Weekend Wonder: LeBron James played in two overtime games this past weekend and averaged 35 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, four steals, 0.5 blocks and two threes. He shot 51 percent from the field, 76 percent from the line and averaged 5.5 turnovers in those games. Slowly but surely, James has regained top-10 status this season and should have an easy time staying there.
Lines for Discussion:
Rashard Lewis (1/7): 5-11 FG (46%), 3-4 FT (75%), 3 threes, 16 Pts, 13 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk; Lewis has made a small comeback since landing in Washington but he’s not totally out of the woods yet – he followed up this line with a 4/7/3 clunker.
Wesley Matthews (1/7): 10-18 FG (56%), 9-9 FT (100%), 7 threes, 36 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; This was bonkers, especially for a guy who totaled just 33 points in his previous three games. His next game (14/3/5 on 30 percent shooting) was more human. Matthews remains a solid guy to own, though his recent inconsistency makes him a bit of a risky start in shallower leagues.
Roy Hibbert (1/8): 3-8 FG (38%), 2-2 FT (100%), 8 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Yikes. After notching 10/14/2 along with two blocks the day before, Hibbert mailed in this stinker. He’s seeing a sports psychologist this week to work past his mental struggles, and at this point that seems like the only solution for the guy who was on track to be the breakout star of the season back in the fall.
Joe Johnson (1/8): 10-19 FG (53%), 1-1 FT (100%), 3 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; In his first four games of 2011, Johnson is averaging 27.5 points, four rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.5 threes. In other words, he’s returned to being the stud we knew the past several seasons. Let’s see if he can keep this up.
Kevin Durant (1/8): 13-24 FG (54%), 13-14 FT (93%), 1 three, 40 Pts, 8 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Durant has quietly pieced together a solid season worthy of a No. 2 overall ranking by averages. While he’s managed to slightly bump up his three-pointers made and assists, most of his other stats have taken a small step back this season.
Al Jefferson (1/8): 11-17 FG (65%), 2-2 FT (100%), 24 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Blk; Jefferson had a very solid weekend and appears to have found a groove in Utah for the time being.
Hedo Turkoglu (1/8): 5-8 FG (63%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 threes, 13 Pts, 3 Reb, 17 Ast, 5 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; The assists were a career-high for Turkoglu, whose stunning comeback in Orlando remains in full swing.
Beno Udrih (1/9): 9-17 FG (53%), 4-6 FT (67%), 3 threes, 25 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 TO; He played 44:20 in this game and absolutely thrived for the first time this month. This was partly thanks to Tyreke Evans‘ DNP. Whenever Evans sits, Udrih is a threat to emerge with big lines.
DeAndre Jordan (1/9): 3-5 FG (60%), 3-5 FT (60%), 9 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; Jordan’s strong play continues, as he’s not averaging 12.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks in his last four games. Chris Kaman‘s eventual return does post a threat to Jordan’s value, but for the time being, he’s a worthy starter in most leagues.
J.J. Hickson (1/9): 8-23 FG (35%), 7-11 FT (64%), 23 Pts, 17 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; Well look who decided to show up. Hickson followed up his 17/9 performance with this surprising game. He started at center in place of Anderson Varejao, who’s out for the season. That alone makes Hickson worth owning, though we’re all familiar with his potential to disappoint.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Jodie Meeks: he’s a good source of threes and made a small blip on fantasy radars this past weekend, thanks to a 24/3/3 game with four threes made
Lou Williams: he’s scored 20+ points in two of his last three games
Tyler Hansbrough: he has a starting job and is doing pretty well with it so far, averaging 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, one steal and one block in two starts
Jared Dudley: he’s good for threes and steals, and has been solid overall lately
Ryan Anderson: despite his bench role, Anderson remains a big man who hits a lot of threes
Chris Douglas-Roberts: he had a monster weekend and deserves consideration in all leagues right now
Manny Harris: he started both games this past weekend and responded well, making him worth owning in deeper leagues
Ersan Ilyasova: so long as Andrew Bogut and Drew Gooden are out, Ilyasova should put up big numbers
Greg Monroe: that’s two straight double-doubles for Monroe, who should be on everyone’s radar
DeShawn Stevenson: the man continues to pour in the threes, as he’s hitting 4.2 per game so far in January
Injuries:
Gerald Wallace (ankle): targeting Wednesday for his return
Anthony Parker (back): day-to-day
Anderson Varejao (leg): needs surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right leg and is out for the season
Ty Lawson (knee): day-to-day
Chris Andersen (knee): day-to-day
Kenyon Martin (knee): day-to-day
Chris Wilcox (groin): day-to-day
Anthony Morrow (hamstring): about a week to a week-and-a-half away
Devin Harris (quad): expects to return to practice today
Grant Hill (knee): left Sunday’s game with a mild right knee sprain, check his status
Sonny Weems (back): day-to-day
Arron Afflalo (ankle): check his status for Tuesday
Goran Dragic (knee): questionable for Tuesday
For Tonight:
Monitor the battle for minutes between Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo as the Grizzlies visit the Bobcats.
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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