Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 25 points, 24 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks last night, his sixth 20/20 game of the season. He shot 64 percent (9-14) from the field, 70 percent (7-10) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Howard’s averaging 25.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.8 blocks in his five games so far this month. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Brandon Jennings finished with 31 points, four rebounds, eight assists, four steals and seven three-pointers last night. He shot 36 percent (9-25) from the floor, 75 percent (6-8) from the free-throw line and had zero turnovers. Since Jan. 17, Jennings is averaging 24.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.6 threes per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free-throw line. For the season, he’s putting up top 10 averages. Read More »

What was that we said about the Heat being by far the best team in the league? They definitely aren’t playing like it. At least Denver is holding up their end of the bargain. The Nuggets played like legitimate Western Conference threats last night, their energy wearing down Miami in the second half of their win. Would there be any team more fun to play on than Denver? George Karl doesn’t just want to play fast. He wants quicker shots. He wants a faster pace. And he wants to run teams out of the gym. It also helps to have Ty Lawson too. Read More »

Say hello to the bad guy. We have a new beast in the West. In probably the most physical game of the NBA season so far, the Blazers showed why everyone is so frightened of playing them up in the Northwest by punking the Clippers and Blake Griffin, 105-97. With the NBA’s newest A-List team threatening them over and over, Portland answered every call. Between Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby, they did work on Griffin, holding him to the most up-and-down 18 and 12 night you’ll ever see. Read More »

Let’s be honest: Drafting the sleepers you want in the round you want is one of the most satisfying feelings in fantasy basketball. That said, sleepers are a dangerous breed. Like fair trades in the NBA these days, sleepers are not sure things and can sometimes burn you if you pounce too early on them. To help sort out the sleepers you should be eyeing in your fantasy basketball drafts this year, here’s a list of players who are napping, dozing and comatose (assuming nine categories). Read More »

Next up for fantasy basketball discussion: the Detroit Pistons. There’s a good deal to like here from a fantasy perspective – although there’s no first-round stud, there is some decent value in the middle rounds and a few fill-in guys to watch on the waiver wire when need be. With a good number of free agents for the Pistons, fantasy owners should expect things to change in the upcoming season. Read More »

As you already know, there will always be an inextricable link between basketball and hip-hop. And thanks for Nike Sportswear, they’ve taken that relationship to the next level. In a four-part web series called “American Made,” Swedish rapper Adam Tensta went to Detroit to meet Sweden’s only NBA pro, Jonas Jerebko, to try and figure out how to become American Made. Check out the trailer below, and each of the four episodes after the jump.

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As the NBA regular season approaches, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Tracy McGrady, Greg Monroe

Lost: Kwame Brown, Chucky Atkins Read More »

The NBA’s annual GM Survey was released earlier this week, and a lot of safe predictions were made. By overwhelming majority results that any politician would kill for, the GMs predicted the L.A. Lakers will three-peat as champions, and Kevin Durant will be MVP. They also chose Deron Williams as the No. 1 point guard in the League and Dwight Howard as the top center by wide margins.

When asked to predict the 2011 Rookie of the Year, 68 percent of the GMs named John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick of the Washington Wizards. Read More »

As much as last night’s Heat/Pistons exhibition game was about the debut of the “Super Friends” in Miami — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — it also represented the unveiling of a new-look Detroit squad.

The starting five stayed the same, but with the additions of Lottery pick Greg Monroe and former All-NBA regular Tracy McGrady, the Pistons certainly have more talent on the roster and expect no less than a run at the playoffs. Those hopes took a big hit with the news that second-year forward Jonas Jerebko will likely miss the entire season with a torn Achilles. Read More »