Beast of the Night: Dwyane Wade put up 41 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block against the Wizards last night. He shot 48 percent (14-29) from the field, 92 percent from the line (12-13), hit a three and turned the ball over twice. Wade’s having difficulty replicating his spectacular numbers from last season but he’s obviously still an outright stud.

Noteworthy Lines:
Erick Dampier – 6-6 FG (100%), 2-2 FT (100%), 14 Pts, 20 Reb, 1 Stl, 3 Blk; A near-flawless game for the much-maligned big man. Like Ben Wallace, Dampier seems to be getting his second wind and is a delight to own. Coach Rick Carlisle said Drew Gooden’s return will affect other Mavericks more than his surging center, so Damp’s owners seem to have little to worry about.

Joakim Noah – 6-12 FG (50%), 12 Pts, 21 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; Noah’s clearly benefitting from playing nearly eight more minutes per game than he did last year. After being drafted in the 9th or 10th rounds of most drafts, he’s putting up top-25 numbers so far.

Gilbert Arenas – 7-20 FG (35%), 4-8 FT (50%), 3 3ptm, 21 Pts, 5 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Stl, 12 TO; That’s right – 12 turnovers. He probably lost that category for his owners this week with this game alone. He played through a sore calf and should be monitored.

Tyreke Evans – 5-16 FG (31%), 10-10 FT (100%), 20 Pts, 8 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 TO; The rookie continues to thrive with Kevin Martin out. His shooting will be inconsistent, but there’s not much else to complain about.

Andre Miller – 3-9 FG (33%), 1-1 FT (100%), 7 Pts, 2 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 TO; He and Steve Blake (14 Pts, 4 3ptm, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO) both started and played 31 minutes apiece. They’ve become a two-headed monster in the Blazers’ backcourt and are killing each other’s value with no resolution in near sight.

J.R. Smith – 1-9 FG (11%), 3-4 FT (75%), 5 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Not the greatest return for the man who was Earl Smith III for eight hours, and with coach George Karl seemingly intent on limiting his minutes for a bit, Smith’s owners should be patient.

D.J. Augustin – 2-6 FG (33%), 4 Pts, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He only played 17 minutes and is really struggling. He’ll be better than this on most nights, but his owners really have to consider swapping him out at this point.

Quentin Richardson – 0-2 FG (0%), 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Reality check. Don’t drop him just yet if you own him, but be aware that Q-Rich will have his ups and downs.

Waiver Wire Appeal:
Nazr Mohammed – 11 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Blk, 1 TO; He has his streaks of solid games, especially when the starter is out. With the mediocre Tyson Chandler a walking DNP waiting to happen, Mohammed should at least be closely watched, especially in deeper leagues.

Jose Juan Barea – 14 Pts, 2 3ptm, 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 TO; The little man continues to produce on a fairly consistent basis. Don’t let his small stature deter you from considering him.

Drew Gooden – 8 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 TO; He played 17 minutes in his return and should see more playing time going forward.

Thabo Sefolosha – 2 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 Blk, 2 TO; Starting job seems very secure, still putting up subtle-yet-decent lines on a consistent basis.

Injuries:
Craig Smith (eye): expected to play tonight

Hasheem Thabeet (jaw): out for the near future

Deron Williams (calf, back): sat out practice on Tuesday, game-time decision tonight

Randy Foye (ankle): wearing protective boot, day-to-day

Richard Hamilton (ankle): not playing tonight

Andris Biedrins (back): out for at least two weeks

Pau Gasol (hamstring): unlikely for Thursday

Andrew Bynum (elbow): likely to play on Thursday

Daequan Cook (shoulder): almost played on Tuesday, close to returning

Courtney Lee (groin): practiced on Tuesday, still feeling pain, unlikely tonight

Devin Harris (groin): shot around on Tuesday, still out for a while longer

Nate Robinson (ankle): might return tonight

Ryan Anderson (ankle): removed boot but won’t play until next week

Tony Parker (ankle): unlikely tonight

Tim Duncan (ankle): doubtful tonight

Eric Gordon (groin): likely out at least another 10 days

For Tonight:

The Anthony Randolph drama continues in Indiana, where Danny Granger will continue to battle an ailing heel.

Jamal Crawford could put up big numbers against his former squad in New York.

Chris Paul and Steve Nash put up great numbers against each other last season and are likely to continue that trend tonight.

Manu Ginobili might have to hang another huge line against Dallas if Parker and Duncan sit out.

Chris Kaman wasn’t included on this year’s All-Star ballot. See if the Caveman takes it personally and goes Geico on the Thunder.

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