Fantasy related but good info......
LeBron Gets Medieval On Magic
[SIZE=+1]Thursday's Game Recaps[/SIZE]
LeBron Blows Up In Win Over Magic
LeBron James blew up for a season-high 51 points to go along with 11 rebounds, eight assists, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers on 17-of-25 shooting in a tough win over the Magic on Thursday. He couldn't be stopped early and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to go for 50-11-8. And despite that crazy line, I'm still losing to Ryan Knaus in my main league.
Dwyane Wade had 15 points in 35 minutes, but suffered a lower back injury in the win. He says he'll play tonight, but he was in pain and this should be considered an actual injury. I'm thinking he'll play tonight, but am also going to call him a game-time decision, as I think it will all depend on how he feels when he wakes up tonight.
Chris Bosh was quiet again with just 13 points and six rebounds, while Mike Miller crashed the glass for 11 rebounds, but scored just five points. Miller has been a beast on the boards and while he's not a must-start every week, he does look like a player who should be owned in most leagues.
Jameer Nelson took advantage of the point guard-challenged Heat with 22 points, six boards, six dimes and two threes for his best line in recent memory. Maybe he'll do it again against the Wizards tonight. Speaking of the Magic vs. the Wiz, watch out for Dwight Howard tonight. He should have a huge line against JaVale McGee and company. Ryan Anderson picked up two early fouls and played just 17 minutes last night, hitting 3-of-10 shots (all threes) for nine points and six rebounds. Seventeen minutes? Foul trouble or not, early shooting woes or not, this is maddening. Hopefully he bounces back tonight, as owners need him to put up some massive numbers while Brandon Bass is out for the next week or so, me included.
Monta Bounces Back, Leads GSW Over Bucks
Monta Ellis broke out of a slump, despite a slow start, and hit 10-of-22 shots and a three for 24 points, five boards, six dimes and a steal in Thursday's win. He was on fantasy benches given the slump and the two-game week, but came through. Stephen Curry's seven turnovers landed him on Keith Smart's bench more than I would have liked to see, but he still finished with 16 points, five boards, five assists, a steal, block and two 3-pointers on 6-of-11 shooting. Hate all you want, but the kid is still a fantasy beast. Andris Biedrins had six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for his third straight solid game and he looks like a nice pickup now that he's remembered how to play basketball again.
Ersan Ilyasova made another start at center for the Bucks in place of injured Andrew Bogut, who remains day-to-day with his knee injury. Ilyasova stayed hot with 23 points, 13 boards, a steal, block and 3-pointer in the loss. I can't believe he's stayed this hot for this long, but he's averaging 19 points and 11 boards in two February games, after averaging 12 points, seven boards and a steal in January, shooting a whopping 52 percent. I still think he's going to cool off and go into a slump any day now, but I will also admit that I've picked in him up in a few leagues where he was available.
Carlos Delfino went off for 20 points, eight boards, five assists, five steals and two 3-pointers in 45 minutes last night, and I'm starting to feel like I was wrong about him. I'm not admitting defeat just yet, but if this is not a mirage and Scott Skiles plans on giving him 40 minutes a night, he's simply a must-own player. Yes, as of now, I missed the boat on Delfino, but he still plays for the Bucks.
John Salmons and Brandon Jennings are back, but are struggling mightily. Jennings is still on a minutes count and has hit just 8-of-32 shots since returning from foot surgery. Salmons is completely useless right now, but Jennings should be held in all leagues. I would not start Jennings until he puts up a couple nice lines in a row and plays more than 24 minutes in a game.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute started again for Bogut and blew up for a season-high 15 points to go along with a career-high 19 rebounds. He also had five assists and two steals in 41 minutes, and I was sad to find that I didn't start him in my 30-team league. But despite his heroics, a 30-team league is still about the only one he should be owned in. As for Andrew Bogut, he's now missed two straight games with his knee injury and remains very iffy for Saturday. Hopefully we'll have some information before that game, but as you guys know, we're relying on the people in Milwaukee who cover the Bucks, so I'm not holding my breath.
McDyess Tips In Game-Winner For Spurs
Antonio McDyess hit just 3-of-10 shots, but tipped in the game-winning shot over Lamar Odom to beat the Lakers on Thursday. Dyess finished with eight points, eight boards and five assists in the win. Richard Jefferson somehow scored 18 points with four 3-pointers, but isn't trustworthy in fantasy, while Tony Parker added 21 points, but just two assists. DeJuan Blair crawled back under a rock, while Tim Duncan hit just 3-of-12 shots for eight points and eight boards on a day he was controversially named an All-Star. Blair has probably been picked up and dropped more than any other fantasy player this season, as he keeps teasing us with double-doubles, and then disappears like he did last night, when he had six points, four boards and zero blocks.
For the Lakers, Andrew Bynum returned from his sore knee and had a nice line. Get him back in your lineup if he's on your bench, but don't be surprised if he misses another game or two before the break. Kobe Bryant just missed a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, which was actually disappointing after he had six boards and six assists in the first quarter.
[SIZE=+1]All-Star Stuff[/SIZE]
The reserves were announced on Thursday and there are several controversial stories about who is in and who is out.
For the East, the reserves are Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Chris Bosh.
I would have gone with Raymond Felton over Allen and Josh Smith over Bosh. Smith is possibly a homer call on my part, but Felton's first-half numbers shout out loud that he should have been on the team.
The West reserves are Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, Russell Westbrook, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams.
