Weekend Wonder: Paul George averaged 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.0 steals, 1.5 blocks and 4.5 threes in two games over the weekend. He shot 48 percent from the field and 100 percent from the line, while averaging 1.5 turnovers in that stretch. For the season, George is averaging Top 25 numbers. While none of his categorical averages are phenomenal, he’s an all-around helper who doesn’t hurt his owners anywhere. He’s far exceeding the sleeper tag placed on him heading into the 2011-12 NBA season.
Lines for Discussion:
Jared Dudley (2/3): 5-10 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 2 threes, 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Stl; It’s a shame Dudley suffered a thigh bruise that forced him to miss the next game. Owners should pay attention to how he performs when he returns – he was on a bit of a roll in his four games before the injury.
Dirk Nowitzki (2/3): 12-17 FG (71%), 5-6 FT (83%), 1 three, 30 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 TO; He followed this up with a 24/8/3 performance, which seems to indicate that Nowitzki’s finally finding his bearings again. Owners who bought low should feel proud for the time being.
Trevor Ariza (2/4): 9-12 FG (75%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 26 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; Ariza’s been maddeningly inconsistent this season, though his solid thieving and across-the-board production make him worth starting for teams that don’t mind his notoriously poor field-goal percentage.
Anderson Varejao (2/4): 8-13 FG (62%), 1-2 FT (50%), 17 Pts, 17 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 TO; Vareajo is averaging 16.3 points and 17.3 rebounds in his last three games. He remains a top 50 fantasy basketball player this season, better than most owners expected.
Tony Parker (2/4): 16-29 FG (55%), 10-12 FT (83%), 42 Pts, 3 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; The only thing missing from this pristine line was a three-pointer, but we won’t nitpick here. This was a monster line from Parker, who’s having himself a fine season. His scoring and assists are up from their marks last season, but we’ll have to see how Manu Ginobili‘s eventual return affects Parker’s production.
Carlos Boozer (2/4): 4-6 FG (67%), 8 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Boozer has looked shaky lately, alternating good games with mediocre ones. He’ll battle inconsistency in most weeks but is still averaging solid all-around numbers. He’s more help than hurt.
Dorell Wright (2/4): 8-13 FG (62%), 4-4 FT (100%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl; Wright still hasn’t recaptured the magic he had last season. He’s been better lately but looks very unlikely to justify the second- and third-round draft picks spent on him in most drafts.
DeMarcus Cousins (2/4): 8-18 FG (44%), 5-5 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 20 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; This was a nice bounce-back game after his 8/6/2 stinker the game before. Cousins is averaging a double-double for the season, and his only major weakness is his assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.0 assists to 2.8 turnovers). But given his PF/C status, it’s not too big a deal.
Marcus Thornton (2/4): 11-24 FG (46%), 2-2 FT (100%), 4 threes, 28 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Thornton has racked up 48 points and six three-pointers in his two games since returning from a thigh injury. He appears ready to pick up where he started as a strong source of points, threes and steals.
Rajon Rondo (2/5): 2-6 FG (33%), 1-2 FT (50%), 5 Pts, 5 Reb, 14 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; Rondo is finally back and shouldn’t take too long to work the rust off. Owners should feel happy to reinsert him into their starting lineups.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Alonzo Gee: he continues to put up solid across-the-board numbers and warrants a pickup in many leagues
Amir Johnson: his 18/13 line on Friday was promising and could be a sign of better things to come from Johnson
Trevor Booker: he’s blocked two shots in each of his last four games and is worth a look for owners in need of a power forward
Ersan Ilyasova: if you missed out on Drew Gooden, Ilyasova isn’t a terrible consolation prize
Nikola Pekovic: his 27/11 line on Friday doesn’t indicate the norm for Pekovic, but he’s still worth a look if you need a center
Vince Carter: he’s been mostly decent lately and is worth a look in deeper leagues
Ivan Johnson: he’s a meat-and-potatoes fantasy player but is worth a look for owners who need a power forward in deep leagues
Jeremy Lin: his 25/5/7 game was impressive, but owners should wait to see what he does in the coming days before dropping someone too valuable for him
Greivis Vasquez: he continues to put up good lines, especially with Jarrett Jack out
Reggie Williams: he’s worth a flier if you have dead weight to spare, especially while Gerald Henderson is out
Injuries:
Jason Collins (elbow): out at least two weeks
DeSagana Diop (knee): day-to-day
Corey Maggette (hamstring): should begin practice shortly
Richard Hamilton (groin): day-to-day
Daniel Gibson (neck): day-to-day
Anthony Parker (back): day-to-day
Will Bynum (foot): hopes to practice today
Ben Gordon (shoulder): ditto
Charlie Villanueva (ankle): expected to miss most of the season
Darko Milicic (quad): day-to-day
Jarrett Jack (knee): day-to-day
Jason Smith (head): monitor his status
Thabo Sefolosha (foot): return date is unknown
Elton Brand (thumb): day-to-day
Brandon Bass (knee): hopes to play Tuesday
Tony Allen (hip, knee): day-to-day
Derrick Rose (back): said he’ll play tonight
Brandon Knight (nose): expected to play Wednesday
Nate Robinson (groin): monitor his status
Ekpe Udoh (wrist): day-to-day
Carl Landry (knee): expected to miss 3-4 weeks
Jared Dudley (thigh): day-to-day
Raymond Felton (foot): questionable tonight
Chuck Hayes (shoulder): monitor his status
Timofey Mozgov (ankle): day-to-day
Glen Davis (suspension): expected to return tonight
Marquis Daniels (ankle): day-to-day
For Tonight:
See if Amir Johnson can put up another strong line, as the Raptors visit the Wizards.
Ditto for Lin, as the Knicks host the Jazz.
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