Beast of the Night: James Harden posted 30 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks and four three-pointers last night. He shot 67 percent (8-12) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. Harden has been a top 25 fantasy stud so far this season, which is extra impressive given that he’s the non-starter in that bunch.
Lines for Discussion:
Blake Griffin: 9-15 FG (60%), 10-17 FT (59%), 28 Pts, 17 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; After a five-game drought of blocks, Griffin has blocked at least one shot in each of his last four games. Griffin remains a mild disappointment this season, as about half of his numbers are down from their marks in 2010-11.
John Wall: 1-8 FG (13%), 2-4 FT (50%), 4 Pts, 2 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Blk, 5 TO; Thus ends Wall’s hot streak. Nevertheless, the kid has shown noticeable improvement as the season has worn on. He’s worked himself back into top 75 shape.
DeMar DeRozan: 8-16 FG (50%), 7-8 (88%), 23 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl; DeRozan is on a hot streak, averaging 23.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.7 threes in his last three games. Consistency will be the key to unlocking his full fantasy potential going forward.
Ersan Ilyasova: 14-18 FG (78%), 2-3 FT (67%), 2 threes, 32 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk; Since regaining his starting job on Feb. 17, Ilyasova has been a top 10 stud, averaging 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.9 threes, while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 87 percent from the free-throw line.
Serge Ibaka: 9-15 FG (60%), 18 Pts, 20 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Blk, 3 TO; Despite falling short of expectations, Ibaka has put up top 35 numbers this season, thanks to his 3.2 blocks per game.
Raymond Felton: 11-18 FG (61%), 1 three, 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 9 Ast, 3 TO; This was his second game back in the starting lineup. Felton could pay off handsomely for owners who bought low on him while he was benched.
Manu Ginobili: 7-10 FG (70%), 0-2 FT (0%), 3 threes, 17 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; If he stays healthy, Ginobili could be a huge difference-maker for his owners during their playoff weeks.
Chris Kaman: 7-14 FG (50%), 4-5 FT (80%), 18 Pts, 11 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Blk, 4 TO; Kaman’s been a fun, wild ride for fantasy owners lately, but a possible trade or Emeka Okafor‘s return remain threats to his value.
Marcus Thornton: 9-21 (43%), 5-7 (71%), 25 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk; It’s nice when a player meets high expectations, isn’t it? Thornton has been a top 30 guy so far this season, despite drops in some statistical categories.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Randy Foye: 24 Pts, 5 threes, 1 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Foye continues to start but struggles with consistency.
Trevor Booker: 18 Pts, 1 three, 17 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; His strong mix of rebounds, steals and blocks makes him worth a look so long as he’s starting.
Goran Dragic: 14 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; He’s usually productive when he gets 20+ minutes, which doesn’t happen every night.
Chandler Parsons: 19 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; He’s off to a strong start this month, averaging 13.0 points, 2.5 boards, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.8 blocks and 0.5 threes in his last four games.
Nikola Vucevic: 14 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; This was nice, but with Spencer Hawes set to return later this month, Vucevic is a short-term option in deep leagues only.
Evan Turner: 26 Pts, 1 three, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; Scoop him up if you have dead weight to spare, but don’t drop anyone too valuable for him.
Zaza Pachulia: 9 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; He’s grabbed 10+ rebounds in five of his last six games, and is worth a pickup if you need a center.
Beno Udrih: 11 Pts, 2 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Udrih’s getting more run lately and has become a decent low-end point guard to target if you need assists.
Luke Ridnour: 22 Pts, 3 threes, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; He’s more helpful than you probably think, so swap out dead weight for him if you can.
Klay Thompson: 16 Pts, 3 threes, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; Stephen Curry‘s eventual return to regular minutes threatens Thompson’s long-term value, so pick him up only if you’re in a deeper league.
Injuries:
Jeff Teague (ankle): day-to-day
Tracy McGrady (knee): day-to-day
Blake Griffin (ankle, knee): monitor his status
J.J. Barea (ankle): day-to-day
Gustavo Ayon (foot): day-to-day
Tyson Chandler (hamstring): doubtful for Friday
Thaddeus Young (illness): day-to-day
T.J. Ford (neck): day-to-day
James Johnson (leg): should be fine for Saturday
Zach Randolph (knee): could return Tuesday
Andrea Bargnani (calf): he’s set to return sometime this weekend
For Tonight:
See if Rodrigue Beaubois can put up another decent line tonight, as the Mavs visit the Suns.
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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