Fantasy related but good info....
Wade Set Free
There were nine games on Monday night, which might be a record for the season, so Tuesday's Dose is busier than usual. Dwyane Wade has his babies, Marcus Thornton and Sammy D went career-night for the Kings, and Kobe played through his sprained ankle. Let's get to it.
Baby Daddy
Dwyane Wade, who was awarded custody of his kids on Sunday, stayed hot on Monday with another big game as the Heat rolled over the Spurs. Wade had 29 points, nine boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks, and said after the game that getting custody of his kids was a huge relief and has freed him on the court. So the next time a player or team says that serious personal issues won't become a distraction, don't believe it. Chris Bosh's calls for the ball have been answered as he stayed hot with 30 points and 12 boards, while LeBron James, as usual, flirted with a triple-double. And as for that panic you heard out of South Beach? It's been stifled as the Heat have beaten the Lakers, Grizzlies and Spurs for a new three-game winning streak.
Kobe's Ankle
Kobe Bryant played through his ankle injury and had 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting in a relatively easy win over the Magic. Kobe's a warrior and somehow avoided a serious injury, which is hard to believe if you've seen the replays. Andrew Bynum went off for 10 points and tied a career high with 18 boards.
Career Night For Couple Kings
Marcus Thornton and Samuel Dalembert (both in the lineup for my team that was eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday thanks to Danny Granger's DNP) went nuts on Monday for the Kings. Thornton, as predicted, hit 13-of-20 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 42 points, while Sammy D added a career-high 27 points along with 16 rebounds and two blocks in an easy win over the Warriors. The only thing worse than barely missing the playoffs is then watching your team go nuts when it doesn't matter (LeBron was also on that team, which started 7-1 and finished 8-10 to miss the playoffs – yes, I'm bitter). Beno Udrih returned from the flu for nine points and nine assists, while Francisco Garcia posted a very serviceable fantasy line last night.
Tale Of 3 Point Guards
Chris Paul went off again for 27 points, 10 assists and seven steals. He's coming off a concussion, but has possibly played his two best games of the season in the last three days. David West was shut down by Kenyon Martin, as the Nuggets won again.
Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton posted nearly identical lines in the win, marking the first time the pair has gone 20 & 10 in a non-overtime game. Felton hit six threes, and while the starting job still clearly belongs to Lawson, Felton is holding his own off the bench. Danilo Gallinari and Arron Afflalo missed Monday's game with their lingering injuries. Gallinari is hoping to return on Friday, while Afflalo remains day-to-day, and J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler continue to go off in their absence.
It Happens In 3s
Rudy Gay got some bad news on his shoulder on Monday, and will continue to sit out for at least another week or two with the injury. The good news is it doesn't sound like he'll need surgery, but while he hasn't been ruled out for the season, my guess is he would have been if the Grizzlies weren't looking like a playoff team. I still see no reason to hold him.
Meanwhile, Tyreke Evans will have his foot examined today as the Kings determine when he'll play again this season, if at all. Paul Westphal is making it sound like Evans is ready to come back and could play within a week to 10 days, and while that may be true, I'm not sure what the point is. Marcus Thornton has figured things out, Beno Udrih is solid and the Kings, despite last night's big win, are going nowhere. I'm still not fully convinced Evans is really coming back, but I would also be surprised if he doesn't.
Eric Gordon's wrist will get another look today and we'll hopefully have a solid timeframe for his return in a few hours. Obviously all three of these guys have been fantasy disasters this season, doing even more damage by holding owners hostage for most of the second half of the season.
Four Square
Andray Blatche (shoulder), Luis Scola (knee), Paul Millsap (knee) and Carlos Boozer (ankle) all remain day-to-day with their injuries. The first three missed Monday's game, while Boozer doesn't sound likely to play on Tuesday. I lumped them all together because I own the first three on one team, they all play the same position and all do very similar things. And another thing they have in common is we still really don't have a very good grasp on how long they'll be out. In fact, news has been so scarce on these guys, the only thing we do know is that Boozer has a Thursday target date in mind. But whether he plays on Thursday is still anyone's guess. I'm getting shutdown questions on everyone except for Boozer, but my guess is they'll all be back in action by the end of the week. But again, that's just a guess.
Thunder Destroy Wiz in Perk's Debut
The Thunder destroyed the Wizards last night as Kendrick Perkins returned from his knee injury and started in his first game with the Thunder, finishing with six points and nine rebounds. He should probably be owned in most leagues, but is not yet a must-start. Serge Ibaka blocked eight more shots last night, giving him 15 of them in two days, while Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went off, despite sitting much of the second half in the blowout. And James Harden scored 16 points, meaning he's now gone 14 straight games in double digits.
The Wiz are a mess, but got 12 points from Jordan Crawford, as well as 14 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and two blocks out of Trevor Booker, who is starting for Andray Blatche (shoulder). Booker will be a solid fantasy play for as long as Blatche is out (see above). JaVale McGee had 14 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, and since it's impossible to tell when or where McGee is going to actually show up, it's possible he was on your bench. Oh, and in case you missed it, Josh Howard returned to action and started, but failed to score and lasted just 11 minutes.
