Line of the Night: If I told you that John Wall (2.62) had 22 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 blocks (where did those come from?) and was 6-6 from the line while Nick Young (2.51) scored 30 points (6 threes) and had 3 steals, while going 4-4 from the line, and if I told you that those two were the top two lines of the night, you’d have a right to think that the Wizards won that game. And if you can’t already see where this is going, well, the punchline is: you’d be wrong.
Honorable Mentions: Because Pau Gasol (2.43) had 21 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists (almost another triple-double) and 5 blocks. And while Kobe Bryant (0.85) was all the way down at #33 on the night, the Lakers the defending champions for a reason. They held it together while Nick Young, and to some extent John Wall and Gilbert Arenas, were raining threes and got the W against the WWs.
Also, while it’s hard to compete with the efficiency of the players I’ve already mentioned… Chauncey Billups (2.32) did this: 25 points, 5 assists, 4 threes, 4 steals, and 11-12 from the line. Josh Smith (2.28) went beast mode from the field, going 14-16 for 34 points, adding 7 assists and 2 blocks.
Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Kyle Lowry (2.28) had a huge night with 22 points, 12 assists, 4 threes, and 6 steals. He’s owned in only 42% of leagues, which kind of makes me wonder if we need to lower the threshold for WWLotN even more because, really, what leagues should he not be playing in right now? (He’s #52 on the player rater for the season, so I guess that would come out to a about a 4-team league)
Pick Up Lines: Abominable Snow Man Siting! Spencer Hawes (1.48) showed up to a game yesterday, scoring 10 points to go with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks! Hawes has been starting for the 76ers all season, but this was his first game over 30 minutes of PT. He’s averaging 18, but if that can crawl up the water spout like an itsy bitsy spider to emerge at closer to 24-26, Hawes might be a good big man for deep leagues. It’s at least something to keep an eye on since maybe it’s just taken him that long to adjust to his new team.
Louis Williams (0.92), like Kyle Lowry, is owned in 42% of leagues, which is much more realistic, and also indicates that you need to go check if Lowry is available, because, what’s going on here?
You want some real deep league ish? Ian Mahinmi (0.90) played 21 minutes for the Mavs last night, scoring most of his 12 points on 8-12 free throws, while grabbing 10 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. He’s a PF/C in case you’d never heard of him before (because of course I had).
I’m not sure you could even measure Mahinmi’s ownership percentage with even the most sensitive seismograph. And of course, there’s the fact that Tyson Chandler was ill with a stomach virus. But if you’re just waiting for Chandler to stumble, now we know who will be filling in for Dallas.
Biggest Loser: Carmelo Anthony (-1.03) got his 22 points and 7 rebounds, but on a night of very efficient performances, his 4 turnovers and 8-21 from the field put him at 138 of 142 players. Too add true insult to his game, the Nuggets lost to the Bobcats.
On Tap: Miami seeks revenge for their early loss to the Jazz. This time their in Utah, though… Was it all some sort of Rope-A-Dope strategy for the Heat?
The Battle of Los Angeles takes place at home for the Clippers tomorrow. I guess all the means is the celebrities don’t show up to sit courtside.
The Golden Rule: Golden State heads into San Antonio, who used to be one of the tar pits of the NBA, but is up to 94 possessions per game this season. Certainly not a frenetic pace, but not a slow jam like a Marvin Gaye song. Toronto is in New York – hopefully the Raptors keep it close to Bargnani can pile on the points. Believe it or not, I’m only playing against 1 Knick in all of my match-ups this week. I’m mostly just happy I’m staying away from opponents with Amar’e right now.
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Daily rankings and stats come from the GMTR H2H Player Rater (beta version).
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