Line of the Night: Welcome back to fantasy-relevance Antawn Jamison (2.25). It was a brutal start to the season for Jamison, but a shake-up by Byron Scott has given him a starting job again and more consistent minutes. Last night Jamison scored 24 points against the Rockets, adding 3 threes, a couple steals and no turnovers in 33 minutes. Jamison owner’s shouldn’t get too comfortable in their Snuggies – the Cavs keep on losing, so another shakeup – or possibly even trade – might be on the horizon for Jamison.
Honorable Mentions: The efficiency machine known as Dirk Nowitzki (2.19) was 10-12 from the field on his way to 31 points and 15 rebounds as Dallas won their 12th straight game. In the loss, Deron Williams (2.17) led the Jazz with 34 points and 6 assists.
Where ever there is a fee throw line in this world, Kevin Martin (2.10) will eventually get to it. Martin dropped a season-high 40 on the Cavs, going 12-19 from the field and 13-14 from the line.
Here is a shocker: Kevin Love (2.00) – with 23 points 15 rebounds – double-doubled. A little more shocking is that Wolves lost to the Bulls by 31 points.
Derrick Rose (1.85) paced the Bulls with 21 points, 7 assists and 5 threes. In an effort to make himself a better fantasy player I’m sure, Rose is taking a lot more threes compared to last year. On the season, Rose is taking 4.2 threes a game and is making 1.8 of them (41.6%). That compares to only 0.2 threes a game on 26% shooting in 2009-10. Tom Thibodeau probably has something to do with the change in Rose’s offensive philosophy, although the huge jump in his percentage made is an indication that the 1.8 a game may not be sustainable.
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Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Who had December 11 in the when will Ben Wallace (1.97) hit a three pool? In one of the strangest lines of the year, Wallace scored a career high 23 points, with 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and a three in a 120-116 loss to the Raptors. Wallace can now return to scoring 4 points a game again.
Pick Up Lines: Jerryd Bayless (1.65) got a second straight start for the injured Jose Calderon and put up a much better line than in his first start. Bayless scored 31 points (going 10-12 from the field), adding 5 rebounds and 7 assists in 34 minutes. Calderon is expected to return for the Raptors next game, but he has definitely been injury prone over his career. Put Bayless on your watch lists because of it.
Leandro Barbosa (1.70) came off the bench for 27 minutes and scored 22 points with 7 assists. Barbosa’s December numbers are fairly respectable and he could be worth an add if you need a scorer/three point shooter.
DeAndre Jordan (1.42) had 14 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Clippers. His offense is Ben Wallace-esque (the normal Ben Wallace, not today’s version), but Jordan is starting at center for the team and is available in 92% of leagues.
People outside of Dallas might not know that DeShawn Stevenson (1.31) is their starting SG (cause he plays like 15 minutes a game) But last night Stevenson hit 5-7 threes on his way to 17 points.
With both O’Neals sidelined due to old age, Semih Erden got the start for the Celtics and responded with 10 points, 7 boards and 4 blocks in 40 minutes. The Celtics destroyed the Bobcats, so don’t take too much from this performance.
Finally, Omri Casspi (1.01) was the only bright spot for the Kings in a loss to Miami. He scored 20 points off the bench and has now strung together three good games in a row.
Rumor of the Day: Several teams are apparently interested in acquiring Anthony Randolph from the Knicks, including the Houston Rockets. That would be a huge for Randolph, provided he doesn’t end up in another team’s doghouse. Does this also mean the Rockets are giving up on Yao Ming this season?
Biggest Loser: This one goes out to all the Charlotte Bobcats in a 93-62 loss to the Celtics, but especially D.J. Augustin (-1.47). Augustin was 0-8 from the floor, scoring 0 points with 0 boards, 1 assist and 4 turnovers. Augustin is like a cartoon character who has been walking on air for the first month of the season, but he just looked down and now he’s starting to fall.
On Tap: Denver (14-8) at New York (15-9) in a game that should easily break the 250 point barrier. Carmelo Anthony is questionable for this one, but I’m sure he really, really wants to play in New York. Today, I mean. And since I’m a stats geek, how about a quick look at Raymond Felton’s numbers so far this season?
LA Lakers (16-7) at New Jersey (6-17) – Devin Harris is a game time decision after injuring his shoulder. And that brings up a strategy tip – Harris owners may want to preemptively handcuff Jordan Farmar if he’s available.
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Daily rankings and stats come from the GMTR H2H Player Rater (beta version).
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