Every legit NBA title contender this season seems to have that one Lottery-bound team that poses problems for them. For the Celtics, it has been Detroit. For the Spurs, it’s been Minnesota. For the Heat, it’s been Indiana. The Lakers? They’ve been having a tough time with the Rockets for the last couple of years now, Yao or no Yao. Last night’s matchup was another nail-biter … It’s easy to see why the Rockets are a bad matchup for the defending champs. Read More »

Not to take a dump on ESPN’s Friday doubleheader featuring Spurs vs. Mavs and Blazers vs. Suns, but was there really any doubt that last night’s true must-see matchup was Warriors vs. Clippers? Forget the win-loss records: Blake Griffin and Monta Ellis might actually hail from planets other than ours, Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon are walking clinics on the art of deadly buckets, and the Golden State crowd is always fun, especially on a night where they’d be welcoming back Baron Davis … Read More »

Beast of the Night: Arron Afflalo had himself a night to the tune of 31 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two threes. He shot 79 percent (11-14) from the field, 100 percent (7-7) from the free-throw line and had no turnovers. This is something of a preview of what will happen to Afflalo’s fantasy value if Carmelo Anthony is dealt away. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: LeBron James played in two overtime games this past weekend and averaged 35 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, four steals, 0.5 blocks and two threes. He shot 51 percent from the field, 76 percent from the line and averaged 5.5 turnovers in those games. Slowly but surely, James has regained top-10 status this season and should have an easy time staying there. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard finished his big night with 26 points, 23 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in a tough loss to the Mavericks. He shot 58 percent (11-19) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. This was his third straight game with 20+ rebounds, and Howard is averaging 23.7 points, 21 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2 blocks during that stretch. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Andrea Bargnani torched the Knicks with 41 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 threes. He shot 67 percent (16-24) from the field, 78 percent (7-9) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover. He continues to score well, but his rebounding and blocks are down from last season’s marks, as are his minutes, curiously enough. Bargnani remains a great big man to own, especially for small-balll teams. Read More »

If DeAndre Jordan can produce more of this, than the future is bright in Los Angeles…

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Weekend Wonder: Kevin Garnett looked young this past weekend, averaging 16.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1 block and 0.5 turnovers in two games this past weekend. He also shot 63 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Garnett is having a great fantasy season so far, though he and his other major Celtics teammates are good sell-high candidates down the line. Read More »

Ranking the NBA from worst to first…

30. Sacramento Kings (4-14) Last week — Lost to Indiana, lost at L.A. Lakers, lost to Dallas It’s not exactly ideal when, during the last two minutes of a close game against one of the NBA’s elite teams, your announcer says something like “Beno Udrih wants the basketball,” and it’s supposed to be a reason for optimism. The losing streak is at seven. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Danny Granger crowned the Kings with 37 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 3 threes last night. He shot 63 percent (12-19) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the line and had four turnovers. Despite the talk of cutting back his minutes, Granger is playing about a minute more per game and has mostly maintained his averages from last season. Read More »