Derrick Rose scored 23 points in his return as the Bulls handled Atlanta. It was a makeshift lineup for the Hawks, with Marvin Williams (personal) replaced in the starting five by Willie Green. Then Joe Johnson left early with a sore knee, though it doesn’t sound too serious. Neither Jeff Teague nor Kirk Hinrich had a great afternoon; seldom-used Jannero Pargo outplayed them both. After complaining in public about his playing time, Tracy McGrady got almost 22 minutes.
Around the League
Deron Williams weighed in on the Jeremy Lin phenomenon, torching the Knicks for 38 points — including EIGHT triples — as the Nets sprung the road upset. Lin had 21 in defeat, along with 9 AST, 7 REB and 4 STL, and Carmelo Anthony is back, though Melo will have better games. Tyson Chandler played through two sore wrists, and Iman Shumpert took the night off to rest his knee. J.R. Smith missed all five of his 3-balls and went just 2-8 on the night. Baron Davis played just under 10 minutes and will be worked in gradually. If you own Brook Lopez, don’t worry. That was scheduled rest; he’s fine.
Rajon Rondo sat out last night’s game (and will miss Wednesday’s) after being suspended for throwing the ball at an official. Fill-in Avery Bradley had 12 points, but the Celtics were no match for Dallas without Rondo and Kevin Garnett, their offensive and defensive leaders.
New Orleans, on the road for Mardi Gras, played the first of three in as many nights in Oklahoma City. The PG situation may be a tossup between Greivis Vasquez and Jarrett Jack. Don’t read too much into quiet nights for Chris Kaman and Gustavo Ayon, as Thunder big men Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins combined for 26 rebounds and blocked nine shots. James Harden sat out with a sore ankle.
Going for win #11 in a row, the Spurs were without Manu Ginobili (oblique, out two weeks) and Tiago Splitter (calf strain) in Utah. No problem. Matt Bonner was 5-6 from downtown for 20 points, Gary Neal added 14 and Tim Duncan was stellar in 38 minutes. The Jazz started Josh Howard (12 PTS, 7 REB) in place of Raja Bell (adductor) and Devin Harris played 12:30 more than Earl Watson.
The news out of Denver has Wilson Chandler rejoining the Nuggets soon, perhaps on a long-term deal. He’s worth a speculative add in many fantasy leagues. Last night, with the Timberwolves in town, Al Harrington was brilliant off the bench (31 & 9) to key an overtime win. Ty Lawson left early with an ankle sprain, severity as yet unknown. Minnesota lost my hero Nikola Pekovic after 15 minutes when he rolled an ankle.
Orlando took on the Bucks in Milwaukee and rode Dwight Howard (28 & 16) to the win. J.J. Redick got another start in place of Jason Richardson. Brandon Jennings (22) and Ersan Ilyasova (15 PTS, 15 REB) played well in defeat, and Mike Dunleavy added 18 points in 36 minutes off the bench. Perhaps of note in deeper leagues was a 13 point, 12 board, 2 block effort from Larry Sanders. Hey now!
The road-weary Wizards were no match for the Suns as the “good” Channing Frye had 19 (4-7 from downtown) and it was a very quiet night for John Wall and Nick Young.
In Houston, the Grizzlies fell by four, despite 23 from Rudy Gay. For the Rockets, Kyle Lowry had 24 PTS, 9 AST and 7 REB, while Kevin Martin added 22. Samuel Dalembert did return to the starting lineup, but Patrick Patterson got more minutes off the bench, as we continue to monitor that situation.
Portland lost by 11 in L.A., but the Blazers were much worse than the final score suggests. Blown out 29-7 in the first quarter, they never recovered. Nicolas Batum did contribute in several fantasy categories, but Wesley Matthews was quiet in 27 bench minutes. For the Lakers, Steve Blake got hot from deep (5-6) for a 17-point outburst.
Thanks to 32 points from Monta Ellis, the Warriors upset the visiting Clippers. Ekpe Udoh got the start at C for ailing Andris Biedrins and went off for 19 PTS, 8 REB and 2 BLK in 38 minutes. In leagues where you need a C, you could grab Udoh and hope it’s the start of a trend. Regular readers know I prefer Mo Williams (22) to Randy Foye (10) as the second-best Clips guard to own. It’s also noted that Reggie Evans played twice as much as a very quiet Kenyon Martin.
Tuesday Tidbits
After just five games on tonight’s schedule, the Head-to-Head “week” will be half over. Streaming today to add a GP or two for Wednesday and Thursday is recommended if you’re in a close battle.
The Hornets visit Indiana, where Pacers beat writer Mike Wells quoted coach Frank Vogel about George Hill having a more prominent role when he returns. If that happens, it won’t help owners of Darren Collision or Paul George. Hill could be back as soon as tonight, though he may need a game or two before hitting full stride.
Cleveland hosts the Pistons. Byron Scott told the media yesterday that Tristan Thompson wasn’t fully recovered from his ankle injury until the last couple of games. Look for the 20-year-old to keep coming off the bench, but he’s far more valuable than temporary starter Semih Erden.
Philadelphia travels to Memphis, with one more day of rest than the Grizzlies. Nikola Vucevic is my hunch play for the Sixers, who continue to battle for a playoff seed despite having exactly zero healthy, proven NBA centers. One report says Zach Randolph will be back on March 7, so Marreese Speights could have about two more weeks of productivity.
It’s yet another tough road game for San Antonio, this time in Portland, where the Blazers will try to bounce back from last night’s less-than-stellar effort. I expect LaMarcus Aldridge to resume his all-star form very soon.
The Kings, a 3-16 road club, are in Miami. The outcome seems inevitable, but we’re looking for fantasy help. It might be a good night for the Miami bench players like Udonis Haslem and Norris Cole. Keith Smart has confirmed Isaiah Thomas as his starting PG. Pick him up if he’s still available in your league. Tyreke Evans is still adjusting to playing without the ball and should figure it out soon.
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