Beast of the Night: Brandon Jennings finished with 27 points, three rebounds, seven assists, three steals, two blocks and two three-pointers last night. He shot 41 percent (7-17) from the field, 92 percent (11-12) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover. Jennings has been pretty solid for much of this month so far, but his Achilles heel continues to be his poor shooting from the field. This isn’t going to change anytime soon.
Lines for Discussion:
D.J. Augustin: 8-15 FG (53%), 5-5 FT (100%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 1 Reb, 8 Ast; The All-Star weekend did him good. If he was dropped in your league, don’t hesitate to pick him up. Augustin’s wrist seems fine now, making him a good bet to finish the season on a high note.
Aaron Brooks: 2-9 FG (22%), 4-4 FT (100%), 1 three, 9 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Truth be told, this was actually one of Brooks’ better lines this month. He remains a frustrating guy to own – a bit too valuable to drop, but way too unreliable to play. If you’re in a shallower league and there’s a hot player (e.g., Ty Lawson) sitting in your free-agent pool, don’t hesitate to make the swap.
J.R. Smith: 9-22 FG (41%), 2-2 FT (100%), 6 threes, 26 Pts, 8 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He played a season-high 42:22 for the short-handed Nuggets and put up a great line. That said, excitement about a turnaround post-Carmelo Anthony should be held in check for now. Once Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler arrive to clog up that roster, Smith will have a tougher time doing this kind of thing on a consistent basis. Smith also remains a candidate to be dealt before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Arron Afflalo: 7-12 FG (58%), 4-6 FT (67%), 3 threes, 21 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 TO; Afflalo has been one of the unheralded heroes of the season so far, and with Anthony shipped out of town, he has a good shot at boosting his fantasy value for the remainder of the season. Don’t expect this kind of line every night, but Afflalo should be a more reliable player going forward.
O.J. Mayo: 8-14 FG (57%), 3-5 FT (60%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Pardon this fantasy owner if he’s still not sold on a comeback for Mayo, but this line sure was nice. He remains a sixth man for the Grizzlies, but should be more reliable down the stretch with Rudy Gay out.
Kevin Garnett: 11-16 FG (69%), 2-2 FT (100%), 24 Pts, 12 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This was a huge line from KG. But the rain on this parade is knowing that he’ll likely get rest down the stretch, which means that his owners should consider selling high on him sooner than later.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Josh Howard: 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 TO; Howard remains an appealing option, especially with Rashard Lewis struggling with a bum knee. Of course, Howard has a weak knee of his own, which is the main reason why owners should be keep their expectations in check if they choose to take a chance on him.
Nazr Mohammed: 8 Pts, 14 Reb; Mohammed is fine to consider in deeper leagues, but if you’re in a normal-sized league, there’s nothing to see here.
Chuck Hayes: 8 Pts, 8 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl; He did this in just 15:14 of work. Hayes was dropped in a lot of leagues before the break, but he’s a solid guy to at least stash if you can spare the room.
Will Bynum: 21 Pts, 1 three, 2 Reb, 6 Ast; Bynum continues to put up usable numbers and is definitely worth a look if you need points, assists and steals. He’s also shooting 52 percent from the field and 86 percent from the line this month.
Greg Monroe: 12 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; He’s not going to anchor most teams’ frontlines, but Monroe remains a solid guy to stash if you need a big man.
Samuel Dalembert: 18 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Ast; Great line from Dalembert, but he hasn’t blocked a shot in five of his last six games.
Jermaine Taylor: 13 Pts, 1 three, 2 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 TO; With Tyreke Evans out a while, Taylor makes for a sneaky stash if you can spare a roster spot in deeper leagues.
Ty Lawson: 21 Pts, 1 threes, 5 Reb, 7 Ast, 6 Stl, 4 TO; If he’s available, pick him up. It’s as simple as that.
Tony Allen: 26 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; With Gay out, Allen should be a solid guy to own the rest of the way.
Sam Young: 10 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; See above.
Injuries:
Mo Williams (ankle): didn’t practice Monday, questionable tonight
Mike Miller (head): could return Thursday
Marcus Camby (knee): doubtful for tonight
Brandon Roy (knees): game-time decision tonight
Sean Marks (hand): day-to-day
Reggie Evans (foot): will rejoin the team today, but he isn’t expected to play tonight
Ronnie Price (toe): doubtful tonight
Raja Bell (calf): should play tonight
Andrei Kirilenko (ankle): ditto
Kirk Hinrich (calf): day-to-day
Carl Landry (DNP): held out last night’s game due to trade talks that should send him to New Orleans
Stephen Jackson (hamstring): monitor his status
Tyreke Evans (foot): he’s in a walking boot for the next three weeks
Kendrick Perkins (knee): knocked his left knee last night and left the game early; monitor his status
Joakim Noah (thumb): set to return tonight
For Tonight:
Obviously, all eyes will be on Madison Square Garden tonight. Expect Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to have decent nights against the Bucks. See how ‘Melo meshes with Amar’e Stoudemire. Also, monitor guys like Landry Fields, Shawne Williams, Bill Walker, Toney Douglas and Roger Mason.
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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