Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 2.3

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant posted 43 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal, a block and five three-pointers last night. He shot 74 percent (14-19) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Durant is really picking up steam lately and has been the top fantasy player during the last month or so. He’s making all his opponents look like fake tough guys.

Lines for Discussion:
Amir Johnson: 8-11 FG (73%), 4-4 FT (100%), 20 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This was one of Johnson’s best lines of the season. The return of Reggie Evans later this month poses a threat to his value, but owners who want to keep rolling with Johnson can’t be blamed. Just know that if there’s ever a time to sell high on the kid, it’s now.

Joe Johnson: 15-27 FG (71%), 2-3 FT (67%), 5 threes, 37 pts, 2 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 TO; It was a good night to be a Johnson. This one continues to tear things apart and is doing a great job of making up for a sluggish start to the season and his missed time in December. Over the past month, Johnson has put up top-15 averages.

Jrue Holiday: 5-11 FG (46%), 1 three, 11 Pts, 10 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 TO; This was his first career triple-double. Holiday’s value has wavered a bit lately, thanks to poor shooting and the use of Andre Iguodala for point forward duties.

Darren Collison: 9-17 FG (53%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 4 Reb, 9 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 TO; Collison has picked up steam in the past month or so and could be another beneficiary of the coaching change for the Pacers. If you’ve been looking to buy low on him, the window might be shut.

Dirk Nowitzki: 10-16 FG (63%), 7-7 FT (100%), 2 threes, 29 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Nowitzki appears to be back in his groove, which means the opportunity to buy low on him is gone. He should proceed to be a top-five fantasy player the rest of the way.

Danilo Gallinari: 7-14 FG (50%), 12-12 FT (10%), 1 three, 27 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Dirk-lite had a fine game, too, and has scored 56 points in his last two games. Gallo also appears to be back on track, though inconsistency is always in the cards for him.

Ben Gordon: 8-18 FG (44%), 1-1 FT (100%), 3 threes, 20 Pts, 1 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk; Gordon has now started three straight games and has racked up 76 points and 13 threes during that stretch. Rodney Stuckey‘s eventual return could pop this bubble, so Gordon’s owners have two alternatives: 1) hold onto him and hope for a trade to open things up for him; 2) sell high.

Stephen Jackson: 14-26 FG (54%), 8-10 FT (80%), 3 threes, 39 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; The Captain’s 26 shots dwarfed the next highest number of attempts from any Bobcat (nine from Kwame Brown and nine from Gerald Henderson). Regardless, this was a nice line from Jackson, who has had his moment lately. It remains to be seen whether he and Gerald Wallace can truly click at the same time.

Boris Diaw: 0-3 FG (0%), 4 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Diaw was supposed to take advantage of the absence of Tyrus Thomas. He clearly isn’t.

Serge Ibaka: 3-5 FG (60%), 2-4 FT (50%), 8 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 6 Blk, 1 TO; His three games before this were terrible, so this was refreshing for Ibaka’s owners to see. His minutes and production are unreliable at best lately, but an injury to the Thunder’s starting frontcourt could shift things in his favor for the near future. At the very least, Ibaka’s shot-blocking makes him worth hanging onto in most leagues.

Waiver-Wire Watch:
Ramon Sessions: 25 Pts, 1 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Sessions will be a strong play whenever either Mo Williams or Daniel Gibson are out. Last night, both Williams and Gibson were out.

Paul George: 13 Pts, 3 threes, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; George continues to put up decent numbers and should be on all fantasy radars. Pick him up if you’re in a deeper league.

Anthony Parker: 17 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; He’s not an automatic pickup, but Parker should be monitored.

Jose Juan Barea: 22 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; The little guy is always capable of putting up one or two big lines a week, but he’s too inconsistent to rely on in most leagues.

Toney Douglas: 22 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Ast, 3 Stl; Douglas continues to get consistent run but doesn’t always do much with those minutes. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.

Tracy McGrady: 12 Pts, 2 threes, 1 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; T-Mac’s value could be dented by Stuckey’s nearing return, but he remains a solid guy to own for the time being.

Greg Monroe: 10 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; If you need a big man, Monroe is definitely worth consideration.

Chuck Hayes: 13 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; The same goes for Hayes.

Earl Watson: 11 Pts, 9 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Stl; So long as Deron Williams is out, Watson is worth starting.

C.J. Miles: 18 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; He’s really hot right now and is worth a start in most leagues.

Injuries:
Keyon Dooling (flu): day-to-day

Chris Paul (ankle): he returned to the game after spraining his ankle in the first quarter and says he’ll play on Saturday; monitor his status

Trevor Ariza (ankle): day-to-day

Jerryd Bayless (knee): sprained his right knee; check his status

Nenad Krstic (foot): day-to-day

Luke Ridnour (personal): check his status

Wesley Matthews (ankle): monitor his status

For Tonight:
Lamar Odom will likely start again in place of Andrew Bynum and should have another solid line as the Lakers host the Spurs.

If Andrew Bogut can’t go, Ersan Ilyasova should get plenty of run at center against the Warriors.

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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