Fantasy related but great info.............
Murphy Getting Ridiculous
An eight-game night in the NBA produced a classic showdown between Shaq and the new Superman, a monster performance from the Pacers'
Troy Murphy, the return of
Steve Nash, another Nellie surprise, a huge game for
Andrea Bargnani, and
Marc Gasol taking it to his big brother in a loss.
Tuesday's Game Notes
Murphy, Pacers knock out Kings
Troy Murphy racked up his eighth straight double-double in grand fashion last night, going off for 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, two blocks and four 3-pointers in a relatively easy road win in Sacramento. While it's not hard to find several fantasy lines this season that were better than that one, they usually come from guys named LeBron, Dwyane, Amare, Kobe and Dwight, and not
Troy Murphy. He's double-doubled in 34 games this season and has to be considered the steal of your draft by now. Can he keep it up next year? He's obviously been helped by the absence of
Mike Dunleavy and the fact the Pacers don't have a real center, and this could be a fluke. But while I doubt Murphy plays this well again next season, he should be a very solid player to own. Larry Bird loves him, Pacer fans love him and as long as he's healthy again next year, he should be a big part of the Pacers' plans.
Jarrett Jack added 26 points for the Pacers and should play well against his former team, the Blazers, tonight.
Travis Diener scored a season-high 18 points, but don't worry about picking him up. The one night to have him in your lineup just happened.
For the Kings,
Bobby Jackson got another start at point guard for
Beno Udrih, who will have an MRI on his sprained foot today. There's no timetable for his return until the test results come back and Jackson has played very well in his absence, scoring 12, 18 and 14 points in his last three games. BJ hit a couple threes last night and is worth a look while Udrih is out.
Francisco Garcia suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right ring finger last night but played through it with his fingers taped together. He hit just 3-of-9 shots and turned the ball over a lot, but he should be able to keep playing through the injury.
Rashad McCants scored 20 points and has also hit double figures in three straight games. Give him a look if you still own
Andres Nocioni, who is not going to be moved into the starting lineup after all.
Cats Beat Bulls
Raja Bell surprisingly played very well despite a shoulder injury and finished with 18 points and two 3-pointers. He couldn't even raise his arm in the morning and his teammates and coach raved about his heart after the game. That's four straight wins for Charlotte, who still has an outside shot at making the playoffs.
For the Bulls,
Tyrus Thomas had 14 points, 12 boards, three steals and three blocks, which tends to happen when
Vinny Del Negro gives him 37 minutes in a game.
John Salmons started for the injured
Luol Deng, but didn't impress with nine points in 33 minutes. It was announced that Deng would play, but he was scratched just before game time with his leg injury.
Nash's Return Ruined By Magic
Steve Nash returned from a three-game absence with an ankle injury and had 20 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals in a loss to the Magic. The story was the match up between Shaquille O'Neal and
Dwight Howard. They pretty much played to a draw, but the Magic got the win during a late run that included a frustrated Shaq picking up a technical foul. Howard refused to take the bait and get into a war of words with O'Neal, who has been pretty hard on the kid, but did say he "respects his elders." This is some
pretty classic video of a Shaq-flop from the game. And that flop presented Magic coach Stan Van Gundy the opportunity to drop this little bomb on Shaq: "I was shocked, seriously, shocked [about the flops]. And very disappointed cause he knows what it's like. Lets stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that tonight."
Grant Hill and
Leandro Barbosa started for the Suns, while
Matt Barnes came off the bench and played just 19 minutes, hitting 1-of-6 shots. Maybe he'll get more run in the next one, but Hill and Barbosa should get more minutes than Barnes now that Nash is back, and Barbosa is sticking at shooting guard.
For the Magic,
Rashard Lewis broke out of a funk for 29 points, 12 boards, two 3-pointers, two steals and a block on 9-of-16 shooting. He had scored just 10 points in two of his previous three games.
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Pistons Beat Nuggets Despite Billups, Nene
The Pistons were without
Allen Iverson (back) and the Nuggets were missing
Carmelo Anthony (suspension) last night, but the game was still a good one.
Chauncey Billups scored a season-high 34 points against his former team and hit four threes, but also handed out just four assists in the loss. Nene's insane field goal percentage run continued, as he hit 9-of-13 shots for 20 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. It looks like he's back.
Rasheed Wallace and
Antonio McDyess both double-doubled, while
Rodney Stuckey played well for the third straight game. It's probably not a coincidence that Iverson has missed three straight, and
Michael Curry said in today's papers that the Pistons will not rush him back from his injury. We should get an update this afternoon about Iverson's outlook after he completes testing in Washington D.C.
Tayshaun Prince had a big fantasy line last night and suddenly looks like a must-starter again.
Nellie Being Nellie
True to form, Don Nelson changed his mind last night and decided to play
Corey Maggette after saying he was out earlier in the day. In addition, it sounds like Maggette will play tonight, as well. Will
Andris Biedrins still sit on Friday? Are
Jamal Crawford and
Stephen Jackson still safe this week? Only Nellie knows for sure, but like he so candidly put it last night: "I have the right to change my mind, don't I?" Maggette committed six turnovers and didn't have an assist, but also scored 16 points and grabbed seven boards in the easy win over the Timberwolves.
