Beast of the Night: Al Jefferson posted 25 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and three blocks last night. He shot 56 percent (9-16) from the floor and 88 percent (7-8) from the free-throw line, and had no turnovers. This is about as perfect as a big man’s line gets. Jefferson has been a top 10 stud so far this season. His value has been boosted by his improved assists (2.2 per game, up from 1.8 last season) and steady turnovers (1.2 per game, down from 1.3 last season).
Lines for Discussion:
Stephen Curry: 5-7 FG (71%), 2 threes, 12 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl; Not bad for a shade more than nine minutes of work. Curry might not return to the starting lineup or his regular load of playing time for a few more games, but his owners have to be happy that he’s finally back, again.
Nick Young: 9-14 FG (64%), 3-4 FT (75%), 4 threes, 25 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Stl; He came off the bench but did serious damage in 25:35 of playing time. Young’s return was bad news for Jordan Crawford, who finished with 5/3/2 on 15 percent shooting from the field. Expect these two guys to eat into each other’s production so long as they’re both healthy.
Kevin Love: 13-25 FG (52%), 8-11 FT (73%), 5 threes, 39 Pts, 17 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; In his last two games, Love has racked up 81 points, 27 rebounds, 10 threes and six assists. In typical Love fashion, he’s accumulated just one steal and zero blocks in those two games, not that anyone’s complaining.
Danilo Gallinari: 1-3 FG (33%), 1-2 FT (50%), 1 three, 4 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl; He’s finally back after a 13-game layoff. His return means bad things for Arron Afflalo and Corey Brewer.
Marcus Camby: 3-6 FG (50%), 6 Pts, 16 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Though he hasn’t been a stud by any means, Camby deserves some credit for putting up some solid lines for his owners every now and then, not to mention missing just three games so far this season.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Gordon Hayward: 23 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl; He came off the bench, a change that could hold for the rest of the season. Still, Hayward is worth a pickup in deeper leagues.
Klay Thompson: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; The rookie’s only worth a look in deep leagues.
James Johnson: 13 Pts, 1 three, 7 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He should really be owned in your league by now.
Jerryd Bayless: 15 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 TO; Bayless can product usable lines when given 20+ minutes of run, but his inconsistency is a bit of a downer.
George Hill: 17 Pts, 2 threes, 1 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Hill is worth scooping up in deeper leagues.
Ronnie Brewer: 12 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Brewer has been a roller coaster lately, but he’s doing just enough to warrant consideration as a guy to round out your bench.
Kendrick Perkins: 7 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Perkins has picked things up lately after a pretty slow start to the season, though he’s only helpful for field-goal percentage, rebounds and blocks.
Derrick Williams: 15 Pts, 3 threes, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; Five of his last six games have been solid, making Williams a strong pickup candidate.
Kenneth Faried: 20 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; In his last 11 games, Faried has been a top 35 fantasy player.
Marco Belinelli: 18 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; If you need a shooting guard, he’s your man.
Injuries:
Jerry Stackhouse (illness): day-to-day
Reggie Williams (knee): doubtful tonight
Richard Hamilton (shoulder): wearing a sling; day-to-day
Jeff Foster (back): out at least one week
Ryan Gomes (flu): day-to-day
Nikola Pekovic (ankle): day-to-day
Amir Johnson (knee): day-to-day
Devin Harris (knee): monitor his MRI results
Joe Johnson (knee): day-to-day
Jermaine O’Neal (wrist): if he has season-ending wrist surgery, he’ll be waived by the Celtics
Anderson Varejao (wrist): timeline for his return will be determined this week
Brendan Haywood (ankle): might miss a game or two
Brandan Wright (head): day-to-day
Rudy Fernandez (back): day-to-day
Ben Gordon (ankle): said he’ll play tonight
Jordan Hill (knee): hopes to play for the Rockets’ upcoming road trip
Zach Randolph (knee): took part in a full-contact scrimmage Monday, but his return is “not imminent”
Luc Mbah a Moute (knee): day-to-day
Brook Lopez (ankle): out three weeks
Rashard Lewis (knee): day-to-day
Tracy McGrady (knee): questionable tonight
Willie Green (back); ditto
For Tonight:
Kirk Hinrich and Jannero Pargo could be decent spot starts in deeper leagues if McGrady and Green can’t go tonight for the Hawks, who visit the Pacers.
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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