) from the field and 67 percent (4-6) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over four times. Smith is improving his averages from month to month and continues to be a dominant fantasy asset on most nights.
Lines for Discussion:
Kevin Martin: 10-18 FG (56%), 8-8 FT (100%), 4 threes, 32 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Martin has been nothing short of a crapshoot this month. While he remains a must-own player in most leagues, owners will have to hold their breath and cross their fingers whenever they choose to start him.
Ryan Anderson: 9-12 FG (75%), 2-2 FT (100%), 7 threes, 27 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO; For the season, Anderson remains a top 10 stud. He’s hitting 3.2 threes per game through nine games this month.
Ben Gordon: 8-15 FG (53%), 2-2 FT (100%), 4 threes, 22 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He’s still coming off the bench but should eventually find something resembling the consistency he had before his shoulder injury. Gordon might still be available in your league and is worth a look if you need some scoring and threes.
Rajon Rondo: 15-27 FG (56%), 4-9 FT (44%), 1 three, 35 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 TO; Rondo has racked up 67 points in his last two games. He’s not going to keep that up, but it appears that he’s worked off the rust.
Tony Allen: 8-15 FG (53%), 4-5 FT (80%), 1 three, 21 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 5 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO; Allen’s been a top 75 helper this season, thanks mostly to his 2.0 steals per game. He’s improved his free-throw percentage to a career-high 82 percent.
Nikola Pekovic: 10-17 FG (59%), 1-2 FT (50%), 21 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Blk, 4 TO; Did you know there are three Nikolas in the NBA this season? This one’s obviously the only one to know about. He’s become another version of Marcin Gortat, which means that owners who picked him up earlier this month are reaping huge rewards.
Stephen Curry: 3-10 FG (30%), 2-2 FT (100%), 8 Pts, 3 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Curry’s hit just 11 of his last 34 shots from the floor. He’s a buy-low target right now.
Boris Diaw: 7-12 FG (58%), 14 Pts, 9 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Stl, 5 TO; Don’t read too much into this line. Diaw remains a mostly unappealing fantasy asset.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Marreese Speights: 20 Pts, 18 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk; Great line from a guy who remains too inconsistent to use in most leagues.
Marco Belinelli: 22 Pts, 6 threes, 4 Reb, 2 Ast; He’s looking pretty solid lately and is worth a pickup if you want some points and threes.
Willie Green: 20 Pts, 4 threes, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; Monitor him for now.
Gustavo Ayon: 12 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; He might not speak a lick of English (according to Will Ferrell), but Ayon is making himself worth consideration in deeper leagues.
Ramon Sessions: 13 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; Sessions was sent back to the bench in Kyrie Irving‘s return, but he will maintain marginal value for owners desperate for a guard.
Shelden Williams: 10 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Blk, 1 TO; He’s still only worth a thought in deep leagues.
Kosta Koufos: 12 Pts, 14 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Owners in need of a big man in deeper leagues could see Koufos as a short-term option.
Steve Novak: 14 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; It’s tough to see him getting this many minutes once Melo returns, but Novak could be a decent source of threes in deep leagues going forward.
Omri Casspi: 10 Pts, 3 threes, 9 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 TO; Casspi’s inconsistency is maddening, and makes him worth looking at only in deep leagues.
Nate Robinson: 21 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 TO; He’s not going to be nearly this good on most nights unless Curry or Monta Ellis gets hurt.
Injuries:
Delonte West (finger): will be out for a while
Roddy Beaubois (personal): day-to-day
Jason Terry (quad): day-to-day; will miss Friday’s game for personal reasons
Monta Ellis (flu): played through it last night; monitor his status
Jordan Farmar (groin): hopes to play tonight
Linas Kleiza (knee): day-to-day
Dominic McGuire (knee): day-to-day
Kevin Garnett (hip): day-to-day
Daniel Gibson (ankle): left early with a sprained left ankle last night and didn’t return; day-to-day
Nene (calf, heel): day-to-day
Charlie Villanueva (ankle): making good progress, could return before the end of the season
Luke Ridnour (personal): day-to-day
Emeka Okafor (knee): out until the All-Star break
Spencer Hawes (Achilles): out until after the All-Star break
LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle): doubtful tonight
For Tonight:
Chris Wilcox could be a decent spot start if Garnett can’t go again, as the Celtics host the Bulls.
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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