Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant was big again Monday night, finishing with 31 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and three three-pointers. He shot 53 percent (10-19) from the floor, 89 percent (8-9) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover. Durant is averaging a sick 29.3 points, 8.7 boards, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.8 threes in 12 games so far this month, making him the runaway No. 1 fantasy player in February.
Lines for Discussion:
Derrick Rose: 8-18 FG (44%), 5-9 FT (56%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 TO; Here’s hoping Rose’s fantasy owners started him this week. The All-Star break should give his body even more time to fully heal, so even if his owners missed out on him this week, they have good reason to be excited for his second half of the season.
Deron Williams: 10-22 FG (46%), 10-12 FT (83%), 8 threes, 38 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; He was hindered by foul trouble and played just under 34 minutes last night, but it didn’t matter. D-Will was out for blood and got his vengeance on Jeremy Lin and the Knicks. Since Feb. 11, Williams has been a top 10 fantasy beast.
Jeremy Lin: 7-18 FG (39%), 5-6 FT (83%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 9 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 TO; The stat line was nice, but if you watched the game you know Lin didn’t have that same quickness and pop in his step. Fatigue has been a concern for Lin, so the All-Star break comes at the perfect time. Oddly enough, Lin’s owners should hope Baron Davis stays healthy enough to give Lin ample time each game for rest going forward.
Dirk Nowitzki: 10-24 FG (42%), 5-5 FT (100%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 16 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; How dare you doubt Dirk (yes, I’m looking in the mirror as I type this). Since Feb. 3, Diggler has been his studly self, putting up top 10 numbers.
Tim Duncan: 7-14 FG (50%), 6-6 FT (100%), 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Manu Ginobili‘s latest injury means Duncan will remain more productive than expected. He’s been a top 15 asset this month.
Andre Miller: 0-8 FG (0%), 5-6 FT (83%), 5 Pts, 6 Reb, 12 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Miller will be a bit more relevant if Ty Lawson misses time.
Mo Williams: 8-16 FG (50%), 6 threes, 22 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 TO; He’s been miserable from the field this month, hitting just 38 percent of his shots. But Williams remains an appealing fantasy asset, thanks to his 14/3/3 potential, along with his ability to hit nearly two threes a night.
Nicolas Batum: 7-16 FG (44%), 1-1 FT (100%), 3 threes, 18 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 Blk, 5 TO; Since Valentine’s Day, Batum is averaging 21.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.8 blocks and 2.6 threes per game. His stock will level off eventually, but that doesn’t diminish his start-worthy value in most leagues.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Zaza Pachulia: 8 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk, 1 TO; He remains a decent low-end option for teams desperate for a center.
Willie Green: 6 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; He started last night and with Joe Johnson out for Wednesday’s game, Green could be a sneaky pickup in deeper leagues.
Jannero Pargo: 19 Pts, 5 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He’ll also benefit from more minutes with Johnson sidelined.
Larry Sanders: 13 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 ast, 2 Stl, 3 Blk, 3 TO; If he continues to get minutes in Drew Gooden‘s absence, Sanders will be a solid pickup. Feel free to gamble on him in deeper leagues.
Kendrick Perkins: 5 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 6 Blk, 6 TO; Perkins did his best Serge Ibaka impression last night, but remains unappealing in most leagues.
Martell Webster: 10 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; Just keep an eye on him for now.
Michael Redd: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; He’s not going to do much for you unless you’re in a deeper league.
Reggie Evans: 6 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Don’t pick him up unless you’re in a deep league.
Ekpe Udoh: 19 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk; He started last night and should be worth owning if he can hold that job.
Steve Blake: 17 Pts, 5 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; His game log reveals this is far from a trend.
Injuries:
Joe Johnson (knee): doubtful for Wednesday
Marvin Williams (personal): monitor his status
Jermaine O’Neal (wrist): left last night’s game early and didn’t return; monitor his status
Rajon Rondo (suspension): out for one more game, which means his next game will be on Feb. 28
C.J. Watson (head): day-to-day
Ty Lawson (ankle): left last night’s game early and didn’t return; monitor his status
Rudy Fernandez (back): day-to-day
Andris Biedrins (flu): probable for Thursday
Nikola Pekovic (ankle): left last night’s game early and didn’t return; monitor his status
Darko Milicic (stomach): day-to-day
Iman Shumpert (knee): will be evaluated after the All-Star break
James Harden (ankle): day-to-day
Jason Richardson (chest): day-to-day
Brandon Bass (knee): day-to-day
Kevin Garnett (personal): day-to-day
Gerald Henderson (hamstring): day-to-day
Daniel Gibson (ankle): questionable tonight
Nene (calf): day-to-day
George Hill (ankle): monitor his status for tonight
Zach Randolph (knee): did some light shooting before last night’s game
Brook Lopez (foot): will play Wednesday
Jason Smith (concussion): day-to-day
Bill Walker (elbow): day-to-day
Nick Collison (groin): day-to-day
Quentin Richardson (quad): day-to-day
Greg Oden (knee): microfracture surgery on his left knee rules him out for this season
Manu Ginobili (oblique): out several weeks
Linas Kleiza (knee): expected to return Wednesday
Andrea Bargnani (calf): ruled out until after the break
Raja Bell (groin): day-to-day
For Tonight:
See if Jack’s minutes are held back in this second game of a back-to-back-to-back set for the Hornets, as they visit the Pacers.
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.
