fBasketballBlog

No one got between Bargnani and top-dog honors last night. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Beast of the Night: Andrea Bargnani posted 36 points, six boards, two assists, two steals, a block and four three-pointers in his mighty comeback from a calf injury. He shot 48 percent (10-21) from the floor, 100 percent (12-12) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Bargnani is having himself a solid all-around season with no real signs of a letdown in sight.

Lines for Discussion:
Carmelo Anthony: 0-7 FG (0%), 1-1 FT (100%), 1 Pt, 11 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; for a guy who was drafted in the first or second round, his top 35 value so far this season isn’t cutting it

Kemba Walker: 7-17 FG (41%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Blk, 4 TO; with D.J. Augustin sidelined for a while, Walker’s stock will rise in the coming days

Chris Bosh: 10-16 FG (63%), 14-14 FT (100%), 1 three, 35 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Bosh is producing top 20 fantasy basketball averages this season (continue reading…)

Everybody loves Kevin. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Beast of the Night: Kevin Love finished with 39 points, 12 boards, one assist, one steal and five three-pointers last night. He shot 68 percent (13-19) from the field, 80 percent (8-10) from the free-throw line and had five turnovers. While Love’s rebounding, assists and shooting percentages are down from last season, he’s improved his three-point making, scoring and stealing. There’s not much else to say about this top 10 stud.

Lines for Discussion:
Kevin Garnett: 5-9 FG (56%), 4-4 FT (100%), 14 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; he’s putting up top 85 numbers so far this season, which is about what owners should have expected

James Harden: 8-11 FG (73%), 3-3 FT (100%), 5 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; though he continues to come off the bench, Harden’s minutes are up from last season, along with his field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, threes, points, rebounds and assists

Kyle Lowry: 4-13 FG (31%), 7-8 FT (88%), 1 three, 16 Pts, 10 Reb, 10 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; his poor field-goal percentage and frequent turnovers have been the only knocks on his top five fantasy value so far (continue reading…)

Yep, he's still No. 1. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Weekend Wonder: LeBron James averaged 28.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in two games over the weekend. He shot 57 percent from the floor, hit 94 percent of his free throws and turned the ball over 3.5 times per game. James is shooting 56 percent from the field so far this season, thanks to his apparently deliberate attempts to shoot fewer three-pointers and take shots closer to the rim.

Lines for Discussion:
LaMarcus Aldridge (1/20): 12-25 FG (48%), 9-14 FT (64%), 33 Pts, 23 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 6 TO; he’s quietly putting together top 12 averages so far this season

Stephen Curry (1/20): 5-15 FG (33%), 2 threes, 12 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 TO; his minutes will likely be limited for a few games, but his owners should feel bold enough to start him

Danilo Gallinari (1/21): 9-19 FG (47%), 18-20 FT (90%), 1 three, 37 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Gallinari is now shooting 46 percent from the field, his highest mark since arriving in the NBA and a big reason for his top 10 value so far this season (continue reading…)

Nash has been great lately, and he looks cool in this photo, but his minutes and production are unsustainable. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Buy Low:
DeMar DeRozan

Danny Granger

Amar’e Stoudemire

Gerald Wallace

Ray Allen

Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Brook Lopez and any other productive fantasy players who are injured should be considered buy-low candidates. (continue reading…)

This pretty much tells the tale. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James posted 31 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals, three blocks and two three-pointers last night against the Lakers. He shot 44 percent (12-27) from the field, 71 percent (5-7) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Maybe it wasn’t as momentous as MJ’s “flu game,” but this was a huge line from a guy who was questionable with the flu-like symptoms until about an hour before the start of the game. LeBron has hit nine three-pointers in his last three games, which is noteworthy because he hit zero threes in the 10 games before that. He remains the unquestioned king of fantasy basketball.

Lines for Discussion:
Kobe Bryant: 8-21 FG (38%), 5-5 FT (100%), 24 Pts, 3 threes, 5 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; he’s shooting a combined 15-of-43 (35 percent) from the floor in his last two games

Pau Gasol: 11-19 FG (58%), 3-3 FT (100%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; he has top 20 value so far in the 2011-12 NBA season, but that’s disappointing for a guy who was drafted in the top 10 of most leagues

Al Jefferson: 8-18 FG (44%), 6-8 FT (75%), 22 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl; Jefferson is putting up top 15 averages and is keeping in tip-top shape (continue reading…)