fBasketballBlog

It’s Josh Smith’s time to shine for Atlanta this season, so long as he can keep himself from jacking up terrible shots. (Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:

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

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Love strikes again. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Kevin Love posted 28 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal, four blocks and four three-pointers in a losing effort against the Grizzlies. He shot 46 percent (10-22) from the floor and 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line, and had two turnovers. Love has racked up eight blocks in his last three games, which is completely out of character. If he can somehow lift his blocks per game next season, he’ll make a run for top three status.

Lines for Discussion:
Kyrie Irving: 4-13 FG (31%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 threes, 12 Pts, 4 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO; in his last three games, Irving is shooting 39 percent from the floor, well below his season average of 47 percent

Jeff Teague: 6-8 FG (75%), 2-2 FT (100%), 1 three, 15 Pts, 1 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 7 TO; Teague has been a top 70 fantasy asset this season, which is in line with expectations, though it’s clear his value has a ceiling

Monta Ellis: 15-24 FG (63%), 3-4 FT (75%), 33 Pts, 4 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; this could be the start of Ellis finding his comfort zone on that Bucks squad (continue reading…)

If you have a problem with Smith's monster line from last night, then you have a problem. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Beast of the Night: Josh Smith busted out something nasty last night, to the tune of 33 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers. He shot 57 percent (13-23) from the floor and 100 percent (5-5) from the free-throw line, and had one turnover. After shooting a miserable 41 percent from the field in February, Smith is hitting 51 percent of his shots to go along with his 26.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 threes per game through the first seven games of March.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwight Howard: 9-13 FG (69%), 6-18 FT (33%), 24 Pts, 25 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; Howard is averaging 27.9 points, 15.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.7 blocks so far this month, while shooting 67 percent from the field

Jameer Nelson: 10-16 FG (63%), 1-2 FT (50%), 4 threes, 25 Pts, 1 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; he’s been better this month, as he’s managed to hit 48 percent of his shots from the floor while averaging 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.9 threes per game

Andrew Bynum: 15-18 FG (83%), 7-8 FT (88%), 37 Pts, 16 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; through the first seven games of March, he’s averaging 14.1 shot attempts per game, 2.4 more attempts per game than his 11.7 averages in January and February (continue reading…)

Lowry has been much, much better than advertised. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Weekend Wonder: Kyle Lowry averaged 29.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.0 threes in two games over the weekend. He shot 49 percent from the field and 92 percent from the free-throw line in that stretch. For the season, Lowry has maintained top three fantasy value, far exceeding even the loftiest expectations. Don’t be too surprised if he finished the 2011-12 NBA season with top 15 overall value.

Lines for Discussion:
Samuel Dalembert (1/13): 9-11 FG (82%), 3-4 FT (75%), 21 Pts, 16 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 Blk, 1 TO; since starting for the Rockets, Dalembert has averaged 8.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting 61 percent from the floor and 88 percent from the free-throw line — top 20 digits

MarShon Brooks (1/13): 8-15 FG (53%), 2-3 FT (67%), 2 threes, 20 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; owners should feel good about starting Brooks while he’s hot

Ricky Rubio (1/14): 7-15 FG (47%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 18 Pts, 4 Reb, 12 Ast, 5 Stl, 4 TO; he’s finally starting (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…)