Beast of the Night: Chris Paul finished last night with 36 points, one rebound, nine assists, two steals and three three-pointers made. He shot 69 percent (11-16) from the field, 92 percent (11-12) from the charity stripe and had three turnovers. For the season, CP3 has been the third best fantasy basketball player, which is right in line with expectations.
Lines for Discussion:
Kevin Garnett: 8-11 FG (73%), 7-8 FT (88%), 23 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO; He returned after missing a couple games due to personal matters, and started at center for the Celtics last night. Garnett is averaging his best numbers of the season this month. For the season, he’s putting up top 35 numbers.
Chris Kaman: 10-25 FG (40%), 1-1 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO; Though he’s struggled from the field, Kaman has averaged 17.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.5 steals and a block in his last six games. His value after the All-Star break is up in the air, so his owners should do what they can to sell high.
MarShon Brooks: 10-15 FG (67%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; In his last six games, Brooks is averaging 16.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 threes made.
Amar’e Stoudemire: 3-8 FG (38%), 1-1 FT (100%), 7 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO; STAT has looked like a fragile shell of himself in the last couple weeks. The All-Star break should do him some good, and fantasy owners should expect him to bounce back in some measure in the second half of the season.
Joakim Noah: 3-6 FG (50%), 7-7 FT (100%), 13 Pts, 13 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; This was Noah first career triple-double. For the season, the big man is averaging top 70 numbers, which is about what was expected of him.
DeAndre Jordan: 5-9 FG (56%), 0-1 FT (0%), 10 Pts, 16 Reb, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 3 TO; He doesn’t double-up often, but Jordan remains a valuable fantasy asset because of his rebounds, blocks and superb field-goal percentage.
Arron Afflalo: 7-10 FG (70%), 4-5 FT (80%), 2 threes, 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; Afflalo has cracked the 20-point mark in his last three games. His fantasy owners should consider selling high before Danilo Gallinari comes back early next month.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Isaiah Thomas: 18 Pts, 2 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He should be owned in most leagues right now.
Jordan Crawford: 32 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; He’s been solid in his last five games and is worth a pickup.
Tayshaun Prince: 14 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk; Prince is worth a spot on your bench if you have dead weight to spare.
Aaron Gray: 12 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Blk, 1 TO; His value is mildly appealing only if you’re in a deep league.
Gustavo Ayon: 9 Pts, 17 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; He continues to start and put up decent lines on most nights, and is worth a pickup if you want some rebounds, steals and blocks.
Bismack Biyombo: 9 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 6 Blk, 1 TO; Biyombo is worth scooping up for his superior blocking ability, but don’t drop someone too valuable to make room for him.
Corey Maggette: 20 Pts, 1 three, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; He’s a guy who scores points (while shooting a poor percentage from the floor) and does little else — but if you need that, go for him.
Willie Green: 16 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; If Joe Johnson misses time after the All-Star break, Green would be a sneaky pickup.
Nikola Vucevic: 18 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 3 TO; He’s worth a pickup in deeper leagues for the time being.
Kenneth Faried: 12 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; He’s been pretty productive in his last handful of games and should be considered as a low-end option until Nene returns.
Injuries:
Byron Mullens (illness): day-to-day
Lamar Odom (personal): day-to-day
Will Bynum (personal): day-to-day
Stephen Jackson (hamstring): day-to-day
Kris Humphries (calf): day-to-day
Jan Vesely (illness): day-to-day
Joe Johnson (knee): out for the All-Star weekend; monitor his status
Jermaine O’Neal (wrist): day-to-day
Brandon Bass (knee): expected to be back after the All-Star break
Ty Lawson (ankle): day-to-day
Nene (calf): likely out until after the break
Charlie Villanueva (ankle): making progress, but no timetable for his return
Zach Randolph (knee): will work out in Memphis during the All-Star break and plans to participate in contact drills Monday
Nick Collison (quad): day-to-day
Jason Richardson (chest): day-to-day
Elton Brand (thumb): day-to-day
Linas Kleiza (knee): day-to-day
Raja Bell (groin): day-to-day
Kenyon Martin (back, ribs): day-to-day
For Tonight:
Jeremy Lin faces a big test as the Knicks visit the Heat.
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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