Beast of the Night: James Harden ruined the Suns last night, dropping a line of 40 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and five treys. He shot 71 percent (12-17) from the floor and 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over three times. For the season, Harden has been a top 30 asset, which is in line with rosier expectations heading into the season. Coming off the bench or not, Harden is a fantasy basketball stud.
Lines for Discussion:
Nene: 7-12 FG (58%), 0-1 FT (0%), 14 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk; As a Wizard, Nene is averaging 14.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and a block per game, while shooting 55 percent from the field. Those are strong numbers. The problem is that Nene has only played in seven games since joining the Wizards. For the season, he’s only appeared in 35 games. His health should be a red flag when owners see his name in their drafts next season.
Glen Davis: 12-16 FG (75%), 3-6 FT (50%), 27 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; In April, Davis is averaging 18.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.4 steals per game — top 50 numbers.
Paul Pierce: 9-14 FG (64%), 11-12 FT (92%), 29 Pts, 5 Reb, 14 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Pierce has been an adept distributor whenever Rajon Rondo has missed time this season. The Truth just keeps on ticking.
Marcus Camby: 5-11 FG (46%), 1-2 FT (50%), 11 Pts, 17 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; You’ve got to hand it to Camby for battling through a bad back and putting up this killer line. He is, naturally, an unrestricted free agent after this season is over.
Pau Gasol: 7-16 FG (44%), 8-8 FT (100%), 22 Pts, 11 Reb, 11 Ast, 3 Blk; In his last seven Mamba-less games, Gasol is averaging 21.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.4 blocks and 2.3 turnovers, while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the charity stripe.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Samardo Samuels: 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Blk; He’s worth a look in deep leagues.
Jan Vesely: 8 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s averaging 7.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks so far this month.
Richard Hamilton: 22 Pts, 4 threes, 2 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 TO; He’s in a groove (finally) and should be scooped up.
Taj Gibson: 9 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; Gibson’s a decent source of blocks for owners in deeper leagues.
Bismack Biyombo: 7 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk; He’s worth a look if you’re in a deeper league.
Alan Anderson: 15 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; In his last five games, Anderson’s averaging 14.6 points, 2.2 threes, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Sundiata Gaines: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He’s worth a look so long as Deron Williams is out.
Jerome Dyson: 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; Roll with him in deeper leagues if you’re feeling adventurous.
Vince Carter: 23 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; His last two games have been decent, but he’s far from reliable.
Luke Babbitt: 16 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; In his last 15 games, Babbitt is hitting 2.0 threes per game.
Injuries:
Nate Robinson (hamstring): day-to-day
Reggie Evans (flu): day-to-day
Gilbert Arenas (finger): day-to-day
Chris Bosh (rest): monitor his status
Larry Sanders (illness): day-to-day
Shelden Williams (knee): day-to-day
Jared Jeffries (knee): day-to-day
Jamal Crawford (rest): monitor his status
Ray Allen (ankle): day-to-day
Rajon Rondo (back): day-to-day
D.J. Augustin (knee): day-to-day
Luol Deng (ribs): day-to-day
Wilson Chandler (hip): surgery knocks him out for the rest of the season
Kevin Martin (shoulder): nearing a return
Kobe Bryant (shin): day-to-day
Ronny Turiaf (hamstring): day-to-day
Emeka Okafor (knee): expected to miss the rest of the season
Baron Davis (hamstring/stomach virus): day-to-day
Hedo Turkoglu (face): looking at a return for the playoffs
Grant Hill (knee): day-to-day
Raymond Felton (Achilles): day-to-day
Joel Przybilla (illness): day-to-day
Rashard Lewis (knee): unlikely to play again this season
Andray Blatche (calf): ditto
For Tonight:
Anthony Randolph and Anthony Tolliver should get plenty of run tonight, as the Timberwolves visit the Pistons.
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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