Beast of the Night: LeBron James made up for lost time after missing two games with an ankle injury by putting up 34 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two threes. He shot 36.7 percent (11-30) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the line and had six turnovers. James is averaging 31.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.6 threes and 4.0 turnovers so far in 2011.
Lines for Discussion:
Mike Bibby: 5-11 FG (46%), 1-2 FT (50%), 4 threes, 15 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Stl; You’ve got to hand it to Bibby – after being written off by just about everyone heading into the season, he’s managed to fend off the “threat” posed by Jeff Teague, play more minutes and produce better numbers than he did last season, except for his horrid free-throw shooting.
Gerald Wallace: 5-14 FG (36%), 3-3 FT (100%), 13 Pts, 16 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; This was his first double-double since Dec. 10. Wallace has a lot of ground to make up after struggling in the first half of the season. Chances are, if he stays healthy, he’ll do it.
Stephen Jackson: 5-14 FG (36%), 2-4 FT (50%), 12 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Jackson has really struggled since Wallace has returned to the lineup on Jan. 12. He’s shooting 32 percent from the field since then. The slump is likely temporary, but it’s something to keep an eye on. It seems like a Wallace trade would do a lot of good for the fantasy value of not only Tyrus Thomas, but Jackson as well.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Joel Anthony: 16 Reb, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; He could be worth a look in deep leagues so long as Chris Bosh is out. Neat stat of the night: Anthony played 43:12 and didn’t take a single shot from the field or the charity stripe.
Taj Gibson: 9 Pts, 9 Reb, 6 Blk; This was a good line from Gibson, who has failed to take advantage of Joakim Noah‘s absence from the Bulls’ lineup. With Carlos Boozer set to return soon, his value might be very fleeting.
Ronnie Brewer: 12 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He’s a mildly appealing player in deep leagues, thanks mostly to his thieving skills.
Injuries:
Al Horford (ankle): hurt it last night and left the game early, check his status
Joey Graham (quad): practiced Tuesday, not expected to play tonight
Mo Williams (hip flexor): didn’t practice Tuesday
Tyson Chandler (illness): expected to play tonight
Ben Wallace (ankle): questionable tonight
Marcus Camby (knee): despite negative MRI, will have surgery later this week to repair partial tear in the meniscus in his left knee; timetable for his return not yet known
Rudy Fernandez (knee): game-time decision tonight
For Tonight:
Joel Przybilla could be something of a factor tonight as the Blazers and their vanishing frontcourt visit the Kings.
Kevin Love visits Blake Griffin, in what’s otherwise known as Timberwolves vs. Clippers.
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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