You never would’ve believed it unless you watched the game, especially with one team sporting guys like Chris Paul, Eric Bledsoe, Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan (Blake Griffin didn’t suit up). But the Jazz were the more exciting team on the floor last night in their 99-91 win over the Clippers, and nearly did enough in the first half alone to steal the Lob City nickname. Read More »

Israel is known as the Holy Land and a place rich with history and culture, but what many people don’t know is that it is also home to high level basketball. Since 2000, Israel has been one of the biggest basketball hotbeds in Europe. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel’s top team, won Euroleague titles in 2001, 2004, and 2005, and reached the Euroleague title game in 2006 and 2008. They also produced NBA players Anthony Parker, Omri Casspi, Maceo Baston, and Sarunas Jasikevicius, and beat the Toronto Raptors in an exhibition game, 105-103, in 2005. Additionally, many NBA players including Jordan Farmar, Trevor Booker, J.J. Hickson, and Avery Bradley spent the lockout playing in Israel. I caught up with David Pick, a writer for Eurobasket.com covering the Euroleague and Israeli basketball, to talk about the lockout, the Israeli Super League, and LeBron James. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Danny Granger posted 25 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks and three three-pointers last night against the Wizards. He shot 53 percent (8-15) from the field and 100 percent (6-6) from the free-throw line, and had no turnovers. Granger has displayed a habit of turning in a clunker or two each week, but he’s maintained top 50 value throughout the season. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Paul Pierce finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks and three three-pointers last night. He shot 67 percent from the floor and 67 percent from the free-throw line, and had three turnovers. For the season, Pierce has maintained top 45 value, which is about in line of most owners’ expectations heading into the season. Read More »

Beast of the Night: John Wall finished with 26 points, four rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and a block last night. He shot 69 percent (11-16) from the floor and 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line, and had five turnovers. Maybe that new Wizards roster will do Wall some good. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Josh Smith busted out something nasty last night, to the tune of 33 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers. He shot 57 percent (13-23) from the floor and 100 percent (5-5) from the free-throw line, and had one turnover. After shooting a miserable 41 percent from the field in February, Smith is hitting 51 percent of his shots to go along with his 26.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 threes per game through the first seven games of March. Read More »

Beast of the Night: James Harden posted 30 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks and four three-pointers last night. He shot 67 percent (8-12) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. Harden has been a top 25 fantasy stud so far this season, which is extra impressive given that he’s the non-starter in that bunch. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Jamal Crawford finished with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal, two blocks and five threes in his second consecutive start last night. He shot 53 percent (8-15) from the floor and had one turnover. Crawford looks set to continue being the Blazers’ starting point guard, relegating the struggling Raymond Felton to the bench. So long as he’s starting, Crawford will see a nice bump in value. Read More »

Beast of the Night: DeAndre Jordan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and four blocks last night. He shot 78 percent (7-9) from the field and shot not free-throw attempts and had no turnovers. This was Jordan’s third straight game with double-digit rebounds. He remains a fantasy stud for owners punting free-throw percentage. Read More »

We wonder if Dwight Howard was watching last night. The two teams most often associated with the Orlando big man met up for what could’ve been a classic last night in Dallas if it wasn’t for Jason Kidd, and if it wasn’t for the fact that one of the teams is the Nets. Still, New Jersey stole the game 93-92 after a Kidd three-point heave at the buzzer was off. How’d it happen? The Nets have a new big man, and it’s not the guy everyone is talking about. Brook Lopez dropped 38 points in his first big game of the season after coming off his injury. Read More »