Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry finished with 32 points, six rebounds, seven assists, four steals and six three-pointers last night. He shot 63 percent (12-19) from the field, 67 percent (2-3) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover in 38 minutes of play. Curry has racked up 74 minutes of run in his last two games, which is a good sign that his ankle is fine for the time being. Barring any further setbacks, he’ll handsomely reward owners who bought low or exercised patience on him.
Lines for Discussion:
Anthony Morrow: 5-11 FG (46%), 4-4 FT (100%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s on a hot streak, and with MarShon Brooks out for a spell, Morrow’s stock looks healthier than it has for a while. That said, his owners would be smart to shop him while he’s starting and producing for the Nets, before Brooks returns. There are more reliable options that can be had on the market.
Anderson Varejao: 4-8 FG (50%), 2-4 FT (50%), 10 Pts, 16 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; Varejao is averaging 9.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks this season, which makes him a top 75 fantasy basketball player. He hasn’t disappointed owners who remembered him in their drafts.
Joakim Noah: 5-9 FG (56%), 10 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; While Noah isn’t busting out huge lines every night, his production has stabilized lately, which is a relief for owners who were worried when he struggled in the earlier part of the season. Since Jan. 13, he’s averaging 9.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Stephen Jackson: 8-16 FG (50%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 threes, 20 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He came off the bench again but made a strong case to be reinserted into the starting lineup. Owners should feel a bit better about starting him again, especially with the Bucks likely losing one of its starters for a few games.
Samuel Dalembert: 4-9 FG (44%), 5-6 FT (83%), 13 Pts, 18 Reb, 2 Blk, 4 TO; Dalembert is averaging a studly 10.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 2.2 blocks, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 91 percent from the charity stripe in 11 games as a starter this season. Those numbers epitomize the perfect fantasy basketball center.
Kevin Love: 9-16 FG (56%), 9-10 FT (90%), 4 threes, 31 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Love continues to reign this season. While his field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, rebounds, assists and turnovers are worse than they were last season, he’s improved his scoring, three-point making, thieving and blocking from their 2010-11 marks.
Devin Harris: 8-12 FG (67%), 7-11 FT (64%), 1 three, 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Just when you thought it was safe to drop him, Harris does this. This earns him the right to be held onto for the time being, but a magical long-term turnaround isn’t likely.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Landry Fields: 13 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; In his last five games, Fields is averaging 15.2 points. 0.6 threes, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals, making him worth a pickup in most leagues.
Tyrus Thomas: 13 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Stl, 9 Blk, 2 TO; Sick line from a player bound to disappoint the rest of the way. Scoop him up if you need a big man, but be ready with a backup plan.
Austin Daye: 28 Pts, 4 threes, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; This came thanks to injuries to other players on his team, but Daye’s worth monitoring.
Ronnie Brewer: 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; He has nice lines every now and then but remains a low-end asset on the majority of nights.
Chandler Parsons: 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk; He’s been inconsistent and has statistical weaknesses, but is worth a spot on your bench if you need across-the-board help in small doses.
Wayne Ellington: 16 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk; He started in place of Luke Ridnour and could be worth a gamble if you need points and threes.
Darko Milicic: 8 Pts, 7 Reb, 7 Blk, 1 TO; Three of his last four games have been decent, so give him a look if you’re desperate for a big man.
Tiago Splitter: 16 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; He’s hot and should be picked up in most leagues.
Linas Kleiza: 25 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s worth a flier if you’re looking for a scoring SF.
Jimmer Fredette: 19 Pts, 5 threes, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’ll be starting for a couple weeks and is worth a pickup if you need threes.
Injuries:
Jermaine O’Neal (knee): questionable tonight
Rajon Rondo (wrist): expected to return tonight
Byron Mullens (hand): played through a bruised hand; monitor his status
Gerald Henderson (tailbone): day-to-day
Omri Casspi (chin): monitor his status
Tayshaun Prince (personal): day-to-day
A.J. Price (illness): day-to-day
Luke Ridnour (knee): day-to-day
Andrew Bogut (ankle): day-to-day
Thaddeus Young (back): monitor his status
Mickael Pietrus (knee): didn’t practice yesterday; monitor his status
Taj Gibson (ankle): day-to-day
Rudy Fernandez (Achilles): day-to-day
Charlie Villanueva (ankle): day-to-day
Will Bynum (foot): day-to-day
Ben Gordon (shoulder): day-to-day
Dwyane Wade (ankle): day-to-day, but seems close to returning
Al Jefferson (ankle): day-to-day
Marcus Thornton (thigh): out 1-2 weeks
Andrea Bargnani (calf): aggravated his calf; day-to-day
Vince Carter (foot): day-to-day
Ty Lawson (ankle): monitor his status
For Tonight:
Rondo should be back in lineups unless owners hear news indicating otherwise, as the Celtics visit the Magic.
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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