fBasketballBlog

Pierce was standing tall last night. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Beast of the Night: Paul Pierce blew up for 43 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals and four three-pointers. He shot 58 percent (11-19) from the floor and 94 percent (17-18) from the free-throw line, and had three turnovers. Pierce has been a pleasant surprise this season, giving his fantasy basketball owners top 24 value.

Lines for Discussion:
Roy Hibbert: 6-14 FG (43%), 3-3 FT (100%), 15 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO; that’s five straight double-doubles for Hibbert, who looks like he’s getting a second wind after a sluggish March

Carmelo Anthony: 13-24 FG (54%), 7-8 FT (88%), 2 threes, 35 Pts, 12 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; in the past month, Anthony has averaged 26.2 points, 7.4 boards, 3.3 dimes, 1.6 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.2 threes per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line — top 12 numbers

J.J. Barea: 10-20 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 5 threes, 28 Pts, 5 threes, 5 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 TO; Barea’s probably propelling more than a few fantasy basketball teams toward championships, but with Luke Ridnour set to return this weekend, the ride might hit an untimely speed bump (continue reading…)

Yep, you should've sold high on Manu. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Game watch:
2 games: ATL, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, GS, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NJ, NO, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, SA, UTA
1 game: BOS, CLE, MEM, NY, OKC, ORL, TOR, WAS

Waiver-wire watch:

• Rudy Fernandez: averaging 19.3 points, three three-pointers made, two rebounds, 3.3 assists and two steals in his last four games
• Chuck Hayes: he should really be owned in more leagues by now; good source of rebounds, steals and field-goal percentage
• Tony Allen: good for steals in deeper leagues
• Sasha Vujacic: averaging 16.7 points, 2.7 threes, 2.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals in his last three games (continue reading…)