Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 25 points, 24 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks last night, his sixth 20/20 game of the season. He shot 64 percent (9-14) from the field, 70 percent (7-10) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Howard’s averaging 25.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.8 blocks in his five games so far this month.
Lines for Discussion:
Ryan Anderson: 8-19 FG (42%), 6-9 FT (67%), 5 threes, 27 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; His recent struggles have knocked him out of the top 12, but Anderson remains a fantasy stud on a week-to-week basis. He still leads the league with 3.0 three-pointers made per game.
Carlos Delfino: 7-12 FG (58%), 5-6 FT (83%), 6 threes, 25 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 TO; Delfino played nearly as many minutes last night as he did in his previous two games. This was easily his best game of the season, so maybe coach Scott Skiles will be inclined to give him more minutes going forward.
DeMar DeRozan: 9-18 FG (50%), 3-3 FT (100%), 4 threes, 25 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; To put things into perspective, DeRozan connected on only three three-pointers in the 20 games before last night. His 1.9 attempts from beyond the arc has dragged down his field-goal percentage to 39 percent this season, well below his career average of 46 percent. Despite the hype, he has a long way to go before becoming a truly valuable fantasy asset.
Brandon Jennings: 3-12 FG (25%), 4-8 FT (50%), 1 three, 11 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; He’s now shooting a miserable 34 percent from the floor in five games this month. Call it a slump, but this is likely something akin to a mean reversion. Buy low, but don’t expect him to be as consistently studly as he was earlier this season.
Jeremy Lin: 9-14 FG (64%), 5-6 FT (83%), 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Linsanity continues. In his last three games, Lin is averaging 25.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.7 turnovers, along with 58 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the charity stripe — top 25 numbers. His long-term viability is still up for debate, but it’s obvious that fantasy owners must start him until the wheels fall off.
Josh Smith: 11-17 FG (65%), 4-6 FT (67%), 2 threes, 28 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Ast, 5 Stl, 3 Blk, 5 TO; This was a sight for sore eyes for Smith’s owners, who’ve endured some rocky production lately. He remains a must-start fantasy player.
Chris Kaman: 6-17 FG (35%), 5-5 FT (100%), 17 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Blk, 4 TO; He’s relevant again, but his fantasy value remains tied to where he ends up in the (likely) event that he’s traded from the Hornets.
Vince Carter: 7-12 FG (58%), 3 threes, 17 Pts, 5 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; His owners should try their best to sell high as soon as possible.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Randy Foye: 15 Pts, 3 threes, 1 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He started last night and is worth a look if you need a guard to round out your bench.
Ramon Sessions: 24 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 13 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Pick him up and use him until Kyrie Irving returns.
Daniel Gibson: 17 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; He’ll also benefit from Irving’s absence.
Iman Shumpert: 17 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; He’s worth stashing and should have extra value for however long Carmelo Anthony is out.
Steve Novak: 19 Pts, 5 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; Get him if you need threes.
Gary Neal: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Blk; With Manu Ginobili returning very soon, Neal isn’t worth a look unless you’re in a deep league.
Jonas Jerebko: 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk; He’s looked decent lately and is worth a look if you have dead weight to spare.
Ben Gordon: 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; If he can stay healthy, Gordon will have some value for owners in need of points and threes.
Jordan Farmar: 22 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He continues to produce usable lines and is worth a look if you need a point guard.
Chase Budinger: 22 Pts, 4 threes, 4 Reb, 2 Ast; He’s looked better since late January and should be picked up in most leagues.
Injuries:
Anderson Varejao (back): left last night’s game in the third quarter; monitor his status
Kyrie Irving (concussion): day-to-day
Eric Bledsoe (knee): day-to-day
Mario Chalmers (hand): day-to-day
Ersan Ilyasova (back): day-to-day
Keith Bogans (foot): monitor his status
Jerryd Bayless (ankle): day-to-day
Keyon Dooling (hip): targeting a return tonight
Corey Maggette (hamstring): cleared to practice again
D.J. Augustin (toe): could return Monday
Anthony Parker (back): day-to-day
Jason Kidd (calf): day-to-day
Corey Brewer (personal): day-to-day
Steve Blake (ribs): returned to practice yesterday; monitor his status
Tony Allen (hip, knee): day-to-day
Amar’e Stoudemire (personal): won’t return to the team until Monday
Thabo Sefolosha (foot): could return Friday
Spencer Hawes (back): MRI was negative; day-to-day
Manu Ginobili (hand): likely for Saturday’s game
Andrea Bargnani (calf): not ready to test his calf yet
Rashard Lewis (knee): day-to-day
Kyle Lowry (elbow): monitor his status
For Tonight:
Monta Ellis could have another big night as the Warriors visit the Nuggets, a game that could yield some big lines.
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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