fBasketballBlog

A Kaveman resides in Dallas this season. (Flickr/gamerscoreblog)

Depth chart:

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

What more did you want from Jefferson last night? (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart)

Beast of the Night: Al Jefferson took full advantage of a triple-overtime marathon against the Mavericks, posting 28 points, 26 rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in more than 54 minutes of burn. He shot 56 percent (14-25) from the floor and had one turnover. For the season, Jefferson has exceeded expectations by producing top six averages. Barring major changes in the Jazz’s roster or Jefferson’s health, he should be viewed as a first-round player in next year’s drafts.

Lines for Discussion:
Ryan Anderson: 11-16 FG (69%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 26 Pts, 16 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; with Dwight Howard likely done for the rest of the regular season, Anderson will be a beast for his owners whose teams are still contending for championships

Arron Afflalo: 10-16 FG (63%), 5-6 FT (83%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast; owners should note that he’s been a top 35 player since Feb. 19

Samuel Dalembert: 1-5 FG (20%), 3-5 FT (60%), 5 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 7 Blk; with Marcus Camby hurt, Dalembert could help owners looking to make one last push (continue reading…)

Can you guess who last night's beast was? (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Beast of the Night: Dirk Nowitzki finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, a block and three three-pointers in just 31:21 of work last night. He shot 63 percent (12-19) from the floor and 75 percent (6-8) from the free-throw line, and had three turnovers. Diggler’s finally clicking and has been a top 15 contributor in the past month.

Lines for Discussion:
Brandon Bass: 4-7 FG (57%), 8 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO; he’s been a decent low-end option all season, and now that Jermaine O’Neal’s done for the season, Bass will maintain bench-worthy value in most leagues

Gerald Wallace: 8-14 FG (57%), 10-11 FT (91%), 1 three, 27 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Wallace will have a higher ceiling in New Jersey than he did in Portland

Carlos Boozer: 12-18 FG (67%), 24 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 TO; Boozer continues to struggle with consistency, but his weekly averages make him worth starting in normal-sized leagues (continue reading…)

Thank God the season wasn't killed. (Flickr/ShuttrKing|KT)

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant was big again Monday night, finishing with 31 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and three three-pointers. He shot 53 percent (10-19) from the floor, 89 percent (8-9) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover. Durant is averaging a sick 29.3 points, 8.7 boards, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.8 threes in 12 games so far this month, making him the runaway No. 1 fantasy player in February.

Lines for Discussion:
Derrick Rose: 8-18 FG (44%), 5-9 FT (56%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 TO; the All-Star break should give his body even more time to fully heal, so even if his owners missed out on him this week, they have good reason to be excited for his second half of the season

Deron Williams: 10-22 FG (46%), 10-12 FT (83%), 8 threes, 38 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; since Feb. 11, Williams has been a top 10 fantasy beast

Jeremy Lin: 7-18 FG (39%), 5-6 FT (83%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 9 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 TO; the stat line was impressive, but if you watched the game you know Lin didn’t have that same quickness and pop in his step; Lin’s owners should hope Baron Davis stays healthy enough to give Lin ample time each game for rest going forward (continue reading…)

Love was the weekend's best player, just in time for Valentine's Day. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Weekend Wonder: Kevin Love came up big this past weekend, averaging 32.0 points, 16.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and a three in two games. He shot 49 percent from the field, 100 percent from the line and averaged 4.0 turnovers in that stretch. For the season, Love is averaging top five numbers, which is exactly where he was pegged by most fantasy owners in this season’s drafts.

Lines for Discussion:
Jeff Teague (2/10): 6-11 FG (55%), 1 three, 13 Pts, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; after a strong start to the season and a hot stretch in January, Teague has looked pedestrian so far in February

Jeremy Lin (2/10): 13-23 FG (57%), 10-13 FT (77%), 2 threes, 38 Pts, 4 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 6 TO; since Feb. 4, Lin has put up top 30 averages in leagues that count turnovers; in leagues that don’t count turnovers, Lin has been a top 15 stud

Dirk Nowitzki (2/10): 11-19 FG (58%), 7-10 FT (70%), 4 threes, 33 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; since Feb. 3, Nowitzki’s averaging top 10 numbers (continue reading…)