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Celtics Downed By Nets In Deron's Return
Nenad Krstic finally cooled off last night, finishing with six points and two rebounds as the Celtics lost to the Nets. While our Rotoworld blurb suggests kicking him to the curb immediately, I'm not sure I agree. Krstic had been playing very well prior to last night, when Glen Davis finally showed up with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and unless Davis is going to start doing that nightly (he's not) or Shaquille O'Neal is suddenly relevant again (ha), Krstic is going to continue to get nice run. Rajon Rondo's cool streak continued as he hit just 1-of-10 shots for two points and nine assists. He's struggling right now, but still puts up numbers even when things aren't going well.
Deron Williams was back in action for the Nets and had 16 points, six boards, nine assists and three steals. Welcome back! Kris Humphries had yet another double-double, and remains one of the most pleasant fantasy surprises of the year.
Griffin Suddenly Struggling, Marc Gasol Goes Down
Blake Griffin scored just eight points for his first single-digit scoring line all season and hasn't double-doubled in four straight games. While I'm not going to say it's time to panic, he was bound to go through a cold stretch at some point. I think he'll bounce back and the Clippers should get some new life now that their road trip is over. Randy Foye and Mo Williams struggled, with Eric Bledsoe picking up the slack and scoring 19. Foye and Mo are still the guys to own, although Foye takes a hit if/when Eric Gordon returns. And while this shouldn't impact too many fantasy teams, Ryan Gomes left with a bruised right knee. If he's out, Al-Farouq Aminu would benefit, as would Jamario Moon.
Marc Gasol left Monday's win with a sprained ankle, although X-rays were negative. Zach Randolph stepped up in his absence for a big line of 30 points and 12 boards, and would be the primary beneficiary if Gasol is going to miss time. Darrell Arthur has been playing well, and would also benefit with Gasol in street clothes, but had just 12 points last night.
Jefferson Goes Off Again, Harris Hurts Hammy
Devin Harris left Monday's game with a hamstring injury, but says it's not too bad, so just keep an eye on him. He is day-to-day. If he's out, Earl Watson would start, but I don't think you need to race out to pick him up. Al Jefferson stayed incredibly hot last night with 30 more points, 16 more rebounds, six assists and two blocks, as he helps Wade and Westbrook lay waste to my team in the League Freak playoffs. Jefferson is as hot as he's ever been right now, so just enjoy the ride.
For the Sixers, Jrue Holiday disappeared again as his three-game funk continued, making him bench worthy after playing so well in his three previous games. Andre Iguodala scored 23 points, but is now day-to-day with right knee chondromalacia. With the Sixers one of the hottest teams in the league since the break, Iguodala will do what he can to keep playing.
Lowry Lifts Rockets, Nash Coming Back
Kyle Lowry had 18 points, six boards, five dimes, a steal and a three last night, as his dream season continues and as the Rockets stopped a seven-game losing streak against the Suns. Chuck Hayes added a career-high 21 points along with nine boards, a steal and a block, as his dream season also continues.
The Suns got nothing out of Aaron Brooks in a start for Steve Nash, while Josh Childress suddenly had a monster fantasy line. I thought he'd get more run this year and be worth owning, but this is really the first sign of life he's shown this season. Vince Carter chipped in with 21 points, while Hakim Warrick was quiet again.
Nash, out with what the team is now calling "pelvic instability" says he's good to go on Wednesday after missing Monday's game. He's far from 100 percent and my guess is that if the Suns were comfortably in the playoffs he might take a week off. But they're still 2.5 games out of the No. 8 seed and it's now or never. Once they fall out of the playoff hunt, guys like Nash and Vince Carter will likely become shutdown candidates.
Oh Danny Boy
Danny Granger's excuse for missing Sunday's game turned out to be strep throat and the fact he needed IVs throughout the day means he was pretty sick. Consider him questionable for tonight in a rematch against the Knicks, and stay tuned for an update. And if you own any other Pacer besides Granger, or are a Pacers fan in general, you should hope that Granger sits this one out, as he's been doing a lot more harm than good for much of the season.
Reading the Fine Print
Al Horford will start for the Hawks tonight in his return from an ankle injury, while Jeff Teague will stick in the starting five for the Hawks the rest of the way. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of excited to see what Teague will do tonight.
Ryan Anderson was as surprise starter for the Magic over Brandon Bass, and had 13 points, seven boards and four threes in the loss. There's no word if his starting gig is permanent or not, but if you remember the last time he started he was highly disappointing.
Luke Ridnour missed Monday's practice to be with his family (newborn twins), but is expected back in time for Wednesday's game.
Marcus Camby (knee) and Nicolas Batum (ankle) missed Monday's practice, but both are expected to play tonight.
Austin Daye missed Monday's practice with an illness, leaving him a little iffy for Wednesday.
C.J. Miles has potentially won a full-time starting gig for the Jazz, replacing Raja Bell. Miles was playing well off the bench and if you've had your eye on him, now if probably the time to make your move.
Shawn Marion - F - Mavericks </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Shawn Marion is expected to start at least the next two games with Peja Stojakovic (neck) already ruled out.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
