Beast of the Night: Dwyane Wade scored 30 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out 10 assists, stole three balls and blocked two shots last night. He shot 69 percent (11-16) from the field, 80 percent (8-10) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Wade has quietly maintained top five value so far this season, despite dips in his scoring, rebounding and three-point making. He has cut down on his turnovers and had increased his steals and blocks to make up for those declines.
Lines for Discussion:
Trevor Ariza: 8-15 FG (53%), 2-2 FT (100%), 3 threes, 21 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; His wild inconsistency should make fantasy owners roll their eyes at lines like these. Nevertheless, for the season Ariza is putting up top 60 numbers, which isn’t too shabby.
Jarrett Jack: 8-17 FG (47%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 threes, 19 Pts, 5 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 TO; Barring any setbacks with that knee, Jack should be back on track after the All-Star break.
Roy Hibbert: 11-17 FG (65%), 8-12 FG (67%), 30 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Blk, 2 TO; Hibbert is in the midst of a three-game streak of double-doubles. He’s quietly put together a solid season and is close to averaging a double-double along with 1.8 blocks a game.
Greg Monroe: 8-16 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 19 Pts, 11 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Monroe continues to impress this season. He’s a center who scores, rebounds, dishes, steals and shoots solid percentages — not much more you can ask for. He also looks to be a no-brainer keeper.
Kyrie Irving: 8-15 FG (53%), 6-6 FT (100%), 3 threes, 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 6 TO; Irving has been better than many owners expected heading into the season. He has no statistical weaknesses and should be an awesome keeper.
Mario Chalmers: 7-14 FG (50%), 6 threes, 20 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Chalmers should be applauded for what he’s done this season. A guy who was supposed to be a do-little point guard for the Heat has managed to give his fantasy owners top 60 value so far this season.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Ben Gordon: 16 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 2 TO; He’s worth scooping up if you want points and threes.
Alonzo Gee: 16 Pts, 1 three, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; He’s not perfect, but Gee fills up the stat sheet on most nights.
Isaiah Thomas: 24 Pts, 5 threes, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 TO; He’s a must-add at this point.
Lavoy Allen: 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; He’s worth watching, but nothing beyond that just yet.
Kawhi Leonard: 24 Pts, 2 threes, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 5 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; This was an outlier, which makes it tough to read much into it.
Gary Neal: 10 Pts, 1 three, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 4 TO; He should hold extra value so long as Manu Ginobili is out.
Injuries:
Joe Johnson (knee): out for tonight and Thursday
Kevin Garnett (personal): expected to return tonight
Gerald Henderson (hamstring): out tonight
Anthony Parker (back): day-to-day
George Hill (ankle): day-to-day
Elton Brand (thumb): day-to-day
Linas Kleiza (knee): questionable tonight
Raja Bell (groin): game-time decision tonight
Wesley Matthews (ankle): monitor his status
John Salmons (hip): day-to-day
For Tonight:
Willie Green could be a decent spot start as the Joe Johnson-less Hawks visit the Knicks.
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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