fBasketballBlog

Howard and his fantasy owners were all smiles last night. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard was truly a beast last night, posting 45 points, 23 rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks against the Warriors. He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the field, 54 percent (21-39 – the 39 attempts broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 50-year-old record of 34) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Not much needs to be said here. Howard’s averages this season nearly match his output from 2010-11, except that he’s dishing out more assists (2.3 vs. 1.4) and turning the ball over less (3.1 vs. 3.6). The Magic only had two games this week, which means owners who unwisely benched the guy in weekly update leagues are kicking themselves this morning.

Lines for Discussion:
Josh Smith: 14-22 FG (64%), 2-6 FT (33%), 30 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; since Jan. 3, Smith has been posting top 10 averages

Joe Johnson: 7-18 FG (39%), 7-8 FT (88%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; his appeal remains limited, mostly due to his inconsistent shooting from the field

Rudy Gay: 11-16 FG (69%), 3-4 FT (75%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; his lackluster shooting from the free-throw line (65 percent) and his lack of threes (0.5 per game) are weighing his fantasy value down (continue reading…)

Chandler was loud and proud last night, and his fantasy owners were, too. (Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Tyson Chandler posted 20 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, three steals and three blocks last night against the Bobcats. He shot 88 percent (7-8) from the floor and 75 percent (6-8) from the free-throw line, and didn’t have any turnovers. Though he’s been a bit inconsistent, Chandler is averaging 12.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 turnovers per game, while shooting 73 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line. Those are top 10 numbers. He’s also playing nearly six more minutes per game than he did last season. So long as he’s healthy, Chandler’s a very helpful fantasy player.

Lines for Discussion:
Amir Johnson: 7-9 FG (78%), 5-6 FT (83%), 19 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; he’s on a hot streak but is averaging four fouls per game

Jeff Teague: 8-13 FG (62%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 threes, 20 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; he’s averaging 11.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.9 threes and 1.9 turnovers in 35 minutes per game

Anthony Morrow: 6-11 FG (55%), 4-5 FT (80%), 4 threes, 20 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; Morrow’s nailing 2.7 threes per game this month (continue reading…)

Good Guy Greg: Plays for the Pistons, still offers solid fantasy value. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Depth chart:
PG: Rodney Stuckey**, Brandon Knight, Will Bynum
SG: Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Tracy McGrady*, Terrico White
SF: Austin Daye, Tayshaun Prince*, Kyle Singler
PF: Charlie Villanueva, Chris Wilcox*, Jonas Jerebko**, Jason Maxiell, DaJuan Summers*
C: Greg Monroe, Ben Wallace, Vernon Macklin

* unrestricted free agent
** restricted free agent (continue reading…)

If it weren't for that tooth... (Flickr/Keith Allison)

Beast of the Night: David Lee posted 29 points, 20 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block last night. He shot 77 percent (13-17) from the field, 100 percent (3-3) from the foul line and had four turnovers. This was the kind of line many fantasy owners expected to see from Lee this season, but he fell short of expectations, thanks in part to Wilson Chandler’s tooth. In the past month, however, Lee has averaged top-12 numbers. He shouldn’t be forgotten on draft day next fall.

Lines for Discussion:
D.J. Augustin: 7-20 FG (35%), 6-7 FT (86%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 1 Reb, 8 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 TO

Greg Monroe: 7-13 FG (54%), 8-10 FT (80%), 22 Pts, 14 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO (continue reading…)

CP3 is making up for lost time in a huge way. (David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Chris Paul continued his hot post-concussion streak with 26 points, five rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two three-pointers. He shot 56 percent (9-16) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. Owners who endured Paul’s mediocre play in February and earlier this month are definitely being rewarded.

Lines for Discussion:
Greg Monroe: 9-14 FG (64%), 3-5 FT (60%), 21 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk

Andrei Kirilenko: 7-14 FG (50%), 1-2 FT (50%), 15 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO (continue reading…)