fBasketballBlog

Patty Mills was the "Beast of the Night." Yep, it was the last night of a lockout-shortened NBA season. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Beast of the Night: Patty Mills finishes the wild 2011-12 NBA regular season with this honor, thanks to his 34 points, five boards, 12 dimes, one steal, one block and four three-pointers. He shot 56 percent (14-25) from the floor and 100 percent (2-2) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over four times. It’d be a huge surprise to see him here ever again, but good for him and however many of his owners last night.

Lines for Discussion:
DeMarcus Cousins: 9-19 FG (47%), 5-7 FT (71%), 23 Pts, 19 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Cousins aggressively put his stamp on the 2011-12 NBA season, finishing with top 60 value

Ed Davis: 10-15 FG (67%), 4-5 FT (80%), 24 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; in nine games as a starter this season, Davis averaged 8.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.6 blocks in 33.5 minutes

Enes Kanter: 4-8 FG (50%), 4-7 FT (57%), 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors are all on Utah’s payroll next season, which means Kanter’s fantasy appeal will be limited to deep leagues (continue reading…)

Last night's line was for you. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James put up 41 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, a block and a three-pointer last night in a start at shooting guard for the Heat. He shot 60 percent (15-25) from the floor and 77 percent (10-13) from the free-throw line, and had four turnovers. James’ recent slip in production dropped him to No. 2 overall in fantasy basketball, but he’s still a monster.

Lines for Discussion:
Carmelo Anthony: 17-31 FG (55%), 4-5 FT (80%), 1 three, 39 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; though he’ll finish the season strong, 2011-12 was a huge disappointment for his fantasy owners

Steve Nash: 7-12 FG (58%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 18 Pts, 6 Reb, 12 Ast, 1 TO; he’s maintained top 60 value throughout the season and is a dependable double-double machine, albeit one with a worrisome back

DeMarcus Cousins: 16-25 FG (64%), 9-14 FT (64%), 41 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Cousins has worked himself into a near-top 50 fantasy basketball player this season, which is how he should be viewed heading into next season’s drafts (continue reading…)

Pierce has been a fantasy basketball force lately. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Beast of the Night: Paul Pierce blasted the Bobcats with 36 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals, three blocks and a three-pointer last night. He shot 50 percent (10-20) from the field and 83 percent (15-18) from the free-throw line, and had four turnovers. Since March 2, Pierce has averaged 22.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.7 threes, while shooting 47 percent from the field and 87 percent from the charity stripe. Those are top 15 averages.

Lines for Discussion:
Jordan Crawford: 9-16 FG (56%), 1-1 FT (100%), 1 three, 20 Pts, 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; assuming that Wizards roster stays mostly the same next season (when he’ll be playing for a new contract), Crawford could be a solid pick around the fifth round of most drafts

Gerald Henderson: 9-14 FG (64%), 3-5 FT (60%), 21 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl; his value remains limited by his lack of threes

Ryan Anderson: 9-15 FG (60%), 2-2 FT (100%), 8 threes, 28 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 TO; Anderson remains a top 10 fantasy stud for the season, which is already three-quarters over (continue reading…)

What more do you want from the guy? (Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

Weekend Wonder: Kevin Love was a monster this past weekend, averaging 40.5 points, 17.5 boards, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.0 blocks and 4.0 threes in two games. In this stretch, he shot 59 percent from the floor and 83 percent from the free-throw line, and averaged 2.0 turnovers per game. Love has asserted himself as the clear-cut No. 4 fantasy basketball player in the NBA, and should be viewed as such in next season’s drafts.

Lines for Discussion:
Ramon Sessions (3/23): 6-10 FG (60%), 6-8 FT (75%) 2 threes, 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; he’s finally starting and looks to be a huge helper for his fantasy owners in their playoff periods

Klay Thompson (3/24): 10-20 FG (50%), 7-7 FT (100%), 4 threes, 31 Pts, 1 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; the rookie has been an absolute stud since taking Stephen Curry’s spot in the starting lineup earlier this month

DeMarcus Cousins (3/24): 9-20 FG (45%), 10-11 FT (91%), 28 Pts, 18 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; if he can lift his field-goal percentage (43.5 percent for the season so far), Cousins would be come a no-brainer top 50 fantasy asset (continue reading…)