fBasketballBlog

Howard and his fantasy owners were all smiles last night. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard was truly a beast last night, posting 45 points, 23 rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks against the Warriors. He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the field, 54 percent (21-39 – the 39 attempts broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 50-year-old record of 34) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Not much needs to be said here. Howard’s averages this season nearly match his output from 2010-11, except that he’s dishing out more assists (2.3 vs. 1.4) and turning the ball over less (3.1 vs. 3.6). The Magic only had two games this week, which means owners who unwisely benched the guy in weekly update leagues are kicking themselves this morning.

Lines for Discussion:
Josh Smith: 14-22 FG (64%), 2-6 FT (33%), 30 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; since Jan. 3, Smith has been posting top 10 averages

Joe Johnson: 7-18 FG (39%), 7-8 FT (88%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; his appeal remains limited, mostly due to his inconsistent shooting from the field

Rudy Gay: 11-16 FG (69%), 3-4 FT (75%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; his lackluster shooting from the free-throw line (65 percent) and his lack of threes (0.5 per game) are weighing his fantasy value down

Greg Monroe: 12-16 FG (75%), 8-8 FT (100%), 32 Pts, 16 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Monroe has been a top 25 fantasy player so far, which makes him even better than advertised heading into the season

Stephen Jackson: 9-17 FG (53%), 4-4 FT (100%), 3 threes, 25 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Stl, 6 TO; he’s regaining his reputation as an all-around fantasy contributor with a weak field-goal percentage

Kyrie Irving: 11-17 FG (65%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 26 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 6 TO; he’s returning top 75 value so far this season, almost exactly what was expected of him

Steve Nash: 6-10 FG (60%), 3-5 FT (60%), 1 three, 16 Pts, 15 Ast, 3 TO; Nash has truly become a two-trick pony, averaging 12.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 10.1 assists and 1.2 threes per game

Waiver-Wire Watch (four stars = must add; one star = keep an eye on him):
Byron Mullens: 21 Pts, 4 Reb (**)

Zaza Pachulia: 10 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO (***)

Ivan Johnson: 12 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO (*)

O.J. Mayo: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 8 Reb, 3 TO (****)

Bill Walker: 14 Pts, 4 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk (*)

Brandon Knight: 20 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 5 TO (***)

Jon Leuer: 15 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Blk (**)

Ersan Ilyasova: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 1 TO (*)

Markieff Morris: 13 Pts, 2 threes, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO (***)

Michael Redd: 12 Pts, 3 threes, 1 Ast, 1 Stl (*)

Injuries:
Andrea Bargnani (calf): monitor his status, but expect a few DNPs

Derrick Rose (toe): consider him a game-time decision for tonight

Tracy McGrady (back): day-to-day

Marvin Williams (ankle): day-to-day

Al Horford (pectoral tear): out 3-4 months

Keyon Dooling (knee): questionable tonight

Jermaine O’Neal (knee): probable tonight

Richard Hamilton (groin): reportedly very close; monitor his status

Joakim Noah (thumb): probable tonight

Kwame Brown (pectoral tear): out at least three months

Carmelo Anthony (ankle, wrist): monitor his status

Andrea Bargnani (calf): monitor his status, but make other plans

Steve Blake (ribs): day-to-day

Grant Hill (quad): day-to-day

Rudy Fernandez (Achilles): probable tonight

Dorell Wright (knee): day-to-day

Jason Richardson (knee): he sprained his left knee in last night’s game; day-to-day

For Tonight:
Amir Johnson and Ed Davis should get extra run should Bargnani miss tonight’s game against the Pacers.

John Lucas could have another good spot start in him if Rose misses tonight’s game against the Celtics. Also, see if Paul Pierce can break out of his slump.

Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal, Danny Green, James Anderson or Richard Jefferson – who will be big tonight for the Spurs as they face the Trail Blazers? Also, see if Tim Duncan has even more magic left in him.

For Next Week:
5 games: LAC
4 games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, HOU, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NJN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, WAS
3 games: GSW, IND, OKC, PHO, UTA

[See another version of this post on DimeMag.com]