Beast of the Night: LeBron James owned the Thunder with his 34 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, four steals, one block and three three-pointers last night. He shot 50 percent (10-20) from the field and 85 percent (11-13) from the free-throw line, and had two turnovers. This followed his 41/6/4 line against the Sixers the previous night. Believe it or not, last night’s monster line helped James reclaim the No. 1 spot over Kevin Durant again.
Lines for Discussion:
Darren Collison: 7-8 FG (88%), 3-3 FT (100%), 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 TO; This has been an underwhelming season for Collison, to say the least. The big-time promise he showed when he started in place of an injured Chris Paul for the Hornets back in the 2009-10 NBA season is but a faint memory.
Jordan Crawford: 11-22 FG (50%), 1-1 FT (100%), 5 threes, 28 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 TO; In his last 11 games, Crawford has put up top 30 averages. He will be one of the most appealing players to consider in next year’s drafts.
Andrea Bargnani: 8-15 FG (53%), 5-5 FT (100%), 3 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; In his last five games, Bargnani has averaged 25.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.4 blocks and 2.0 threes, while shooting 51 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free-throw line. Those are great numbers, except that Bargnani is a forward-center. But after all his owners have been through this season, maybe it’s OK to lay off him a bit.
Eric Gordon: 3-11 FG (27%), 7-9 FT (78%), 2 threes, 15 Pts, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; He’s finally back, just in time for owners who are still in the running for their league’s championships. Get him in your starting lineups.
Marc Gasol: 3-13 FG (23%), 4-6 FT (67%), 10 Pts, 10 Reb, 7 Ast, 4 Blk, 1 TO; Gasol has cooled off a bit lately. Still, he’ll be a solid or third- or fourth-round pick in next year’s drafts.
Andrew Bynum: 13-20 FG (65%), 10-12 FT (83%), 36 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 Blk; So far this season, Bynum has been a top 10 fantasy basketball monster. His health is still a red flag, but we’re witnessing the kid’s incredibly high ceiling when healthy.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Kevin Seraphin: 19 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 TO; Nene looks like he’ll be hampered for the rest of the season, making Seraphin a solid pickup if you need a big man.
Spencer Hawes: 10 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Give him a look, especially if you’re in a deeper league.
Danny Green: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s worth a gamble if you need threes.
Avery Bradley: 19 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Stl; He’s hit double-digit points in five of his last six games, and did so last night despite being back on the bench. Consider him in deeper leagues.
Anthony Parker: 27 Pts, 4 threes, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; He’ll be hard-pressed to do this again this season, but Parker is a decent option in deeper leagues.
Ekpe Udoh: 11 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Whenever Udoh gets enough minutes, he’ll be a decent option in most leagues. His value is tied to the sore back of Drew Gooden.
Charles Jenkins: 19 Pts, 4 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 TO; He continues to start for the Warriors, though his inconsistency is a bit maddening.
J.J. Barea: 15 Pts, 3 threes, 6 Reb, 8 Ast, 7 TO; He’s a solid pickup, especially while Luke Ridnour heals.
Wayne Ellington: 17 Pts, 3 threes, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s been mostly solid lately and is worth a look if you need points and threes.
Kenneth Faried: 13 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Scoop him up if you need a power forward.
Injuries:
Wilson Chandler (groin): day-to-day
Rodney Stuckey (hamstring): remains on target to return tonight
Drew Gooden (back): day-to-day
Luke Ridnour (ankle): out at least a week
Jarrett Jack (ankle): day-to-day
Jared Jeffries (knee): could be back Sunday
Jameer Nelson (calf): questionable tonight
Dwight Howard (back): ditto
Ryan Anderson (ankle): could miss up to 5-6 days
Devin Harris (ankle): day-to-day
Raja Bell (knee): out for two weeks
Nene (foot): day-to-day
D.J. Augustin (knee): day-to-day
Kyrie Irving (shoulder): out at least a week
Deron Williams (illness): day-to-day
James Johnson (illness): monitor his status
Derrick Rose (groin): game-time decision for tonight
Tony Allen (mouth): monitor his status
For Tonight:
See if Rose returns for the Bulls tonight, as they host the Celtics.
Carmelo Anthony should have another big game against a potentially Howard-less Magic squad.
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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