Kevin Love moved back to center for last night's game after struggling in a couple starts at power forward and had 18 points and 14 boards. Hopefully Kevin McHale's '
Jason Collins experiment' is over, as Collins didn't play last night. Then again, there was no way JC was going to be able to run with the Warriors, so the move could have been a one-game, matchup thing.
Mike Miller filled up the stat sheet again last night and the lineup switch resulted in him returning to the starting lineup. Now we just have to hope Collins remains buried on the bench.
Nets Win Despite Off Nights by Devin, Vince
Brook Lopez had 24 points, 12 boards and three blocks to help overcome the struggles of his two most offensive-minded teammates.
Vince Carter and
Devin Harris combined to hit just 8-of-34 shots last night, but the Nets still hung on for a win over the Bucks. Harris left for eight minutes at one point due to shortness of breath which is a little concerning, but he returned and played through it.
Charlie Villanueva,
Richard Jefferson and
Ramon Sessions all played well for the Bucks, while
Charlie Bell played just 12 minutes and failed to score. That one probably stung a lot of fantasy owners after Bell had hit 18 3-pointers in his last six games and scored in double figures in nine of his last 10. As I said in last night's blurb, Scott Skiles must really not like fantasy hoops.
Houston Bigs Dominate Raptors
Luis Scola had 20 points and 16 rebounds,
Carl Landry tied a career high with 22 points and added six boards, and
Yao Ming had 20 points and 11 boards as the Rockets toyed with the Raptors in a win.
Aaron Brooks really struggled with
Jose Calderon, who handed out 16 assists, but should bounce back soon enough. The Rockets have now won 10 straight games at home.
The Raptors were led by
Andrea Bargnani's ridiculous line of 25 points, seven boards, a steal, three blocks and five 3-pointers on 9-of-14 shooting. I just hope he was in your starting lineup in weekly leagues with just three games in this one.
Shawn Marion bounced back from the flu and had 18 points, 10 boards, three steals and a block, while Calderon's 16 dimes tied a career high.
Gasol Bests Gasol
Marc Gasol outplayed big brother
Pau Gasol last night, but the Lakers got the win behind 31 points from
Kobe Bryant. Pau had 13 points, eight boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks (not bad), while his little bro went off for 17 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, a steal and three blocks. Marc has double-doubled in two of his last three and also hit 5-of-7 shots and all seven of his free throws last night.
Rudy Gay continues to under perform, but I'll take 14 points, six boards, six assists, two blocks and two threes any day (although I could live without the 6-of-17 shooting that came with it).
Lamar Odom scored just two points, but stayed out of foul trouble and finished with 13 boards, eight assists, a steal and six blocks. Wow.
News and Notes From Around the League
Free Agents Landing
Luther Head will sign with the Heat,
Drew Gooden with the Spurs and
Joe Smith with the Cavaliers. I'm not sure any of them will have fantasy value, but a healthy Gooden has the best chance.
Granger Not Likely
Danny Granger didn't look great in yesterday's shootaround and is not likely to play tonight at Portland. That differs from yesterday's report, but he is still not healthy.
Robinson May Go, Chandler May Start
Nate Robinson sounds likely to try to play through an ankle injury against the Hawks tonight, but keep in mind he's missed a couple practices with the injury. In addition,
Wilson Chandler is expected to replace
Jared Jeffries in the starting five for match up purposes tonight, making Chandler a decent fantasy option in daily leagues.
Gordon, Randolph Out – Kaman Getting Close?
Eric Gordon and
Zach Randolph are not expected to be in uniform tonight against the Grizzlies. Gordon is now targeting a Saturday return from a bruised shoulder, while Randolph is said to still be in Indiana attending to his critically ill father. Meanwhile,
Chris Kaman could be cleared for contact next week meaning he might return over that weekend. I'm not going to hold my breath.
No Word On Butler
Still no word on whether
Caron Butler will play tonight, but I expect some news to roll in some time prior to the game. He was out Monday with a hamstring injury that no one knew about.
Bynum Returning March 31?
Phil Jackson was quoted in today's OC Register saying that he is expecting
Andrew Bynum to "give us some help in the final month of the season," while the author of the column, Janis Carr, suggested Bynum could return on March 30. I'm not sure what made Carr pick that day, as the Lakers play on the 29th and 31st, but whatever. I'm also not sure what to think about Bynum, as every person who speaks about him gives a different outlook. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who works very closely with Bynum on a daily basis, simply hopes he can play in the playoffs, but Phil is saying he'll be back for April. The Lakers play eight games in April, and if Bynum was to play on March 31, he could play in the team's final nine games. Again, I'm not going to rush out and pick him up, but if you think Bynum can make a difference (if he even plays) in those last couple weeks, go for it.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Zach Randolph out for Grizzlies game </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Zach Randolph - F/C - LAC - Mar. 4
