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George threw down some mean stuff this past weekend. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Weekend Wonder: Paul George averaged 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.0 steals, 1.5 blocks and 4.5 threes in two games over the weekend. He shot 48 percent from the field and 100 percent from the line, while averaging 1.5 turnovers in that stretch. For the season, George is averaging top 25 numbers. While none of his categorical averages are phenomenal, he’s an all-around helper who doesn’t hurt his owners anywhere. He’s far exceeding the sleeper tag placed on him heading into the 2011-12 NBA season.

Lines for Discussion:
Jared Dudley (2/3): 5-10 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 2 threes, 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Stl; he was on a bit of a roll in his four games before his injury

Dirk Nowitzki (2/3): 12-17 FG (71%), 5-6 FT (83%), 1 three, 30 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 TO; he seems to be finding his bearings again

Trevor Ariza (2/4): 9-12 FG (75%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 26 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; Ariza’s been maddeningly inconsistent this season, but he does have solid all-around value for owners who don’t mind his terrible FG% (continue reading…)

Everybody loves Kevin. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Beast of the Night: Kevin Love finished with 39 points, 12 boards, one assist, one steal and five three-pointers last night. He shot 68 percent (13-19) from the field, 80 percent (8-10) from the free-throw line and had five turnovers. While Love’s rebounding, assists and shooting percentages are down from last season, he’s improved his three-point making, scoring and stealing. There’s not much else to say about this top 10 stud.

Lines for Discussion:
Kevin Garnett: 5-9 FG (56%), 4-4 FT (100%), 14 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; he’s putting up top 85 numbers so far this season, which is about what owners should have expected

James Harden: 8-11 FG (73%), 3-3 FT (100%), 5 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; though he continues to come off the bench, Harden’s minutes are up from last season, along with his field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, threes, points, rebounds and assists

Kyle Lowry: 4-13 FG (31%), 7-8 FT (88%), 1 three, 16 Pts, 10 Reb, 10 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; his poor field-goal percentage and frequent turnovers have been the only knocks on his top five fantasy value so far (continue reading…)

As his frontcourt mate continues his decline, Blair has a shot at making some noise at the center spot for the Spurs this season -- but will he? (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Depth chart:
PG: Tony Parker, Cory Joseph, Chris Quinn*
SG: Manu Ginobili, Gary Neal, Danny Green, Adam Hanga
SF: Richard Jefferson, Kawhi Leonard, James Anderson, Da’Sean Butler, Davis Bertans
PF: Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Steve Novak*
C: DeJuan Blair, Tiago Splitter, Antonio McDyess

* unrestricted free agent (continue reading…)

Behold, Marcus Thornton, the NBA equivalent of Charlie Sheen. (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Buy Low:
Steve Nash

Marcus Camby

Troy Murphy

Gerald Wallace

Kirk Hinrich (continue reading…)

Love has been a beast this season, but his weak playoff schedule kind of makes him a scumbag.

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Fantasy playoffs are right around the corner, with most playoff matchups beginning in Week 21 (3/14) or Week 22 (3/21). This means most fantasy owners who are still in contention for a playoff spot in their leagues should start pondering whether or not they want to swing some deals to bulk up their teams’ schedules during that all-important stretch of the season. In essence, fantasy owners should see this as another way of buying low (on players whose teams have favorable fantasy playoff schedules) and selling high (on players whose teams have weak fantasy playoff schedules).

Below is a quick rundown of how many games each team plays in Weeks 21-25 (Week 25 might be combined with Week 24 in leagues that play to the very end of the NBA regular season). (continue reading…)