Beast of the Night: Steve Nash put up 16 points, 2 threes, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers last night in a losing effort in Portland. He shot 64 percent (7-11) from the field but didn’t shoot any free throws. Nash continues to thrive in the Suns’ return to their run-and-gun style of play, as his points, threes, assists and shooting percentages are all up from last season.

Noteworthy Lines:
Luol Deng – 8-16 FG (50%), 7-7 FT (100%), 1 3ptm, 24 Pts, 13 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 TO; This was Deng’s first double-double since Nov. 30. He’s having a great year but the nearing return of Tyrus Thomas is a cloud in his fantasy future.

Danilo Gallinari – 6-17 FG (35%), 0-1 FT (0%), 6 3ptm, 18 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO; He worked his step-back shot from beyond the arc all night and kept the Knicks afloat in the second half. Believe it or not, the 15 shots he took from three was only his second-highest number of three-point attempts this season. Gallo remains valuable for his treys but has become madly inconsistent lately.

John Salmons – 7-14 FG (50%), 5-5 FT (100%), 1 3ptm, 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; After a ghastly performance on Tuesday, Salmons put up his best line since early November. His starting job and minutes are secure, but consistency seems to be avoiding him like the plague right now.

Rashard Lewis – 3-9 FG (33%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 3ptm, 9 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; All of his numbers (including his turnovers) are down this season and Lewis seems to enjoy alternating good and bad games. He’s a good buy-low candidate right now.

Michael Beasley – 8-15 FG (53%), 6-8 FT (75%), 22 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; This was a very night follow-up to his strong line on Tuesday. Beasley has exceeded expectations for the most part this season.

Amar’e Stoudemire – 9-19 FG (47%), 9-11 FT (82%), 27 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; This was his first line with 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 1+ blocks of the season.

Waiver Wire Appeal:
Taj Gibson – 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk; He’s been a steady producer all season but his minutes could take a hit in once Thomas returns.

J.J. Redick – 13 Pts, 2 3ptm, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl; He’s benefited from various injuries to the starting lineup but is only a decent source of threes in deep leagues.

Dorell Wright – 11 Pts, 1 3ptm, 8 Reb, 1 Stl; That’s three straight games of double-digit scoring and at least one three for Wright, who is quietly putting up usable fantasy stats.

Jerryd Bayless – 29 Pts, 2 3ptm, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO; This was a career night for the talented guard stuck in the miry glut that is the Blazers’ backcourt. He could be getting 25+ minutes going forward and stands to cut considerably into the “production” of Andre Miller and Steve Blake.

Injuries:
Tyrus Thomas (arm): non-contact practice Thursday, should return before 2010

Chauncey Billups (groin): questionable tonight

Richard Hamilton (hamstring): could return tonight

Larry Hughes (groin): will miss at least one more game

Jameer Nelson (knee): will practice this weekend, could return next week

Lou Williams (jaw): practiced Thursday, return is near

Allen Iverson (knee, shoulder): arthritis in both areas, out tonight

Jason Richardson (hand): sat out last night, could return this weekend

Greg Oden (knee): says he hopes to return this season, but ignore him for now

For Tonight:
Expect Jrue Holiday to get plenty of minutes with Iverson out, though his production will be hindered by the Celtics’ defense. Rajon Rondo should easily win that matchup.

Michael Redd stepped up to meet the challenge posed by Kobe earlier this week. Tonight he has the chance to do the same against LeBron James.

Gilbert Arenas returns to Oakland tonight, where he should have a nice battle with Monta Ellis.

For Next Week:
4 games: CLE, HOU, IND, LAC, PHO, SA
3 games: ATL, BOS, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, GS, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NY, OKC, ORL, POR, SAC, UTA, WAS
2 games: CHA, MEM, NJ, NO, PHI, TOR