Admit it, your palms were getting sweaty when you saw Jeremy Lin come off the bench the other day. He had 7 or fewer points in the prior 5 games. You felt a little ill. “I need some ginger ale,” you tried to say, but your voice was raspy. The words couldn’t come out. Well, what’s better than ginger ale? How about 38 points on 11 of 21 shooting, plus 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and even 2 blocks. Even in overtime, he only had 2 assists turnovers (whoops, typo).
Kyle Singler – In 29 minutes, he shot 2-4 for 5 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists. You may sing to me, but I don’t need to dream it’s over; it is over. I dropped Singler in two leagues.
Charlie Villanueva – He saw a reasonable amount of minutes (21:57) and produced 8/5/1 with 2 takeaways and 2 threes. He has not offered steady production (only 2.3 RPG over the past week), but he is still an option in very deep leagues. Of course, in very deep leagues, anything is an option.
Jason Maxiell – He missed his first 9 shots to finish with 2 points, but he did have 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. He’s been good for 7+ RPG and 2 BPG over the past 2 weeks.
Evan Turner – He had a great night with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. He’s had 15 or more points in 7 of 9 games.
Spencer Hawes – Let’s be frank, or Spencer in this case, Hawes hasn’t been a great option at a wildly deep position (that being Center). However, the Sixers really have no good option at Center, so occasionally Hawes will have a game like last night, where he finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks. He even took a three point shot. He missed it, but, hey, why not?
Chandler Parsons – With 4 threes, he accumulated 20 points to go with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.
Omer Asik – I used Omer as a punchline in comments the other day, and I’m sorry, Omer. You’re still okay with me. It helps to have 21 points, 10 rebounds,, 1 steal and 2 blocks. It’s his first double double since December 1st, and I hope this means he’s back on track.
Klay Thompson – With 10 points 2 rebounds, 6 assists and a block, he didn’t live up to his usual points production, but the assists are a nice touch. He had 5 the night before. Is this a trend? You wish!
Stephen Curry – I don’t need to sell you on Curry, but he had a terrific game, with 27 points (4-7 from downtown), 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal.
Gerald Henderson – Gee Henderson and Ben Gordon are both seeing questionable minutes. Henderson played 18 minutes and finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and a block, while…
Ben Gordon – Played 15 1/2 minutes for 14 points (3 threes), 1 rebound, 1 assist and a block. This is the first time in three games that he reached double digit scoring.
Bismack Biyombo – He has been a block machine, and in fact I’ve got a write up where I discuss Biyombo’s powerful, muscular arms. In the meantime, he finished with 5 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Too bad his free throws aren’t pretty.
Zaza Pachulia – A sad night for Zaza, who finished with 0 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. He is averaging less than 2 points per game over the past three games. That is terrifying.
DeShawn Stevenson – He launched all 11 of his shots from behind the arc, which is a thrill even Steve Novak hasn’t reached yet. Sadly, he only made 4 of them, and otherwise finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and no dimes.
Dwyane Wade – He hit his 4th three pointer of the season, and concluded the night with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 turnovers. With this game, Wade’s PPG figure sits around 20, good for 11th in the league.
Shane Battier – He hit 3 of 5 from downtown and finished with 9 points and 2 steals. You would have to be batty to own Battier, but hey, the man had a somewhat decent night, he deserves some accolades.
Gary Neal – If Gary Neal was an option in NBA Jam, he would have spent the game on fire and probably dunked from 40 feet in the air. He hit 11 of 18, including 7 of 10 from downtown, and…also had a steal. Yeah, he had 29 points, but he also had zeroes for rebounds and assists.
Tony Parker – In the preseason, I felt good about Tony Parker. While others claimed he was too old, I saw him at the age of 30 and thought he was at the top of the mountain. That’s why I ranked him 33rd. Yep, I’m a big shot…what’s that, I ranked Roy Hibbert 31st? Yeah, well…cough…anyway, Parker played nearly 43 minutes and earned a triple double with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Yahoo has him listed as the 40th best player in the league, but over the past week, he’s been a top ten player and throwing up over 20 PPG and nearly 9 APG.
Toney Douglas – Someone is trying to earn a starting job, and it’s Toney with an “E”: He came off the bench to play 41 minutes and produce 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. This is the 4th consecutive game with at least 3 assists, plus he’s averaging over 15 PPG over those same 4 games.
Jason Thompson – A double double (11/12), 2 assists and a block was the story of the night for JT, and he has been averaging 12.8 points and 9.6 rebounds over the past 5 games.
Francisco Garcia – With Tyreke Evans out, the guy with a name like a lefty reliever came out and had the night of his life, nailing 7 of 12 from downtown to tie with DeMarcus Cousins for the team lead in scoring with 25. Garcia also had 3 blocks.
O.J. Mayo – After his blistering start, I was afraid he would fall back down to earth, so nights with 19/7/4, including 3-4 from downtown, keep my spirits high. Weirdly, as soon as I finished that thought, a commercial was airing where Samantha Bee complained they were out of mayo. It’s a good thing I don’t believe in omens, or anything, really. An empty void fills my body where a heart is usually located.
Vince Carter – Vinsanity is still under 50% owned, but he finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and if he bothered to hit more than 1 of his 6 three point attempts, he would have had double digit points for the 10th time in 13 games.
Andrea Bargnani – He ended the night with 2 points and 2 rebounds, leaving the game after only 7 1/2 minutes due to a right elbow injury. I guess this hurts his trade value, both for the Raptors and for fantasy owners. More news as it becomes available.
Kyle Lowry – It was a banner night for the lowly Raptors, who also lost Kyle Lowry to a shoulder issue. Lowry was in the game long enough to miss all 5 of his field goal attempts, ending the night with 1 point, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Well, I suppose it could have been worse. Hey, can we call the Raptors the Dimetrodons for the rest of the season? Yes? No? Maybe? Who cares?
Jose Calderon – He had 12 points, 2 boards, 6 dimes, and 2 three pointers. Since he dropped back to the bench, he has still been good for 4+ APG and about a three per night. If Lowry disappears again, Calderon is due for an uptick in minutes. Tick tock futha mockers.
Damian Lillard – Lilly must have missed best bud Nicolas Batum (I am presuming they are BFFs), because he shot for 2 of 14 (0-5 from deep), wrapping up with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 6 dimes.
LaMarcus Aldridge – He reached 30 points for the 2nd time all season, plus he grabbed 12 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. I wish I owned him. That is all.
