Beast of the Night: Brandon Jennings finished with 31 points, four rebounds, eight assists, four steals and seven three-pointers last night. He shot 36 percent (9-25) from the floor, 75 percent (6-8) from the free-throw line and had zero turnovers. Since Jan. 17, Jennings is averaging 24.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.6 threes per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free-throw line. For the season, he’s putting up top 10 averages.
Lines for Discussion:
Hedo Turkoglu: 5-16 FG (31%), 4-6 FT (67%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; This was a nice bounce-back game after his previous three clunkers. Turkoglu’s hot start to the season is a faint memory, but he’s still a decent bet for all-around production on a week-to-week basis.
Channing Frye: 5-9 FG (56%), 5-5 FT (100%), 1 three, 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk; This was the first time Frye has cracked double-digit points since Jan. 13, which basically sums up his season. He’s been one of the bigger disappointments of the season, but owners should see if this game gets him going.
Darren Collison: 7-12 FG (58%), 5-5 FT (100%), 1 three, 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; This was Collison’s best game of the season, and it’s probably no coincidence that it came with George Hill out of the lineup. Collison should see a bump in value until Hill returns.
Drew Gooden: 7-12 FG (58%), 3-4 FT (75%), 17 Pts, 9 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; As a starter this season, Gooden is averaging 17.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.8 steals, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 83 percent from the line. Owners should start him with confidence.
Serge Ibaka: 2-8 FG (25%), 4 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 10 Blk, 1 TO; The 10 blocks were a career high for Ibaka, who’s averaging 2.8 for the season. He remains a top 70 asset mostly due to his denials, but is still having a somewhat disappointing season for fantasy owners.
Russell Westbrook: 11-24 FG (46%), 9-10 FT (90%), 2 threes, 33 Pts, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 6 TO; In his last four games, Westbrook has accumulated 26 turnovers. Nevertheless, his comeback from a dreary start to the 2011-12 NBA season is obvious enough. Since Jan. 10, Westbrook has averaged top 10 numbers.
Dirk Nowitzki: 2-15 FG (13%), 4-4 FT (100%), 8 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl; He’s a buy-low target, but fantasy owners should keep their expectations low.
Al Jefferson: 12-20 FG (60%), 3-5 FT (60%), 27 Pts, 12 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; His ankle tendinitis doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue. Jefferson continues to be a top 20 stud this season.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
C.J. Watson: 20 Pts, 4 threes, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He’s only worth owning in really deep leagues, unless Derrick Rose misses more time.
Rashard Lewis: 20 Pts, 3 threes, 8 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; He’s still too unreliable to get too excited about and only warrants a pickup in deeper leagues.
Ed Davis: 10 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Blk, 3 TO; Give him a look if you need a big man.
Jerryd Bayless: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; He came off the bench but still looks to have his offensive touch.
Tayshaun Prince: 21 Pts, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; He continues to put up decent numbers and should be given a look by owners who have dead weight to spare.
Jonas Jerebko: 14 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He got 31 minutes of run last night and seems to have stabilized his fantasy value for the time being.
Sundiata Gaines: 9 Pts, 1 three, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl; He could have increased value so long as Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson and MarShon Brooks are out.
Greivis Vasquez: 20 Pts, 3 threes, 6 Reb, 12 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; His last three games have been fairly solid, making Vasquez worth consideration for teams desperate for a guard.
Nikola Pekovic: 13 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 TO; His streak of usable production continues, though a bench role limits his ceiling. A starting gig could be in his future though, so keep an eye on his situation.
Ersan Ilyasova: 9 Pts, 14 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Andrew Bogut’s absence boosts Ilyasova’s fantasy value for the foreseeable future.
Injuries:
Keyon Dooling (hip): day-to-day
Rajon Rondo (wrist): likely to return Friday
Luol Deng (wrist): he’s close to returning
Richard Hamilton (groin, thigh): day-to-day
John Lucas (groin): day-to-day
Brendan Haywood (back): day-to-day
Lamar Odom (illness): day-to-day
Zach Randolph (knee): his MRI revealed his right knee is healing on schedule
DeShawn Stevenson (knee): out until at least Feb. 14
Anthony Morrow (ankle): day-to-day
Baron Davis (back): coach Mike D’Antoni said there’s no timetable for his return
Amar’e Stoudemire (ankle): monitor his status
Thabo Sefolosha (foot): day-to-day
Jason Richardson (knee): day-to-day
Spencer Hawes (Achilles): day-to-day
Jason Thompson (leg): monitor his status
Raja Bell (groin): out tonight
Rodney Stuckey (ankle): monitor his status
Johan Petro (flu): day-to-day
Linas Kleiza (knee): day-to-day
Shawn Marion (knee): played through it last night; monitor his status
Gerald Henderson (hamstring): day-to-day
Grant Hill (knee): day-to-day
Devin Harris (hamstring): played through it last night; monitor his status
Earl Watson (ankle): out indefinitely
For Tonight:
Tim Duncan is probably in for a DNP-rest tonight, which means Tiago Splitter could have a big game for the Spurs, who host the Hornets.
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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