All it took was for me to speculate here that something “must be wrong” with Monta Ellis, and he finally had a huge night — 33 points and 8 assists — to lead the Bucks to a much-needed win. Brandon Jennings added 18 and Drew Gooden (16 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST) was solid. Ekpe Udoh played well in place of Ersan Ilyasova, who sat out with back spasms. For Atlanta, Josh Smith stuffed the scoresheet with 30 PTS, 18 REB and 5 AST, while Ivan Johnson added 17 off the bench, but Joe Johnson (11 PTS, 8 AST) was kind of quiet after getting whacked in the mouth and going for repairs.
In Other Games
MIN @ MEM: As usual, Kevin Love double-doubled (28 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK) but it wasn’t enough, as all five Memphis starters, led by 21 from Rudy Gay, scored in double figures. Marc Gasol (ankle) took the night off, so Dante Cunningham (13 PTS, 14 REB, 4 BLK) got a rare start and Marreese Speights (18 PTS, 7 REB in 32 minutes) actually outplayed sixth man Zach Randolph. Mike Conley appeared to sprain an ankle but did return to the game.
HOU @ DAL: It was Dirk Nowitzki (21) and a lively Mavs bench who decided this one. Brandan Wright (13 & 7) has been very good in the absence of Brendan Haywood, and Rodrigue Beaubois (14) provided a spark. Luis Scola led the Rockets with 22, but Samuel Dalembert all but disappeared again, going scoreless in 18 minutes. Goran Dragic had 17 points and 5 assists despite playing with a sprained ankle.
CLE @ PHI: For at least one night, Andre Iguodala (knee) wasn’t missed, as Jodie Meeks had a career-high 31 (including seven 3-pointers) to spark an easy Sixers win. Jrue Holiday added 19 PTS and 6 AST, while Evan Turner (12 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK) slid over to SF. The Cavaliers looked tired, but maybe that was the Philly defense.
SAS @ PHO: The rested Tim Duncan returned from a “DNP-Old” in his previous box score to lead the Spurs with 26 points and 11 boards. Tony Parker scored 24 and dropped 7 dimes. For the Suns, Shannon Brown started in place of Grant Hill (knee) and hit five triples on his way to 32 points, but it wasn’t enough.
OKC @ POR: Without Raymond Felton (personal) it was rookie Nolan Smith at PG for Portland, and he shot just 1-9 from the floor. Newest Blazer J.J. Hickson had 21 points off the bench, but that was an easy road win for the Thunder, behind 32 from Russell Westbrook.
LAL @ GSW: You could almost see it coming, as Kobe Bryant (30) got more touches and Ramon Sessions took just four shots. Pau Gasol (19 PTS, 17 REB) was strong and Matt Barnes did a bit of everything in his 30 minutes off the bench: 18 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST, 2 BLK.
Up Next
MIN @ CHA: Beset by injuries and fading from the West playoff race, the Timberwolves won’t have an easy time of it tonight. Charlotte is at home, with an extra day of rest. Gerald Henderson (21 on Monday) and Byron Mullens (18) might be sneaky fantasy plays.
DEN @ TOR: It’s official, Jerryd Bayless is done for the year. This means more minutes for Gary Forbes, who has been starting at SG while DeMar DeRozan nurses a sore ankle and will probably be the backup PG. Toronto did sign Ben Uzoh to a 10-day contract as backcourt insurance. The Nuggets played a great game in Chicago on Monday and are clinging to a playoff spot, so Ty Lawson and company will be motivated.
DET @ CLE: Two rebuilding teams, both slumping a little, but something’s gotta give. Rodney Stuckey had 24 points including the game-winner in his return from a toe injury. Kyrie Irving might bounce right back from last night’s dull effort.
ORL @ NYK: The back injury to Amare Stoudemire looms as a dark cloud over the Knicks’ season. Jeremy Lin (knee) might also miss tonight’s game and though Carmelo Anthony came through with 28 on Monday, he’s playing with a sore groin. This would appear to favor Orlando, as Ryan Anderson has been Mr. Outside to Dwight Howard’s Mr. Inside.
IND @ NJN: The Nets are going nowhere, the Pacers fighting for playoff seeding. If Deron Williams is inspired, this one could be close, but Indiana has more (and better) weapons. I like Roy Hibbert to play well tonight and Danny Granger to stay hot.
UTA @ BOS: This could be like a playoff game. The Jazz have been playing great team basketball through a difficult stretch of their schedule and the Celtics, despite a rash of injuries, keep getting big games from their stars. Paul Pierce had 36 points on Monday and Ray Allen (ankle) might be ready to return.
CHI @ ATL: The Bulls are 12-5 without Derrick Rose and still in first place. The Hawks looked a bit fatigued last night, committing 21 turnovers in a road loss. This one is sort of a playoff preview, I just don’t expect either team to be at its best.
SAS @ SAC: The veteran Spurs won on the road last night but could be in for an ambush this evening. The Kings, with young legs in DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thornton, like to play up-tempo and they should be getting Jason Thompson (ankle) back tonight.
PHO @ LAC: It’s been Chris Paul and Blake Griffin leading the way as the Clippers have quieted talk of a coaching change with a couple of home victories. That should continue this evening, as the Suns must be tired and disappointed after losing at home last night.
NOH @ GSW: There should be a new starting frontcourt for the Hornets, as Jason Smith returns from a 2-game suspension and Chris Kaman from an illness. That should leave Gustavo Ayon and Lance Thomas to battle Carl Landry for minutes off the bench. Brandon Rush had 23 points last night and Klay Thompson 20 as the Warriors lost a close one to L.A.; we don’t know yet if Nate Robinson will be back.
The Spin is here every morning before 8:00 Eastern except for Sundays, when we post by noon. Follow me on Twitter for updates.
DraftStreet Corner
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| K. Love | $21,659 |
| D. Howard | $20,220 |
| D. Lee | $15,829 |
| B. Griffin | $16,424 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| B. Rush | $8,856 |
| B. Mullens | $8,392 |
| G. Forbes | $7,534 |
| N. Young | $7,591 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| C. Anthony | $13,405 |
| R. Anderson | $12,847 |
| K. Thompson | $9,776 |
| T. Lawson | $13,286 |
In several leagues at the $2 and $5 levels last night, the closest I got was 28th out of 220, leaving me down $36 so far in Week 4. With ten games on the NBA calendar tonight, there are a multitude of possible combinations in daily Salary Cap leagues.
DraftStreet uses just three positions: G, F and C. On some nights, there are fewer options than others at center, but there’s someone in every price range tonight.
I’ve learned the hard way that Snake-Drafts can be subject to the “luck of the draw” and first pick isn’t always an advantage. In a 6-team league, whoever picked first almost had to take a Kevin last night (Love or Durant) but by the time you picked again (12th and 13th) the best players were gone. Tonight, with the deeper player pool, draft order won’t be as important.
If you haven’t checked out Draft Street yet, it’s free to join and it’s easy to get started by playing in free leagues. See you there!