Beast of the Night: Danny Granger notched 29 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and four three-pointers last night. He shot 35 percent (7-20) from the floor and 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line, and had one turnover. For the season, Granger has pretty much fulfilled expectations by putting up top 30 numbers. So far in April, he’s averaging 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.9 threes per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 96 percent from the free-throw line.
Lines for Discussion:
Nikola Pekovic: 10-17 FG (59%), 3-6 FT (50%), 23 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk; You’ve got to applaud the man for playing through a tough ankle injury. Pekovic has been one of the most pleasant surprises this season. He has the potential to be Marcin Gortat-esque next season.
Eric Gordon: 9-18 FG (50%), 8-10 FT (80%), 1 three, 27 Pts, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; In his eight games this season, Gordon has put up top 30 stats. His health will justifiably drag down his value in next season’s drafts.
Steve Nash: 4-6 FG (67%), 3-4 FT (755), 2 threes, 13 Pts, 2 Reb, 6 Ast, 6 TO; That’s 25 points, three three-pointers, three rebounds, 11 assists and 11 turnovers in his last two games. Nash might finally be sputtering out this season.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Mike Dunleavy: 23 Pts, 3 threes, 8 Reb, 1 TO; He’s been hot and cold this month but his averages have been solid.
Luc Mbah a Moute: 16 Pts, 1three, 11 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO; An aberration thanks to Ersan Ilyasova‘s DNP, so steer clear unless you’re in a deeper league.
George Hill: 22 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Darren Collison is pretty much done for the season, so Hill is a no-brainer pickup.
Anthony Randolph: 15 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Blk, 2 TO; He’s worth having on your roster in this final stretch.
Charlie Villanueva: 6 Pts, 2 threes, 12 Reb; Better late than never.
John Lucas: 16 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO; He’s worth a look if you need a guard.
Chase Budinger: 22 Pts, 4 threes, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; He’s been mostly solid this month and is connecting on 2.2 threes per game so far in April.
Carl Landry: 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 TO; He’ll be a good source of points and boards the rest of the way.
Gustavo Ayon: 9 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; Ayon’s definitely usable in many leagues from here on out.
Larry Sanders: 4 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 Blk, 1 TO; He’s only worth owning in deeper leagues because of his blocks.
Injuries:
Ben Wallace (personal): monitor his status
LeBron James (hamstring): monitor his status
Ersan Ilyasova (thigh): day-to-day
Jason Smith (face): day-to-day
Dwight Howard (back): done for the season
Rajon Rondo (back): didn’t travel with the team; day-to-day
Mickael Pietrus (knee): ditto
Ray Allen (ankle): ditto
Kevin Martin (shoulder): seems close to returning to the court
Darren Collison (groin): could miss the rest of the regular season
Kobe Bryant (shin): expected to play tonight
Chris Bosh (rest): day-to-day
Amar’e Stoudemire (back): will take part in the team shootaround today and could return tonight
Baron Davis (hamstring, illness): expected to play tonight
Grant Hill (knee): day-to-day
Raymond Felton (Achilles): will miss Saturday’s game
John Salmons (hip): no timetable for his return
For Tonight:
Avery Bradley should be a solid starter tonight for the Celtics, who visit the Hawks
For Next Week:
3 games: CHA, CLE, MIL, PHI, SAS, WAS
2 games: ATL, BOS, CHI, DEN, DET, GSW, IND, LAC, MEM, MIA, NJN, NOR, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHO, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA
1 game: DAL, HOU, LAL, MIN
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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