Daily Fantasy Basketball Diagnosis: 1.12

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant finished his big night with 29 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal, four blocks and three three-pointers. He shot 65 percent (11-17) from the field, 67 percent (4-6) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. This was his third consecutive double-double. After a “slow” start, Durant is back on track, notching more rebounds, assist and blocks than he did last season, while shooting an improved 49 percent (up from 46 percent last season) from the floor.

Lines for Discussion:
Danny Granger: 9-16 FG (56%), 3-3 FT (100%), 3 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; This line was fine and dandy, but for the season Granger is really struggling. His points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers made, field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage are all down from their marks in 2010-11.

DeMarcus Cousins: 6-11 FG (55%), 9-11 FT (82%), 21 Pts, 19 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO; That’s four straight double-doubles for Cousins, who is averaging top 60 numbers so far this season. His assists-to-turnovers ratio (0.6:3.3) is laughable, but the kid is averaging 15.5 points, 11.0 boards, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks, all great numbers. Here’s hoping he got all the drama out of his system earlier this season.

Tyreke Evans: 7-22 FG (32%), 14-14 FT (100%), 1 three, 29 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; This line was nice, but flawed – a microcosm of Evans’ disappointing season so far. His 18/4/4 averages are decent, but his continued struggles from the field and mediocre three-point making limit his fantasy appeal.

Carmelo Anthony: 9-24 FG (38%), 8-8 FT (100%), 1 three, 27 Pts, 9 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 5 TO; ‘Melo is putting up top 10 numbers so far this season, which is exactly what was expected of him heading into 2011-12. He’s doing this while shooting 43 percent from the floor and turning the ball over 3.4 times per game.

JaVale McGee: 5-13 FG (39%), 10 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Ast, 5 Blk, 2 TO; Though his shooting percentages are down, McGee is returning top 30 value for his owners so far, thanks mostly to his improved rebounding (9.8 per game) and shot-blocking (3.2 per game, good for No. 2 in the league).

Tim Duncan: 7-17 FG (41%), 3-6 FT (50%), 17 Pts, 11 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO; That’s two solid games in as many nights. Duncan has racked up nearly 74 minutes of playing time in the past two days, which is a bit surprising. His owners should definitely consider selling high.

Kobe Bryant: 14-31 FG (45%), 11-11 FT (100%), 1 three, 40 Pts, 8 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He clearly benefited from the absence of Jason Kapono. All jokes aside, Kobe is rolling right now, though it’s hard to believe his body can maintain this kind of grueling burden all season long – but it’s also hard to doubt his ability to force his body, bum shooting wrist and all, to wherever he wants it to go. While it’s not a must-make move, selling high on him now wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Paul Millsap: 14-24 FG (58%), 1-2 FT (50%), 29 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; So much for Derrick Favors threatening his value. Millsap is doing just fine this season, nearly matching his averages from 2010-11 while playing almost six fewer minutes per game. He’s putting up top 20 averages so far this season.

Anthony Morrow: 9-17 FG (53%), 5 threes, 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl; Morrow has hit 18 threes in his last four games. He’s probably a yo-yo in your league right now, but if he somehow hasn’t been picked up yet, make room for him. If you own him, start him while he’s hot.

Chris Paul: 11-21 FG (52%), 5-5 FT (100%), 27 Pts, 6 Reb, 11 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; Vintage CP3. This line salvages the trust that some owners might’ve lost after two mediocre lines from the elite point guard. For the season, he’s putting up top three averages, which is no surprise.

Waiver-Wire Watch:
Zaza Pachulia: 11 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl, 3 TO; If Al Horford misses an extended period of time, Pachulia is worth a look.

Isaiah Thomas: 20 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Don’t read too much into this. Once Marcus Thornton comes back, Thomas won’t significant value.

Evan Turner: 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; He’s finding a groove and deserves a look if you have dead weight to swap out.

John Lucas: 25 Pts, 1 three, 8 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; The man went bananas with Derrick Rose sitting out. The only lesson here is that Lucas is the guy for spot starts whenever Rose misses time this season.

Kyle Korver: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; If you need threes, Korver should be picked up.

Omer Asik: 8 Pts, 14 Reb, 5 Blk, 1 TO; Joakim Noah got hurt, which means Asik might be worth a flier.

Trevor Booker: 8 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; The man continues to start and is grabbing a decent number of boards, along with stealing and blocking at a decent rate.

Delonte West: 12 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; So long as Jason Kidd is out, West has enough value to warrant a bench spot in many leagues. When Kidd returns, West will be inconsistent.

Jordan Farmar: 26 Pts, 6 threes, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; This was a huge line from Farmar, who usually doesn’t do much besides dish out a handful of assists.

Rudy Fernandez: 15 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 8 Ast, 4 Stl; That’s three solid games in a row. Scoop him up.

Injuries:
Al Horford (shoulder): left last night’s game early and didn’t return; monitor his status

Tracy McGrady (back): day-to-day

Derrick Rose (toe): reportedly doesn’t have turf toe; day-to-day

Cole Aldrich (personal): day-to-day

Richard Hamilton (groin): day-to-day

Ty Lawson (foot): day-to-day

Rodney Stuckey (groin): limited in his workout Tuesday; day-to-day

Troy Murphy (gastroenteritis): day-to-day

Trevor Ariza (groin): day-to-day

Spencer Hawes (back): day-to-day

T.J. Ford (hamstring): tear in his left hamstring will keep him out 4-6 weeks

Andray Blatche (shoulder): day-to-day

Andrea Bargnani (calf): left last night’s game early; monitor his status

Joakim Noah (thumb): monitor his status

Earl Watson (knee): day-to-day

For Tonight:
See if Dorell Wright and Jason Richardson can both keep things going, as the Magic visit the Warriors.

Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.

Follow Jason on Twitter at @fbasketballblog.

Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.

Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.

×