fBasketballBlog

You can tell by the look on his face that Pierce was the beast last night. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

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.

Lines for Discussion:
Monta Ellis: 6-18 FG (33%), 1-1 FT (100%), 13 Pts, 1 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 TO; Ellis’ fantasy owners are probably still booing Joe Lacob

DeAndre Jordan: 7-8 FG (88%), 14 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Stl; Jordan has been very mediocre this month, and his owners should keep expectations low for the rest of this season

Chris Kaman: 9-13 FG (69%), 2-3 FT (67%), 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 Blk, 7 TO; Kaman continues to thrive, though his frequent turnovers weigh down his fantasy value

Nicolas Batum: 9-15 FG (60%), 2-2 FT (100%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Up until last night, Batum failed to really take advantage of Gerald Wallace’s departure

Tyreke Evans: 11-17 FG (65%), 3-5 FT (60%), 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; he came off the bench again and put up a solid line

Waiver-Wire Watch (four stars = must add; one star = keep an eye on him):
Trevor Booker: 8 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO (***)

Greg Stiemsma: 6 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 4 Stl, 5 Blk (***)

Mickael Pietrus: 13 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 TO (*)

Ekpe Udoh: 2 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk (**)

Jason Smith: 17 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO (**)

Marco Belinelli: 15 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO (***)

Xavier Henry: 12 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 1 Ast (**)

Richard Jefferson: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 1 TO (**)

Chandler Parsons: 20 Pts, 2 threes, 11 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO (****)

Derrick Favors: 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 Blk, 3 TO (***)

Injuries:
Eduardo Najera (knee): out tonight

Mo Williams (toe): X-rays were negative; day-to-day

Trevor Ariza (ankle): day-to-day

Jason Thompson (ankle): X-rays were negative; he expects to play Saturday

Marvin Williams (hip): expected to play tonight

Vladimir Radmanovic (back): out tonight

Brendan Haywood (knee): getting closer to a return

Shawn Marion (knee): he hopes to play tonight

David West (finger): returned to the game last night; monitor his status

Joel Anthony (ankle): will start tonight

Mike Miller (ankle): will miss the Heat’s upcoming three-game road trip

For Tonight:
See how Ben Gordon follows up his 49-point explosion, as the Pistons host the Heat.

Reggie Williams could be a decent spot start, as the Bobcats host the Bucks.

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