Dose: 20 Rebounds For All!
It was a busy and entertaining day of hoops on Monday, as the Martin Luther King Day schedule kept us busy from noon to midnight. Here are some of the highlights, as well as some lowlights from Monday’s action, when five different players grabbed at least 20 rebounds.
20 Rebounds Club & Center Report
Zach Randolph had 23 points and 20 rebounds in a loss to the Pelicans, and 10 of his rebound were of the “Z-bound” variety, meaning they were offensive boards. Anderson Varejao had 18 points, 21 rebounds and two steals against the Mavericks, and DeAndre Jordan had 16 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks. Joakim Noah joined the club with 17 points and a season-high 21 boards, while LaMarcus Aldridge rounds out the list after racking up 27 points and 20 rebounds for his third 20-20 of the season. That’s a lot of rebounds in one night, especially when you consider Al Jefferson had 22 points, 19 rebounds, seven dimes and two blocks, while Pau Gasol went off for 20 points, 19 boards, three steals and five blocks. Jefferson has been tearing it up on a nightly basis since he fully recovered from his ankle injury, and Gasol is also on fire right now.
Chuck Hayes surprisingly played 26 minutes for the Raptors and had 12 points and 13 rebounds. This is the first time I’ve written his name this season, and it could be the last. Ignore him. Pero Antic scored a career-high 17 points for the Hawks, adding six boards, three dimes and two 3-pointers. If you’re desperate at center, Antic has played well enough over the last month to be given a close look.
Good & Bad Guards
Michael Carter-Williams bounced back in a big way with 31 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a 3-pointer on Monday. He came into this one hitting just six of his last 29 shots and scoring a total of 17 points in his previous two games, so his owners have to like what they saw against John Wall and the Wizards. Wall wasn’t great with 14 points and five assists, but he was due for an off night.
Ramon Sessions started over Kemba Walker, who is out indefinitely with a severely sprained ankle, and had 23 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one 3-pointer in 34 minutes. Sessions was already flirting with nice value off the bench, and now looks like a must-own player for as long as he’s starting for the Bobcats.
D.J. Augustin blew up for a season-high 27 points, four assists and five 3-pointers as Kirk Hinrich left Monday’s Bulls game with a hamstring injury. It’s a perfect storm for DJA, who should officially be owned in all leagues after going 10-of-16 in 37 minutes.
Lance Stephenson flirted with his fourth triple-double of the season on Monday, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the Pacers win over the Warriors. He didn’t shoot it well (6-of-17), but is still leading the pack for the league’s most improved player award.
Patrick Beverley had 17 points, three assists, one steal and three 3-pointers in his return to the Rockets from a broken hand. He hadn’t played since Dec. 20 and while I doubt he keeps shooting this many treys, it was an encouraging performance for Beverley. Perhaps the biggest news is here is that Jeremy Lin went back to the bench and had eight points and five assists in Beverley’s return.
Greivis Vasquez came out of nowhere on Monday with 15 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, a steal and three 3-pointers in 24 minutes off the bench. Kyle Lowry was struggling on both ends of the court, and Vasquez scored 11 points on Sunday. Vasquez is worth keeping a close eye on for his next game, but I’d like to see him do this at least a couple more times before I cut a decent player to pick him up.
Heat starter Mario Chalmers had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two 3-pointers and appears to finally be rounding back into form after his Achilles injury.
Wiz SG Bradley Beal dropped 22 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three 3-pointers in 30 minutes, and should be in all starting lineups with four games this week.
Deron Williams came off the Nets bench for 13 points and three assists in 27 minutes. He missed five straight games with another ankle injury, but it looks like he should be ready to go again. Joe Johnson went off for 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and four 3-pointers, leaving teammate Shaun Livingston in his dust. Livingston has been starting at shooting guard for the Nets, but struggled in 21 minutes on Monday, mainly due to the hot hand of Johnson and the return of Williams. If you own Livingston, I’d hang on for another game or two in case he continues to start and bounces back.
