Beast of the Night: Paul Pierce finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks and three three-pointers last night. He shot 67 percent from the floor and 67 percent from the free-throw line, and had three turnovers. For the season, Pierce has maintained top 45 value, which is about in line of most owners’ expectations heading into the season.
Lines for Discussion:
Monta Ellis: 6-18 FG (33%), 1-1 FT (100%), 13 Pts, 1 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 TO; Ellis’ fantasy owners are probably still booing Joe Lacob. Ellis is no longer a top 40 fantasy asset.
DeAndre Jordan: 7-8 FG (88%), 14 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Stl; Jordan has been very mediocre this month, and his owners should keep expectations low for the rest of this season. He remains a strong keeper candidate.
Chris Kaman: 9-13 FG (69%), 2-3 FT (67%), 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 Blk, 7 TO; Kaman continues to thrive, though his frequent turnovers weigh down his fantasy value.
Nicolas Batum: 9-15 FG (60%), 2-2 FT (100%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Up until last night, Batum failed to really take advantage of Gerald Wallace‘s departure. Look for him to heat up again soon.
Tyreke Evans: 11-17 FG (65%), 3-5 FT (60%), 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; He came off the bench again and put up a solid line. Evans has disappointed his owners this season and it’s unclear if he’ll ever fulfill his potential and become a bona fide NBA fantasy stud.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Trevor Booker: 8 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Booker remains a sturdy option, thanks to his decent scoring, rebounding, stealing and blocking.
Greg Stiemsma: 6 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 4 Stl, 5 Blk; Give him a look if you need a center. He’ll be a killer blocker on your bench at the very least.
Mickael Pietrus: 13 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He’s too inconsistent to be considered unless you’re in a deep league.
Ekpe Udoh: 2 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; He holds low-end value if you need some blocks.
Jason Smith: 17 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; He’s worth a pickup in deeper leagues, and is worth keeping an eye on in shallower ones.
Marco Belinelli: 15 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; He’s been up and down lately, but Belinelli is an appealing pickup if you want points and threes.
Xavier Henry: 12 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 1 Ast; That’s two consecutive usable lines from Henry, who’s worth monitoring.
Richard Jefferson: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 1 TO; He has a penchant for letting owners down, so see if there are better options before deciding to take RJ.
Chandler Parsons: 20 Pts, 2 threes, 11 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO; He drew high praise from Kobe Bryant the other night. Fantasy owners should take notice.
Derrick Favors: 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 Blk, 3 TO; He’s been mostly hot lately and is worth a pickup if you need a big man.
Injuries:
Eduardo Najera (knee): out tonight
Mo Williams (toe): X-rays were negative; day-to-day
Trevor Ariza (ankle): day-to-day
Jason Thompson (ankle): X-rays were negative; he expects to play Saturday
Marvin Williams (hip): expected to play tonight
Vladimir Radmanovic (back): out tonight
Brendan Haywood (knee): getting closer to a return
Shawn Marion (knee): he hopes to play tonight
David West (finger): returned to the game last night; monitor his status
Joel Anthony (ankle): will start tonight
Mike Miller (ankle): will miss the Heat’s upcoming three-game road trip
For Tonight:
See how Ben Gordon follows up his 45-point explosion, as the Pistons host the Heat.
Reggie Williams could be a decent spot start, as the Bobcats host the Bucks.
For Next Week:
5 games: IND, NOR
4 games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NJN, NYK, ORL, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA, WAS
3 games: DAL, MEM, OKC, PHI, PHO, SAS
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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