Beast of the Night: Amar’e Stoudemire showed that he really wasn’t afraid of the Heat by putting up 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and a three-pointer. He shot 59 percent (10-17) from the field and 75 percent (3-4) from the free-throw line. In the battle of the goggles, Stoudemire won.
Lines for Discussion:
Dwyane Wade: 14-22 FG (64%), 6-14 FT (43%), 34 Pts, 16 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 6 TO; This was a mixed bag for Wade, who wore his own pair of tinted goggles to prevent migraines. He had things rolling, scoring 13 consecutive shots at one point, but the terrible shooting at the line and the turnovers kill the buzz from the other big numbers here. His migraine situation is worth monitoring.
LeBron James: 7-24 FG (29%), 10-12 FT (83%), 24 Pts, 11 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO; This was James’ third straight double-double, though he’s struggled mightily with his shooting from the floor during that stretch.
Landry Fields: 6-11 FG (55%), 4-4 FT (100%), 3 threes, 19 Pts, 13 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 TO; This was worlds apart from his four-point, six-rebound stink bomb on Monday. Fields deserves major recognition for putting up top-60 averages so far this season. The rookie wall could be looming, but he look good to go for now.
Tyson Chandler: 5-8 FG (63%), 11-12 FT (92%), 21 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Blk, 2 TO; That’s the second straight game that Chandler has scored 21 points and hit 11 free throws. He’s on a hot scoring streak and is averaging a higher-than-usual 13.3 points per game in January, along with 68 percent shooting from the field and 81 percent shooting from the line. The good times continue for Chandler and his feel-good season.
Kevin Garnett: 4-9 FG (44%), 2-2 FT (100%), 10 Pts, 9 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; The rebounding was nice to see after he totaled 12 rebounds in his last three games. Garnett should remain a solid fantasy asset down the stretch, though limited minutes and some DNPs for rest could be in the cards late in the season.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Shawne Williams: 11 Pts, 1 three, 6 Reb, 1 Stl; He’s too inconsistent for use in most leagues, but if you’re in need of some threes in a deep league, give him a look.
Jose Juan Barea: 19 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; That’s two consecutive strong outings for Barea, who is worth consideration in deeper leagues.
Kendrick Perkins: 10 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Perkins is a good player to stash if possible.
Rudy Fernandez: 11 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; He might have been dropped in your league after his two-point clunker on Monday, but Fernandez remains worth owning in many leagues.
Dante Cunningham: 9 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Cunningham is worth a flier in deeper leagues. He appears to be a decent source of steals and blocks.
Injuries:
Mike Bibby (hand): missed Thursday’s practice; monitor his status
Joakim Noah (thumb): the cast will be removed on Monday
Anderson Varejao (ankle): will have a second opinion before deciding whether he should have surgery
Peja Stojakovic (knee): will not play Thursday and Saturday
Richard Hamilton (flu): questionable tonight
Rodney Stuckey (shoulder): making the trip for tonight’s game
Brandon Rush (ankle): will miss two weeks
Chris Bosh (ankle): probably won’t return before Feb. 3
Linas Kleiza (knee): coach Jay Triano said Kleiza is “not close” to returning
Paul Millsap (thumb): will play tonight
Deron Williams (wrist): will have an MRI on his wrist
Raja Bell (neck, shoulder): game-time decision tonight
Kirk Hinrich (elbow): returned to practice Thursday
JaVale McGee (flu): missed Thursday’s practice; check his status
Nicolas Batum (knee): will have an MRI today, was seen walking with crutches Thursday; check his status
O.J. Mayo (suspension): suspended 10 games for using the same banned substance Rashard Lewis did in 2009
For Tonight:
If Bibby can’t go, Jeff Teague could see some decent action tonight against the Knicks.
Tony Allen could get a lot of run for the Grizzlies as they visit the Sixers.
For Next Week:
4 games: CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, IND, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, NJ, ORL, POR, UTA, WAS
3 games: ATL, BOS, DET, HOU, LAL, MIN, NO, NY, OKC, PHI, SA, TOR
2 games: CHI, GS, PHO, SAC
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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