Kobe Bryant (photo. Chris Sembrot)

Weekend Wonder: Kobe Bryant delivered two nice presents to his fantasy owners this past holiday weekend, averaging 36.5 points, 2.5 threes, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 4.5 turnovers. He shot 44 percent from the field and 100 percent from the line in those two games. Kobe played a whopping 96 minutes in those two contests, thanks to a double overtime game on Saturday.

Noteworthy Lines:

Dwight Howard (12/25) – 1-7 FG (14%), 3-4 FT (75%), 5 Pts, 20 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 Blk, 7 TO; His offensive struggles continue, but this is the kind of line that fantasy owners have come to expect from Howard.

Mo Williams (12/25) – 8-13 FG (62%), 9-10 FT (90%), 3 3ptm, 28 Pts, 6 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; He’s been on a tear this past week, scoring 20+ points and hitting 3+ threes in four straight games.

Brandon Roy (12/25) – 16-26 FG (62%), 6-6 FT (100%), 3 3ptm, 41 Pts, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; This is a huge relief after he missed one game with a shoulder injury. Roy hasn’t scored fewer than 23 points in December and is definitely benefiting from having the offensive flow through him more.

Al Horford (12/26) – 11-14 FG (79%), 3-3 FT (100%), 25 Pts, 19 Reb, 2 Ast, 5 Blk, 2 TO; This was his strongest showing of the season so far. He’s double-doubled in four straight games now.

Stephen Jackson (12/26) – 9-26 FG (35%), 5-5 FT (100%), 1 3ptm, 24 Pts, 8 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; The poor shooting from the floor and frequent turnovers are his trademarks, but it’s nice to see him put up a nice line despite a lingering back injury.

Tyrus Thomas (12/26) – 10-17 FG (59%), 1-3 FT (33%), 21 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO; He played 32 minutes in his first game back from an arm injury and though he’ll come off the bench for at least another game, Thomas is a decent start in most leagues.

Beno Udrih (12/26) – 10-19 FG (53%), 3 3ptm, 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He’s been one of the steadier Kings lately, but this was his first game with 20+ points since Nov. 27.

Mike Dunleavy (12/27) – 1-10 FG (10%), 1 3ptm, 3 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast 3 TO; That’s four straight duds from Dunleavy, who has clearly hit an early wall. Bench him for now.

Baron Davis (12/27) – 7-11 FG (64%), 9-9 FT (100%), 1 3ptm, 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 13 Ast, 3 Stl, 6 TO; Minus the turnovers, this was one of his better games this season. B-Diddy’s pretty much maintaining his numbers from last season but is shooting better from the field and the free throw line.

Waiver Wire Appeal:

Tony Allen – starting in place of Paul Pierce, capable of putting up solid all-around numbers

Jared Dudley – having a solid month, should be considered in deeper leagues.

Tyler Hansbrough – two straight double-doubles

Keyon Dooling – playing well, getting decent minutes with Rafer Alston out

Devin Brown – double-digit scoring in five straight games, good for threes and steals

Kirk Hinrich – starting instead of John Salmons

DeJuan Blair – has started at center for four straight games

Rasual Butler – inconsistent, but usually a decent scorer

Injuries:

Chauncey Billups (groin): out tonight, should return later this week

Andris Biedrins (back): could return tonight

Ron Artest (concussion): questionable tonight

Marc Gasol (elbow): should be fine

Allen Iverson (knee): probable tonight

Tyreke Evans (ankle): probably out tonight

Tracy McGrady (personal): messy situation in Houston

For Tonight:

See how Iverson fares in his probable return tonight in Portland.

If Evans can’t go, expect Udrih and Omri Casspi to have strong games against the Nuggets.

Strong defense meets high-octane offense as the Celtics visit the Warriors. Monta Ellis should have a nice battle with Rajon Rondo.

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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