fBasketballBlog

Ellis was a professional thief last night. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Beast of the Night: Monta Ellis put up 30 points, one rebound, five assists, six steals and a block, and hit two three-pointers last night against the Nets. He shot 55 percent (11-20) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Ellis is having a solid season for the most part, especially if your league doesn’t count field-goal percentage (41 percent) and turnovers (3.9 per game). Even when Stephen Curry returns, Ellis’ value should remain intact.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwight Howard: 9-15 FG (60%), 6-10 FT (60%), 24 Pts, 25 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; his fantasy value is improved from last season, mostly thanks to more assists (2.4 per game versus 1.4 last season) and fewer turnovers (3.3 per game versus 3.6 last season)

Andre Miller: 12-20 FG (60%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 threes, 28 Pts, 8 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; he’s averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 ‘bounds, 6.4 dimes, 1.3 thefts and 0.5 treys

Serge Ibaka: 3-5 FG (60%), 6 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO;this was Ibaka’s first time grabbing double-digit rebounds this season

John Wall: 6-17 FG (35%), 13-14 FT (93%), 25 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 TO; his field-goal percentage and lack of threes still plague him, but he looks like he’s finding his way

Andray Blatche: 5-12 FG (42%), 1-2 FT (50%), 1 three, 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; his shoulder is still a concern, so sell high immediately

Deron Williams: 6-13 FG (46%), 8-8 FT (100%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 8 Reb, 10 Ast, 4 TO; he’s averaging a career-low field-goal percentage (37 percent) and dishing out 8.4 assists per game (his lowest mark since his rookie campaign) while turning the ball over a league-worst 4.3 times per game

Marc Gasol: 10-14 FG (71%), 2-3 FT (67%), 22 Pts, 12 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; he has grabbed 10+ rebounds in all 10 games so far in January

DeAndre Jordan: 9-13 FG (69%), 1-1 FT (100%), 19 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 Blk, 1 TO; he’s boasting a league-leading 3.1 blocks per game

Waiver-Wire Watch (four stars = must add; one star = keep an eye on him):
Trevor Ariza: 18 Pts, 5 Reb, 7 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO (****)

Markieff Morris: 3 Pts, 2 Stl (***)

Nikola Pekovic: 11 Pts, 1 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO (*)

Evan Turner: 20 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO (****)

Mickael Pietrus: 12 Pts, 4 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Stl (**)

Shannon Brown: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO (**)

Zaza Pachulia: 5 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO (**)

Tayshaun Prince: 29 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO (****)

Francisco Garcia: 16 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO (**)

Mo Williams: 26 Pts, 2 threes, 1 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO (***)

Injuries:
Vince Carter (foot): day-to-day

Rudy Fernandez (Achilles): day-to-day

Eddy Curry (hip): could be ready for tonight

Dwyane Wade (ankle): day-to-day

Jason Richardson (knee): day-to-day

Hedo Turkoglu (back): day-to-day

Spencer Hawes (Achilles): day-to-day; could miss an extended stretch of games

Marcus Camby (ankle): day-to-day

Andrea Bargnani (calf): may be ready for Sunday

Jamaal Tinsley (dermatitis): monitor his status

Josh Howard (quad): likely out tonight

Timofey Mozgov (back): day-to-day

Rajon Rondo (wrist): left last night’s game early; day-to-day

Bill Walker (knee): day-to-day

Markieff Morris (flu): day-to-day

Nicolas Batum (eye): should be fine for Friday, but monitor his status

For Tonight:
Mario Chalmers should have another solid night, as the Heat host the Lakers. Also, see if Mike Miller can have a strong follow-up to his season debut.

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