Beast of the Night: Russell Westbrook finished the 2011-12 NBA season with a bang, producing a pretty line of 30 points, six rebounds, nine assists, three steals, four blocks and a three-pointer. He shot 50 percent (10-20) from the field and 90 percent (9-10) from the free-throw line, and had two turnovers. Westbrook is finishing the season with top 20 value, which falls short of expectations. The most noticeable stat is his 5.5 assists per game this season, well below the 8.2 assists he dished out per game last season.
Lines for Discussion:
J.J. Redick: 9-19 FG (47%), 7-7 FT (100%), 6 threes, 31 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Redick has averaged 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.4 threes in 22 games as a starter this season, with one game to go tonight. It’s a shame Jason Richardson is still taking up space on that Magic roster.
John Wall: 7-16 FG (44%), 7-8 FT (88%), 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 13 Ast, 7 Stl, 6 TO; Wall has double-dipped in his last four games. He’s finishing the season with top 90 value, but that won’t stop owners from drafting him in the third or fourth round of next season’s drafts. He’d be a much more sensible pick in rounds five or six in nine-category leagues.
Caron Butler: 3-8 FG (38%), 3 threes, 9 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; Butler started out the season with a loud bang but has since withered into a middling fantasy asset. It’s still good to see him back as a somewhat relevant player for fantasy basketball purposes. He should be seen as a three-point specialist going forward.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Bismack Biyombo: 5 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Blk, 1 TO
Tyrus Thomas: 13 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk
Jan Vesely: 7 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO
D.J. Kennedy: 12 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO
Kyle Korver: 20 Pts, 4 threes, 2 Ast, 3 TO
Steve Novak: 14 Pts, 4 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Stl
Evan Turner: 29 Pts, 1 three, 13 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Blk, 3 TO
Larry Sanders: 12 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 4 Stl, 5 Blk, 3 TO
Tiago Splitter: 26 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO
Injuries:
Carmelo Anthony (rest): monitor his status for tonight
Derrick Brown (ankle): day-to-day
Reggie Williams (knee): day-to-day
Antawn Jamison (leg): monitor his status
Chandler Parsons (shoulder): won’t play tonight
Leandro Barbosa (ankle): day-to-day
Ekpe Udoh (knee): day-to-day
Drew Gooden (ankle): day-to-day
Ersan Ilyasova (thigh): day-to-day
Glen Davis (ankle): day-to-day
Sam Young (eye): day-to-day
Jrue Holiday (rest): out tonight
Tim Duncan (rest): won’t play tonight
Manu Ginobili (rest): ditto
Tony Parker (rest): ditto
Jordan Crawford (ankle): out tonight
For Tonight:
Enjoy the last night of NBA action and all the DNPs and out-of-nowhere lines that will come with it.
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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