Weekend Wonder: Stephen Curry steamrolled through the weekend by averaging 27 points, 4.5 rebounds, six assists, two steals, 0.5 blocks and 3.5 threes in two games. He shot 60 percent from the field, 100 percent from the line and averaged 2.5 turnovers. After a somewhat forgettable December, Curry has managed to lift most of his averages in January and should maintain top-10 value the rest of the way.
Lines for Discussion:
Mike Dunleavy (1/28): 12-16 FG (75%), 6 threes, 30 Pts, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; Dunleavy’s surprisingly resilient and productive season continues. His averages have remained very steady throughout the season, though DNPs are always a concern for him. Concerned owners should always be considering selling him off.
Dwight Howard (1/28): 14-20 FG (70%), 12-16 FT (75%), 40 Pts, 15 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 Blk, 3 TO; Howard totaled 60 points, 35 rebounds, five steals and five blocks in two games over the weekend. His offense is clicking in January, as he’s averaging 60.3 percent from the field, 62.3 percent from the line and 24.9 points – the latter two being season-high monthly marks.
Russell Westbrook (1/28): 12-24 FG (50%), 11-16 FT (69%), 35 Pts, 13 Reb, 13 Ast, 2 Blk, 4 TO; This game illustrates Westbrook’s fantasy value in a nutshell: great all-around numbers, but high turnovers and no threes. If he can pull a Derrick Rose and work on his three-point shooting for next season, the sky’s the limit.
Paul Millsap (1/28): 14-25 FG (56%), 2-2 FT (100%), 30 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 6 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; So much for that injured thumb. Millsap’s averages have remained solid, but his game-to-game consistency leaves something to be desired.
Andrei Kirilenko (1/28): 10-13 FG (77%), 6-8 FT (75%), 1 three, 27 Pts, 6 Reb, 7 Ast, 5 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Kirilenko followed this up with a 14/9/5 game and appears to be on a roll at the moment. Owners who are wary of his frailty should sell high.
Joe Johnson (1/29): 13-24 FG (54%), 1-1 FT (100%), 27 Pts, 8 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; The Johnson we once knew and loved appears to be resurrected – he’s averaging 26 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 threes in January so far. Congratulations if you bought low on him during his rough times in November and December.
Andrew Bogut (1/29): 7-18 FG (39%), 3-7 FT (43%), 17 Pts, 18 Reb, 1 Ast, 7 Blk; Bogut’s has been inconsistent from the field in January and has been terrible from the free-throw line (34.7 percent). Nevertheless, he remains a blocking machine, swatting 2.9 shots per game so far in 2011. He’s battling a blood infection, which drains his energy, so that’s something to monitor or act on.
Kobe Bryant (1/30): 16-29 FG (55%), 6-7 FT (86%), 3 threes, 41 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 TO; Bryant went into “Kobe mode” over the weekend, amassing 79 points on 56 shots from the field in two losses. Keep an eye on this.
Ben Gordon (1/30): 12-21 FG (57%), 4-4 FT (100%), 7 threes, 35 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; Gordon started his two games over the weekend and dropped some knowledge on fools. Rodney Stuckey is nearing his return, so monitor how that affects Gordon’s minutes and production.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Gerald Henderson: he’s a guy to keep an eye on in deeper leagues
Carlos Delfino: he appears ready to finally pick up where he left off when he started the season off strong before being knocked out by a concussion
Paul George: he’s being upgraded from stash-worthy to start-worthy in deep leagues
Tracy McGrady: solid all-around production continues to follow his name in box scores
Trevor Booker: two double-doubles over the weekend make him worth monitoring, though JaVale McGee’s eventual return will dent his value
Wes Johnson: he had a great week, averaging 16.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 three-pointers
C.J. Miles: also had a great week with great overall production and lots of threes
Samuel Dalembert: getting minutes and putting up decent numbers lately, despite DeMarcus Cousins’ monster games
Marcin Gortat: he appears to have an easy time getting double-doubles in limited minutes; just imagine what he might do if he were to start
Josh McRoberts: his return to the starting lineup has yielded good results so far, including a 20/8 game on Saturday
Injuries:
Peja Stojakovic (knee): not traveling with the Mavs for their upcoming three-game road trip
Al Harrington (foot): plantar fascia makes him day-to-day
Tyler Hansbrough (pneumonia): day-to-day
Jordan Farmar (back): day-to-day
Kelenna Azubuike (knee): returned to practice Wednesday, monitor his progress
JaVale McGee (flu): check his status
Jason Thompson (ankle): seen in a walking boot, day-to-day
Devin Harris (shin): says he’ll play Monday, check his status
Nick Young (calf): monitor his status
Mustafa Shakur (flu): day-to-day
Chris Douglas-Roberts (personal): death of his aunt makes caused him to miss Saturday’s game
Taj Gibson (ankle): monitor his status
Daniel Gibson (quad): day-to-day
Emeka Okafor (hip): day-to-day
Amar’e Stoudemire (knee): was listed as questionable before he played on Sunday; monitor his status
Gilbert Arenas (knee): a bruised knee kept him out of Sunday’s game
Goran Dragic (foot): likely out for the Suns’ next three games
For Tonight:
Ramon Sessions and Manny Harris should have plenty of minutes in store, but the visit the Heat in Miami.
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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