fBasketballBlog

Williams did his best LBJ impression. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Mo Williams did his best to fill in for LeBron James and finished with 35 points, 6 threes, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 turnovers. He shot 50 percent (12-24) from the field and 100 percent (5-5) from the line. After struggling with inconsistency in March, Williams has had a decent April so far but could sit out a game or two before the season’s done.

Noteworthy Lines:
Antawn Jamison – 10-19 FG (53%), 3-3 FT (100%), 23 Pts, 6 Reb, 3 Stl, 2 TO; He’s improved his scoring in each of his four games this month but his bum shoulder and new injury (see below) will likely grant him a DNP or two before the season is over.

Joakim Noah – 8-14 FG (57%), 1-1 FT (100%), 17 Pts, 15 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Blk, 1 TO; That’s three straight games with 11+ rebounds and 2+ blocks. His plantar fasciitis doesn’t appear to be an issue at the moment.

Eric Gordon – 7-14 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 4 3ptm, 21 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 TO; He’s been mostly good lately but Gordon just can’t seem to find the consistency he needs to be a real fantasy star.

Jason Thompson – 10-20 FG (50%), 2-3 FT (67%), 22 Pts, 15 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; This was one of his better games of the season. Thompson should get plenty of minutes the rest of the way but won’t do stuff like this every night.

Pau Gasol – 8-17 FG (47%), 10-11 FT (91%), 26 Pts, 13 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Blk, 3 TO; With Andrew Bynum definitely out for the rest of the regular season, Gasol’s value remains higher than usual the rest of the way.

Carmelo Anthony – 10-20 FG (50%), 8-11 FT (73%), 3 3ptm, 31 Pts, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; With no Kobe on the floor, ‘Melo took advantage and put up a great fantasy line. His stock has fallen since his white-hot start but he remains a fantasy beast on most nights.

J.R. Smith – 10-19 FG (53%), 1-2 FT (50%), 5 3ptm, 26 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl; He has a knack for stepping up against the Lakers and this was no exception.

Waiver Wire Appeal:
Jamario Moon – 14 Pts, 2 3ptm, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; With the Cavs set to rest their starters, Moon could end up being a nice pickup for the rest of the way.

DeAndre Jordan – 6 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He’s good for rebounds and blocks.

Francisco Garcia – 12 Pts, 2 3ptm, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk; He’s worth a look in deep leagues.

Injuries:
Tayshaun Prince (personal): will play tonight

Rodney Stuckey (ribs): X-rays were negative but he’s questionable at best tonight

Al Jefferson (personal): didn’t practice on Thursday, questionable tonight

Marcus Camby (hamstring): back to his old ways, questionable tonight

Antoine Wright (ankle): day-to-day

Amir Johnson (knee): ditto

Hedo Turkoglu (face): traveling with team, check his status

Jarrett Jack (ankle): monitor his status

Antawn Jamison (foot): will have it checked today

Craig Smith (back): day-to-day

For Next Week:
2 games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, GS, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NJ, NY, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, SA, TOR, UTA, WAS
1 game: CLE, NO