Duncan is not having a very good season, while Kevin Love is having an historic one. Duncan over Love was a travesty in my book, the Wolves record be damned. I also would have gone with LaMarcus Aldridge over Dirk. Dirk and Duncan have been there enough and it's time for some new blood, especially given Dirk's recent struggles, injury and the fact he's running like a 40-year-old man. Early word is that Steve Nash will replace Yao Ming on the roster, and if Love doesn't end up on this team as an injury replacement for someone, I'm not going to be happy. That is all.
[SIZE=+1]Injury Rundown[/SIZE]
Deron Williams (wrist) admitted Wednesday night that he "can't shoot the basketball past 12 feet, and it hurts a lot when I do that." That's going to leave him very iffy for Friday against the Nuggets and it would be surprising to see him play. The guys who cover the Jazz are great about feeding us info and opinions, so I'm guessing we'll know something before game time. If he's out, look for Earl Watson to have another nice game.
Andrei Kirilenko sounds like he's planning on sitting against tonight with his ankle injury, which really bums me out. Kirilenko was the glue that was going to hold my six-man team together in League Freak, but that plan looks to have blown up in my face. Hopefully you're not in the same boat. Gordon Hayward would likely start again, but C.J. Miles is the obvious fantasy play.
Trevor Ariza is set to miss several games and possibly two weeks with his ankle sprain. Right now, Quincy Pondexter looks like the starter and might be a sneaky short-term pick up, while the Hornets are going to sign Sasha Pavlovic, who would probably split time with Pondexter. And yes, that means Marcus Thornton sees no benefit from Ariza's injury as Monty Williams continues to taunt us. Chris Paul is expected to play on Saturday with his newly sprained ankle, while Emeka Okafor will miss a couple weeks with a strained oblique.
Luke Ridnour didn't travel with the Wolves to Toronto for tonight's game for personal reasons, and while it's possible he could show up, it doesn't seem likely. This means Jonny Flynn is worth another spot start tonight, as long as Ridnour doesn't show up.
Wilson Chandler says he will play through his calf injury tonight after practicing Thursday. He was a late scratch in his last one, but it does sound like he's a go this time. .
Eric Gordon said his injured wrist feels about the same it did a few days ago, which is not great news. Yes, he's on the road trip with the Clippers, but that thing is a whopping 11 games! It sounds like he's still at least a week away, so just leave him benched unless we get some good news. I have no idea why the Clips are insisting he's day-to-day, but maybe Gordon really is in better shape than everyone else is saying. Then again, Gordon said "I'm not rushing into just being out there and playing…I have to let it heal as much as possible and we'll see."
Baron Davis' back is feeling better, but he remains questionable/game-time decision for tonight at Atlanta. Watch for updates today.
Wesley Matthews should play tonight at Indiana after suffering a couple injuries (ankle, knee) on Wednesday, but then again, we haven't received a new update on him since that night. Watch for updates today. Marcus Camby won't play this week, and could miss several more games with his knee injury.
Marvin Williams is expected to start for the Hawks tonight in his return from a two-game suspension, and is a possible low-end fantasy option again.
Mo Williams (hip) could start on-court running as soon as Thursday, but is expected to miss at least another week as he recovers from a hip injury. That means Ramon Sessions should have another solid week of value left in him. Also keep a close eye on Christian Eyenga tonight for the Cavs. He had a very nice line in his previous game and is getting a ton of minutes as the starting small forward. If he plays well again tonight at Memphis, he probably becomes a must-own player. Daniel Gibson is also planning to return tonight, but it sound like Anthony Parker, who had very nice game on Wednesday, will be the starting SG going forward.
Coach Rick Carlisle said that Peja Stojakovic (knee) is tentatively expected to make his Mavericks debut Monday against the Cavs. Given the fact that Carlisle has been starting Brian Cardinal, my guess is Peja is going to start when healthy. Shawn Marion should be throwing a fit, but probably doesn't even care at this point, but I look for Peja to be more injured than anything else the rest of the way. Just keep an eye on him once he starts playing.
Nenad Krstic is set for an MRI on his right foot Thursday. I'm going to guess he's going to miss some games and this is precisely the break the owners of Serge Ibaka have been waiting for. If he's available in your league, now's the time to grab him.
Rodney Stuckey (shoulder) is listed as doubtful for Friday's game against the Nets, which is not surprising given how bad his shoulder injury looked when he went down. The T-Mac & Ben Gordon show will run for another night, at least.
Linas Kleiza underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Wednesday and is out for the season for the Raptors. Sonny Weems looks locked in as the starter, but he's a low-end fantasy option for now. Leandro Barbosa is expected back tonight from a hamstring injury and could be thrust into heavy action early as Jerryd Bayless is likely out with a knee injury. He's worth a pick up if you need a guard.
Jason Thompson is questionable tonight against the Spurs with an ankle injury. When he returns it will be interesting to see if Paul Westphal sticks with Samuel Dalembert in the starting five over JT, but my guess is he will.
[SIZE=+1]Guster, Wild Flag, Sebadoh[/SIZE]
You may have seen my fantasy hoops interview with Guster's drummer, Brian Rosenworcel, back in February. If you missed it, it's right here. Anyway, they're playing in the ATL tonight and I'm taking the whole crew (wife and a slew of kids) to see them tonight. Great guys, great pop band and you should check them out if you're into that sort of thing. We saw them for the first time back in 1999 and my wife quickly declared them her favorite band.
I also have plans to see Janet Weiss' new band, Wild Flag, later this month, and have an upcoming date with Sebadoh as well. Enjoy the 12-game schedule tonight, as Aaron Bruski will be filling in for me on a busy Friday.
Chris Paul - G - Hornets </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Chris Paul expects to play Saturday despite recently tweaking his sprained left ankle.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
