Despite the loss of Amare Stoudemire with a back injury, and with Jeremy Lin (knee) unable to go, the Knicks prevailed. Carmelo Anthony (28 PTS, 12 REB) started at PF, but even he was hampered by a sore groin. Amare is getting treatment in Florida, is out “indefinitely” and we will all be reading the injury reports before New York plays again tomorrow. Baron Davis got the start at PG; his 13 PTS, 7 AST and 5 REB would have been much better without the nine turnovers. Something must be wrong with Monta Ellis, who missed 12 of his 14 shots. A timely 26 off the bench by Mike Dunleavy kept the Bucks in the game.
Around the Association
MIA @ IND: All five Indiana starters scored in double figures, as did Leandro Barbosa with 14 points in as many minutes off the bench. Darren Collison (20 PTS, 3 AST, 3 REB, 4 STL) played his best game in a while, and Danny Granger (24 PTS, 9 REB) led all scorers. One night after a very tough loss in Oklahoma City, the Heat turned the ball over 17 times.
DET @ WAS: Rodney Stuckey had 24 in his return from a toe injury to lead the Pistons in this dull affair. Nene (back) played 28 minutes (8 PTS, 9 REB) but it’s hard to count on him as the season winds down.
ORL @ TOR: It wasn’t just 23 points and 10 boards from Dwight Howard, as Ryan Anderson drained eight 3-pointers and scored 28 over a listless Toronto team. James Johnson (flu) was not himself, DeMar DeRozan (ankle) didn’t play and Jerryd Bayless (hip) lasted just 11 minutes, so Gary Forbes led the Raps with 21 and Linas Kleiza (18) got extra run.
BOS @ CHA: It was Paul Pierce (36 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK) putting the Celtics on his back, while Kevin Garnett added 24 points in a workmanlike road win. As expected, Byron Mullens (18 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK) got 33 minutes off the bench for Charlotte as Bismack Biyombo seems to be tiring.
UTA @ NJN: Deron Williams had 17 points and 11 assists against his former team and Gerald Green chipped in 20 off the bench, but the Nets were no match up front. Paul Millsap led the exhausted Jazz with 24 PTS and 13 REB, while Al Jefferson added 19 & 8, less than 24 hours after a quadruple-overtime game.
DEN @ CHI: JaVale McGee had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in his first start for Denver, but it was Ty Lawson (27 PTS, 9 REB) who sparked the road victory, with Arron Afflalo adding 22 in his return from a one-game suspension. The Bulls were outrebounded and as a team, lacked the defensive intensity we’ve come to expect. I was wrong about Joakim Noah being extra motivated, he did block four shots but scored just two points in 23 minutes.
SAC @ HOU: That was quite a performance by DeMarcus Cousins, with a career-high 38 points and 14 rebounds. Marcus Thornton added 27 to make this game close and exciting. Jason Thompson (ankle) sat out again, to the dismay of fantasy owners who believed earlier updates that he was fine. The Rockets needed overtime to win, and every one of Patrick Patterson’s career-high 24 points in relief of a very quiet Samuel Dalembert. With Marcus Camby injuring his wrist, Patterson’s value is increasing.
NOH @ LAC: Another misleading report yesterday had Chris Kaman returning from the flu, but he sat out another game and the Hornets were outmuscled. Chris Paul (25 PTS, 10 AST) and Blake Griffin (20 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL) led the way, with Nick Young adding 17 off the bench.
Tuesday Thoughts
CLE @ PHI: The 76ers need a healthy Andre Iguodala (knee) even more than his fantasy owners. He says he’s been playing through the tendinitis pain for a month and is optimistic about returning tonight. Stay tuned. The Cavaliers may be tailing off, though Kyrie Irving is always dangerous and Antawn Jamison can only be better than he was on Sunday.
ATL @ MIL: The unheralded key for the Hawks on their amazing 4-OT win was Zaza Pachulia, who scored 15 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in 54 minutes. Josh Smith and Joe Johnson are more spectacular, but without Zaza filling in so capably for Al Horford, this would have been a long season. The Bucks have to be disappointed by last night’s loss, shooting 36.5% in a “must win” game. I’m not sure they can bounce back tonight.
MIN @ MEM: Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out and J.J. Barea (thigh) is questionable as the Timberwolves hobble into Memphis. You can count on Kevin Love for his usual big numbers, but the Grizzlies are healthier, not to mention glad to be home from a tough trip. Zach Randolph may come off the bench again, but figures to play twice as much as “starter” Marreese Speights.
HOU @ DAL: These teams met in Houston on Saturday, with Dallas winning a hard-fought game in overtime. The Mavs have been resting at home since, while the Rockets played another tough one last night. The edge goes to Dirk Nowitzki and company. Shawn Marion, after missing three games with a sore knee, had 12 points and 15 rebounds in his last game.
SAS @ PHO: This will be the fourth game in five nights for the Spurs, but not for Tim Duncan, who was given Sunday off. Phoenix has been on a roll (11-4 since the All-Star break) and refusing to give up on their playoff dream. You should know all about Steve Nash and Marcin Gortat, but don’t sleep on Markieff Morris. The rookie is coming off a career-high 22 and deserves more minutes.
OKC @ POR: Complacency and overconfidence might trip up the Thunder, as they looked unbeatable against the Heat on Sunday in front of a rabid home crowd. It may be hard to reach the same emotional level facing the Blazers on the road. Raymond Felton is averaging 16 PPG since the coaching change and LaMarcus Aldridge is always capable of big numbers.
LAL @ GSW: There’s been a changing of the guard, with Ramon Sessions getting more touches and Kobe Bryant fewer. Mamba was not happy with his fourth quarter playing time on Sunday and may take out that frustration on the Warriors. Stephen Curry remains out (though not “officially” shut down) and his replacement Nate Robinson has a sore hamstring, so Charles Jenkins — who had 27 points on Sunday — might get another start.
The Spin is here every morning before 8:00 Eastern except for Sundays, when we post by noon. Follow me on Twitter for updates.
On DraftStreet
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| K. Love | $21,310 |
| K. Durant | $20,678 |
| K. Bryant | $16,536 |
| T. Duncan | $15,094 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| C. Jenkins | $6,354 |
| O. Mayo | $8,744 |
| P. Patterson | $6,886 |
| A. Tolliver | $8,105 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| M. Gortat | $13,766 |
| S. Hawes | $11,370 |
| R. Sessions | $11,179 |
| T. Young | $10,503 |
Getting close without winning has been a recurring theme here lately. On Monday I finished 24th out of 275 teams in the $5 GPP Salary Cap league, despite guessing completely wrong on Sam Dalembert. In a $2 GPP, I was 29th of 330 teams. These frequent finishes in the top 10% are encouraging, not disappointing, so I’ll be back in the same leagues today.
Also tried a $5 Snake-Draft league where I really “should have” won. Used Chris Kaman based on earlier reports that he would play, only to get a big zero. Yet I still finished second, by a mere quarter of a point. The $9.45 payoff would have been $17.55 if I’d replaced Kaman with a reserve.
That just illustrates how breaking news can affect your teams on DraftStreet. I am sometimes too busy with real life to check my sources (mostly on Twitter) for late changes.
A shout-out to “AR348,” who played the maximum three teams in a $2 GPP Salary Cap league and saw all three finish in the top five, winning $95 for second, $55 for fourth and $40 for fifth — a return of $190 for the $6 investment. Well done!
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