It’s not the most predictable week in the NBA. Some teams are better prepared than others following the All-Star beak, and others are affected by trade rumors. Even after tomorrow’s deadline, fantasy teams will have key players unavailable if they are traded, as it often takes two or three days for everyone to pass physicals and report to their new teams.
Be sure to read Page 4 of this article if you’re interested in the Sheridan Hoops Freeroll and other daily leagues at DraftStreet. First, we go around the league with recaps of nine Tuesday games and previews of 11 more contests tonight.
February 19 Game Recaps
CHA @ ORL: That’s as well as the Bobcats have played in ages. Kemba Walker (24 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL) and Gerald Henderson (24 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST) led a 37-point first-quarter spree, while Byron Mullens (20 PTS, 12 REB) continues to impress. Orlando came out flat and never recovered. Arron Afflalo (18 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST) and Nikola Vucevic (18 PTS, 11 REB, 4 AST) were the top scorers, while Magic rookies Andrew Nicholson (13 PTS, 12 REB) and Maurice Harkless (15 PTS, 6 REB) are worth considering as free agents, especially in mid-sized leagues.
TOR @ WAS: We have been singing the same verse of this song for three weeks. Rudy Gay (24 PTS, 8 REB, 3 STL, 3 3PTM) now attracts so much defensive attention that DeMar DeRozan (24 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL) has more room to do his thing. Kyle Lowry (11 PTS, 10 AST, 6 REB) is scoring less and facilitating more. The latest rumor about Andrea Bargnani (9 PTS, 4 REB in 25:36) is that he might not be traded until the summer. John Wall had a terrible night — 1-for-12 shooting, 7 turnovers — so 25 points by Bradley Beal were useful only to his fantasy owners. Jordan Crawford hit rock bottom with a DNP-CD, then threw his jersey into the stands in disgust. If I owned him, I’d hope for a trade or cut him on Friday.
MEM @ DET: So much for Tayshaun Prince (4 PTS in 19:39) enjoying a big homecoming, but his teammates did more than enough for a convincing win. Mike Conley (19 PTS, 4 AST, 2 STL) was sharp, Zach Randolph double-doubled (15 & 10) and Ed Davis (14 PTS, 4 REB, 4 BLK in 21 minutes) had his best game yet for Memphis. The Pistons won the first quarter then were shut down completely by a 23-3 Grizzlies run to close the second. Brandon Knight (13 PTS, 5 REB) was the only starter with more than ten points. In crazy-deep leagues, watch rookie Vlacheslav Kratsov, who played a career-high 25 minutes (8 PTS, 4 REB, 1 BLK).
BOS @ DEN: I was wrong about Paul Pierce, who missed 12 of 14 shots and fouled out near the end. Jeff Green (20 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK) led the Celtics in 33 minutes off the bench, as Denver showed they can play dome defense if necessary. Ty Lawson (26 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST) and Danilo Gallinari (26 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST) handled the scoring and Kenneth Faried (7 PTS, 16 REB) cleaned the glass. Andre Iguodala (7 AST, 3 REB, 2 STL) must still be bothered by his sore neck; he was shooting airballs, even from the free-throw line.