Matt Barnes capped off the Memphis Grizzlies comeback victory over the Pistons, by drilling a half court shot with 1.1 seconds left in the game. It’s probably the best mood that Barnes has been in all season. I don’t think Derek Fisher will have to worry about getting punched this week..
I was a bit surprised that Barnes took the shot considering there were still a few ticks on the clock when he chucked it up. Either way, it was a nice finish to a nice game from Barnes (8 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists in 30 minutes). The journeyman forward has always been a borderline fantasy player for his ability to do a little bit of everything.
Barnes had a nice string of games at the end of November, but now that Zach Randolph is back (21 points and 16 rebounds), Barnes has seen his minutes decrease. He should probably be dropped in 10 and 12 team leagues, but should continue to be monitored, should he see around 30 minutes a night.
Marc Gasol – Z-Bo and Barnes weren’t the only Grizzlies with double-digit rebounds, as Gasol finished with 19/12/4/2.
Andre Drummond – AD did his best to battle the Grizzlies frontcourt, posting 18 points and 19 rebounds himself. As an added bonus, he contributed 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks for a solid all-around game.
Reggie Jackson – After scoring only 4 points on Monday, Jackson rebounded to post 18/7/3 for the Pistons.
Patrick Beverley – After missing a bunch of games in the middle of November, Beverley looks to be finally healthy. It took him a few games to get back into the swing of things after coming back from injury, but he’s been fairly solid in the last 6 games with double figures and a couple steals, rebounds, and steals each game. Last night, he went 14/4/4 with 4 threes. He didn’t have any steals, which is unusual for him, but owners in need of threes, steals, and assists could do worse. If this strong play continues (and he stays healthy), then Beverley should have no problem maintaining the starter’s spot and minutes over Ty Lawson (2 points, 2 assists in 21 minutes).
James Harden – What a game for the beard: 42 points, 7 assists, 9 rebounds, 5 threes, 2 steals, and 2 blocks (13-23 FG, 5-9 3pt, and 11-12 FT). His shooting percentages will continue to rise with games like this.
Corey Brewer – Starting for the injured Trevor Ariza (back), Brewer put up 15/7/3. Nice stat line, but this should be short lived. Ariza was able to go through pregame warmups on Wednesday, but just didn’t feel well enough to play. He should be back soon.
John Wall – Wall was a rebound shy of a triple double, with 26 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds, and now has three straight 20-point games. I don’t expect him to be a 20+-point scorer every night, but the all-around play should continue.
Marcin Gortat – 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Polish Hammer in his return for the Wizards. He missed the past three games while tending to his sick mother in Poland.
Jared Sullinger and Isaiah Thomas – The Celtics had a balanced box score with 8 guys in double figures, but it was Sullinger and Thomas who carried the Celtics to their victory over the Bulls. Sullinger went 10 and 16 with 3 blocks, while Thomas went 20/5/5, all 20 of which came in the second half.
Jimmy Butler – Butler continues to show the NBA that the Bulls are now his team. 36 points and 7 rebounds for the losing Bulls.
Pau Gasol – Tim Duncan may be a few years older, but he’s not the only old big man still producing. At 35, Gasol continues to produce with a 16/15/4/2/1 line, giving him 5 straight double-doubles.
Nicolas Batum – While Wall was a rebound shy of a triple-double, Batum had no problem getting it Wednesday night. 10/11/11 in only 28 minutes for his 5th career triple-double.
Kemba Walker – Walker had a nice all-around game too for the Hornets with 18/4/5/5.
Tyler Johnson – The Heat were blown out so it gave the bench players more playing time. Johnson was productive in his 29 minutes, scoring 20 points on 6-12 shooting. Johnson can definitely score, but the Heat’s starters just had an off night, so leave him on the waiver wire.
Marvin Williams – Williams should probably be owned in more leagues (64% ownership). He went for 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 threes last night and is a potential for 1 block/steal/three on a given night.
DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry – DeRozan and Lowry led the Raptors to a surprise victory over the Spurs. DeRozan went for 28 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, while Lowry went for 19 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Manu Ginobili – The Spurs’ starters didn’t play particularly well, leaving the Spurs’ bench to keep them in the game versus the Raptors. Tony Parker led the starters in plus minus with a -8. That’s not very good, but it was good for Ginobili. He posted 17/4/3 off the bench, after receiving a night off on Monday. The extra rest must have helped, but Ginobili has been solid in 3 of the last 4 games and could be a pickup in deeper leagues, if the hot streak continues.
Chris Paul – Let’s hope that Paul’s rib injury is behind him. In his second game back from the injury, CP3 dished out 18 assists, to go along with his 18 points. More importantly it was against 2 assists. A 9 turnover to assist ratio is quite impressive.
