Weekend Wonder: Carmelo Anthony averaged 29.5 points, nine rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, two blocks and four threes in two games over the weekend. He shot 44 percent from the field and 85 percent from the foul line in that stretch. In the last 30 days, Anthony has put up top-three averages.
Lines for Discussion:
Jrue Holiday (4/8): 3-11 FG (27%), 7-7 FT (100%), 13 Pts, 4 Reb, 11 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO; Though he’s struggled with his shooting from the floor this month, Holiday has dished eight assists per game in April. He’ll finish the season with top-70 averages. Expect him to make even more progress next season
J.J. Hickson (4/8): 11-20 FG (55%), 0-3 FT (0%), 22 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Hickson followed this up with an 11/12 line, which means he’s notched double-doubles in five of his last six games. If he can overcome his inconsistency and do more than score and rebound, he’ll be a valuable big man for the foreseeable future.
Ty Lawson (4/9): 11-16 FG (69%), 5-6 FT (83%), 10 threes, 37 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; This was a huge game for Lawson and his owners, and makes up for his mostly terrible performances so far this month. The young point guard could feasibly be taken in the third or fourth round of next season’s drafts.
Rodney Stuckey (4/10): 8-18 FG (44%), 6-8 FT (75%), 2 threes, 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Stuckey has been great in his last three games. Though he’s still lacks the appeal of an elite-level fantasy point guard, he still holds decent intrigue going forward, especially if he leaves Detroit for the right team.
David Lee (4/10): 11-22 FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%), 24 Pts, 14 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Lee is having a monster run to finish the season. He was dogged by that elbow injury for a good portion of the season. Don’t think too lowly of him next fall.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Toney Douglas: he’s hitting 3.2 threes per game through five games this month
Sasha Vujacic: he’s been a solid asset lately and should finish the season strong with Deron Williams and Anthony Morrow both shut down
Martell Webster: averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 threes this month
Jerryd Bayless: continues to thrive as Jose Calderon struggles with his lingering hamstring injury
Reggie Evans: he continues to feast on the boards on a nightly basis
Ed Davis: he’s making a strong case to get more minutes next season
Chris Wilcox: he racked up 41 points and 20 rebounds over the weekend
Kenyon Martin: he looks strong lately; K-Mart hasn’t missed a game since Feb. 25
J.J. Barea: as the bench gets more minutes this month, Barea has been producing solid points, assists and threes
Drew Gooden: fresh off his first career triple-double, Gooden looks like a no-brainer pickup for the final few days of the season
Injuries:
Kyle Lowry (foot): could be done for the season
Shaquille O’Neal (calf): won’t play today
Wilson Chandler (ankle): day-to-day
Arron Afflalo (hamstring): expected to play tonight
Luis Scola (knee): day-to-day
Chris Kaman (knee): sounds like he’s done
Darko Milicic (ankle): day-to-day
Amar’e Stoudemire (ankle): play either Tuesday or Wednesday
Anthony Parker (back): day-to-day
Danilo Gallinari (ankle): aiming to return tonight but monitor his status
Jon Brockman (shoulder): done for the season
Mike Miller (thumb): sprained his left thumb Sunday; monitor his status
Anthony Morrow (knee): done for the season
Paul Millsap (sore throat): should be good to go tonight
Monta Ellis (concussion): could be done for the season
Erick Dampier (knee): day-to-day
Mario West (shoulder): a separated left shoulder finishes his season
Sony Weems (knee): day-to-day
Andrea Bargnani (ankle): won’t be with the team for tonight’s game
Jose Calderon (hamstring): ditto
Leandro Barbosa (finger): ditto
Amir Johnson (ankle): done for the season
For Tonight:
J.R. Smith could have a big night if the Nuggets are without Chandler and Gallinari tonight as they host 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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