Beast of the Night: Mike Conley had 26 points, two rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and four three-pointers made last night as he led the Grizzlies to a victory over the Magic. He shot 64 percent (9-14) from the field, 80 percent (4-5) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. This was his second double-double in as many games. Though Conley’s numbers have slipped a bit from his hot start to the season, he remains a better fantasy player than he has been in past seasons.
Lines for Discussion:
Roy Hibbert: 9-19 FG (47%), 6-9 FT (67%), 24 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; With Jim O’Brien booted from his post as the head coach of the Pacers, the prospects of guys like Hibbert have risen dramatically. This was clearly his best game in a very long time and it’s no coincidence that it came in the Pacers’ first game under new coach Frank Vogel. If Hibbert was dropped in your league, pick him up. If you’ve been stashing him on your bench, it might be time to start him again. A comeback is on the way.
DeMar DeRozan: 3-15 FG (20%), 4-4 FT (100%), 10 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; While the shooting was terrible, this was a decent all-around line from DeRozan. The bad news is that he’s really struggled from the field in his last three games, and given that DeRozan’s fantasy value relies on his scoring, that’s not good for his fantasy value. It could be time to consider cutting ties and riding another hot hand.
Tyson Chandler: 5-10 FG (50%), 8-14 FT (57%), 18 Pts, 18 Reb, 4 TO; This was the fourth time this season Chandler has grabbed 18 rebounds. The big man has really upped his offense this month, as he’s averaging 13.5 points on 65.3 percent shooting from the floor and 77.4 percent shooting from the line.
Jason Kidd: 3-8 FG (38%), 2-2 FT (100%), 3 threes, 11 Pts, 9 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Kidd’s erratic shooting from the field has frustrated his fantasy owners but he remains too good to just drop. Though he’s having a somewhat disappointing fantasy season, his non-FG% numbers remain sturdy.
Gerald Wallace: 2-7 FG (29%), 3-4 FT (75%), 7 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Wallace has looked downright awful in his last three games, though he has racked up five steals and six blocks over that stretch. He remains a good buy-low target.
Corey Maggette: 6-13 FG (46%), 13-15 FT (87%), 25 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Maggette has been fairly hot this month, but those SG and SF spots in Milwaukee remain too crowded when everyone on that roster is healthy. Sell high on him before he takes the inevitable dip in production.
DeAndre Jordan: 7-8 FG (88%), 2-4 FT (50%), 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Blk, 1 TO; Jordan’s appeal has cooled off lately and with Chris Kaman returning, things will only get cooler. He’s another guy to consider selling high on.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Ed Davis: 13 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Blk, 2 TO; He’s a bit inconsistent and will be even more limited when Reggie Evans returns, but Davis is worth a look in deeper leagues for his rebounds and intermittent blocks.
Paul George: 16 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; George figures to get more consistent run with coach Jim O’Brien gone, making him a worthy player to stash.
Tyler Hansbrough: 14 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 TO; Hansbrough should also see more opportunities with coach Frank Vogel in place.
Travis Outlaw: 21 Pts, 3 threes, 4 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; He’s incredibly inconsistent but could be worth a look in deeper leagues if he gets somewhat hot.
Manny Harris: 20 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO; It’s tough to trust him, but Harris should be a decent play so long as Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson are out.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 12 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Not bad for 18:24 of work. Big Z isn’t worth anything more than consideration in deeper leagues.
Mike Miller: 10 Pts, 2 threes, 11 Reb, 1 Ast; He needs to be more consistent to have more fantasy value, but Miller remains a decent guy to stash if you can spare the room.
Yi Jianlian: 14 Pts, 11 Reb, 4 Stl, 1 Blk; He’s had flashes of near-relevance this month but doesn’t have enough appeal yet. Just keep an eye on him.
C.J. Miles: 20 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Miles has looked good this month and is a healthy source of threes and steals.
Injuries:
Josh Smith (knee): didn’t practice Monday; monitor his status
Al Horford (ankle): ditto
Joakim Noah (thumb): coach Tom Thibodeau expects Noah to return “right after the All-Star break”
Taj Gibson (ankle): practiced Monday; monitor his status
Daniel Gibson (quad): should return in a game or two
Courtney Lee (flu): day-to-day
Andrew Bynum (knee): sat out Monday’s practice to rest his sore left knee; should be fine, but check his status
Jordan Farmar (back): out at least one more game
Emeka Okafor (hip): out tonight
Brandon Bass (knee): sprained his left knee; check his status
J.J. Redick (shoulder): day-to-day
Jason Thompson (ankle): out tonight
Paul Millsap (finger): dislocated his left pinkie Monday, which adds to his bruised right thumb; he still finished with 14/12, but deserves monitoring
Wes Johnson (knee): sat out practice with a sore right knee; questionable for Wednesday
Andrew Bogut (injury): left the game early last night, though it’s not certain why; monitor his status
Andrei Kirilenko (ankle): day-to-day
For Tonight:
Samuel Dalembert will start alongside DeMarcus Cousins as the Kings host the Celtics – crotches be warned.
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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