Beast of the Night: Jamal Crawford finished with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal, two blocks and five threes in his second consecutive start last night. He shot 53 percent (8-15) from the floor and had one turnover. Crawford looks set to continue being the Blazers’ starting point guard, relegating the struggling Raymond Felton to the bench. So long as he’s starting, Crawford will see a nice bump in value.
Lines for Discussion:
Drew Gooden: 7-15 FG (47%), 9-9 FT (100%), 23 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; Gooden toughed it out yesterday after a hard fall the night before. His health, as usual, remains something worth monitoring throughout the rest of the season.
Kevin Garnett: 9-18 FG (50%), 7-9 FT (78%), 25 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This was Garnett’s seventh start as a center this season, and his fantasy owners should hope he starts even more games at the five going forward. All his numbers (except for his turnovers) are better when he’s a starting center this season.
Jeremy Lin: 6-12 FG (50%), 7-9 FT (78%), 19 Pts, 5 Reb, 13 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Lin played 33 minutes last night, which is much more sustainable than the minutes load he shouldered early in his storybook run. If Baron Davis can continue to give a solid 15-20 minutes a night, and if Lin can continue to keep his turnovers down, the Harvard grad will have a shot at maintaining top 35 value.
Marc Gasol: 8-14 FG (57%), 6-6 FT (100 %), 22 Pts, 11 Reb, 5 Ast, 4 Blk, 3 TO; With Zach Randolph getting closer to returning, Gasol’s owners should already be gauging his value on the market.
Kobe Bryant: 11-23 (48%), 9-10 FT (90%), 31 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 TO; Are you surprised?
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Trevor Booker: 3-9 FG (33%), 1-1 FT (100%), 7 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; He’s getting 30+ minutes a night this month and is worth a pickup if you need a big man.
Ekpe Udoh: 12 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; He’s not much more than 2+ blocks a night, but at least he’s that.
Linas Kleiza: 21 Pts, 5 threes, 4 Reb, 1 Stl; When healthy, Kleiza is worth owning in most leagues.
Steve Novak: 17 Pts, 5 threes, 1 Reb, 1 Stl; Novak continues to be a solid source of threes.
C.J. Miles: 27 Pts, 3 threes, 1 Reb, 1 TO; He’s been inconsistent this month, and even when he’s productive, Miles isn’t the most dynamic player to own.
Gary Neal: 21 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Neal will continue to have decent value so long as Manu Ginobili is out.
Zaza Pachulia: 13 Pts, 16 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This isn’t sustainable, but Pachulia will be a decent low-end center until Al Horford returns.
Amir Johnson: 7 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 Blk, 2 TO; Johnson is in something of a groove right now and is worth having on your bench.
Marco Belinelli: 20 Pts, 2 threes, 7 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; He’s having a stellar month and should really be owned in more leagues by now.
Derrick Williams: 10 Pts, 2 threes, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 TO; He started in place of an ill Kevin Love last night and should be monitored closely.
Injuries:
Al Horford (pectoral muscle): has been given clearance to begin rehab and could return sooner than expected
Jason Collins (elbow): expected to begin rehab Friday
Vladimir Radmanovic (illness): day-to-day
Nene (calf): day-to-day
Rudy Fernandez (back): day-to-day
Quentin Richardson (Achilles): day-to-day
Kurt Thomas (concussion): day-to-day
Jamaal Tinsley (illness): day-to-day
Raja Bell (groin): day-to-day
Paul Millsap (heel): day-to-day
Andray Blatche (calf): targeting March 3 for his return
Rashard Lewis (knee): day-to-day
J.J. Barea (calf): day-to-day
Luke Ridnour (finger): monitor his status
Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder): day-to-day
Devin Harris (nausea): monitor his status
For Tonight:
See how Crawford fares as the Blazers host 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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