J.J. Redick – It was also Redick’s second game back from an ankle sprain. He exploded for 31 points with 6 threes. He’s still probably over rostered, but has the ability to go off on any given night.
DeAndre Jordan – DJ put Greg Monroe in a coffin, in what’s already being called the dunk of the year. In addition to the dunk, Jordan grabbed 19 rebounds, scored 9 points, and blocked 3 shots.
Blake Griffin – Blake posted a 21/14/4 line for his third straight double-double.
Michael Carter-Williams – The Bucks lost by 14, but MCW went for 20 points and 11 assists off the bench. O.J. Mayo (14/8/4) has been starting with Jerryd Bayless hurt and MCW regulated to bench duties. With MCW playing much better off the bench lately, this might be a more permanent change. As long as he has nights like this, owners won’t care if he’s coming off the bench or starting,
Greg Monroe – Despite being dunked on, Monroe posted a solid game with 16 and 10.
Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors – The Jazz blew out the Knicks by 21 on Wednesday. They were led by Hayward (24/5/4 with 4 threes) and Favors (20 points and 8 rebounds). Hayward has really picked things up lately (22.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 4.8 apg over the last 5 games), while Favors has been his consistent rebounding self.
Alex Len – 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks for Len, who has now put together three great games. He’s seen his minutes fluctuate over the course of the season, but has seen 32, 22, and 36 minutes in the last three games. Since the Suns are 2-1 in those games, I expect Len to continue to see more playing time and should be picked up in all leagues (25% ownership).
Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight – Len’s 20-point game is a little more surprising, but seeing Bledsoe and Knight score 20+ isn’t. Bledsoe posted a 21/9/3 line, while Knight went 21/5/6 with 6 steals.
Jon Leuer – I wrote about Leuer last week and didn’t think he was worth the pickup. Now, Markieff Morris has been pushed to the bench, missed Wednesday’s game with an illness, and rumored to be of great interest to the Pelicans. Leuer has responded with his 5th straight double digit scoring game, with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block last night. Pick him up and hope he remains in the starting lineup.
Mirza Teletovic – A popular pickup recently (up 11% ownership), Teletovic continues to knock down the three ball with 4 3-pointers to go along with 15/5/3. While he’s shooting this hot, Teletovic should be picked up.
Nikola Vucevic – Monster double-double for Vucci Mane: 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Elfrid Payton – You want him for his assists and steals (10 assists and 5 steals last night), but his shooting and scoring is slowly improving, increasing his fantasy value. He’s now shot over 40% with double digit scoring in the last five games.
Victor Oladipo – He came off the bench, but still delivered a useful fantasy line with 14 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 threes.
Kevin Martin – He exploded for 37 points with 6 threes, after scoring 0 points in 14 minutes on Monday. He’s just too inconsistent and unhelpful in other categories for me. I’d rather own Redick, but I don’t blame you for dropping either guy.
Karl-Anthony Towns – Kudos to you, if you invested. Another day at the office for the big man: 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Ricky Rubio – While Towns and Martin were scoring at will, Rubio was grabbing rebounds and dishing out assists. He finished with 5 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Poor Lakers. They lost 123-122 in overtime to move to 3-19. Kobe Bryant (11 points on 5-13 shooting) volunteered to sit out the 4th quarter and overtime to let the younger guys play. Jordan Clarkson (14/4), Louis Williams (19/5/7), Julius Randle (20/12) and D’Angelo Russell (23/3 and 3 threes) all took advantage of the extra playing time. All guys are worth looks, while Kobe is benching himself and Nick Young is in Byron Scott’s doghouse.
Paul Millsap – 20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block, but no threes? He’s in a bit of a long-range funk, shooting 2-19 over the last 10 games, but should snap out of it soon.
Kent Bazemore – Thabo Sefolosha (7 points and 6 rebounds) is starting, but Bazemore has still been productive off the bench lately, with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 threes last night.
Zaza Pachulia – Every week, I complain about the Wizards losing and praise Pachulia’s play. Well this week was no exception as the Rockets defeated the Wizards and Pachulia went for 11 and 17. Did I mention he’s owned in only 69% of leagues!?!
Mavericks backcourt – Raymond Felton (11/6/5), Deron Williams (18/7/6), and Wesley Matthews (17/3/4) all put up respectable lines for the Mavericks. Felton has been seeing 30+ minutes lately and has started to deliver, with 12 ppg, 7 rpg, and 5 apg over the last three. Williams has definitely rebounded from last season, but is still a health risk for me. The ankle injury history scares me so sell high while he’s healthy. Lastly, Matthews is off the minutes’ restriction and seems to be finally hitting his stride. Invest in him for points, threes, and steals.