Courtney Lee scored 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting and remains worth a look in all leagues as long as he continues to start at shooting guard for the Grizzlies. He’s averaging 17 points over his last five starts.
Pistons PG Brandon Jennings missed all seven of his shots and didn’t even score in Monday’s loss to the Clips. He also had five fouls and six assists, and if you’re in need of a solid point guard, his price tag won’t be lower than it is today. He’s having trouble making shots in January, but the slump should be coming to an end soon.
Darren Collison also missed all of his shots and finished with four points and six assists for the Clips. He stunk in this one but has been a must-own player since Chris Paul went down, and this game doesn’t change that fact. Terrence Ross isn’t a point guard, but also missed all six of his shots for the Raptors on Monday, finishing with one point.
Jeff Teague actually made one shot against the Heat on Monday, as his slump continues. He’s shooting 33 percent over his last six games, and while I heard porn star Lisa Ann ripping him for his terrible Week 12 on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports radio last night, no one mentioned that the Hawks played just one game last week. Teague was on fire a couple weeks ago and while this slump is highly annoying, it won’t last. Now is a good time to buy low on Teague. And despite his horrible game, the Hawks still beat the reeling Heat. Shelvin Mack had 13 points and seven assists in 27 minutes, which will hopefully tick Teague off.
Kendall Marshall hit just 1-of-4 shots for three points on Monday, but also had eight assists, two steals and a 3-pointer. He had five straight double-doubles coming into this one, so he was due for a crash. None of the other Lakers PGs are near a return in the next week, so Marshall still looks like a super fantasy play.
Pablo Prigioni started for the Knicks but scored just two points in 19 minutes, while Raymond Felton his just 2-of-11 shots in the loss. Just keep an eye on Prigioni if you’re in a deep league. J.R. Smith had 15 points and he continues to slowly crawl out of Mike Woodson’s doghouse.
Loose Ends
Chandler Parsons had a season-high 31 points, adding 10 boards, seven assists, two blocks and three 3-pointers. This is probably the top of the mountain for Parsons.
Matt Barnes started over Jared Dudley for the Clips and had 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two 3-pointers. I don’t know if this move is going to stick or not, but I’m certainly a fan of picking him up in case it happens. Barnes has 9-cat potential and Monday’s line was certainly useful if he happened to be in your lineup.
DeMarre Carroll returned from a personal absence and had 19 points, six rebounds and three 3-pointers for the Hawks. While it feels like he could start doing this every night, chances are he’ll continue to mix in good games with bad ones.
Ryan Kelly started again for the Lakers and had 13 points, seven rebounds and a 3-pointer in another loss. If you’re in a deep league, give him a look, but don’t be surprised if he’s not starting for Mike D’Antoni a week from now. Wes Johnson played just 14 minutes and with Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Kelly all seeing minutes, Johnson’s hot run might be coming to a quick end. His minutes and production have both fallen in four straight games. Young scored a season-high 31 points, while Meeks added 16 points, seven dimes and two 3-pointers, making both of them must-own, must-start players right now.
Injury Report
Dwyane Wade missed another game on Monday and has officially become one of the more frustrating players to own in fantasy. And if you’ve tried to trade him, you might have noticed his trade value is in about the same shape as his knees. Missing Monday’s game should mean he’s ready to go tonight against the Celtics, but I wouldn’t exactly be shocked if he’s given the night off for some more rest, either. The Heat don’t have another back-to-back situation until Feb. 11-12, so it would be nice to see Wade go on a playing streak for the next couple weeks.
Nicolas Batum said Monday that he’s either going to need a new splint for his broken finger, or he’s going to have to start missing games. That leaves him iffy for tonight against the Thunder, and Dorell Wright would become relevant if Batum is going to miss time.
Terrence Jones missed Monday’s Rockets game with a thigh injury, which is a tough way to start the week. He had a career-high 36 points on Saturday, but took a knee to the thigh in Sunday’s practice that was enough to shut him down. Owners now have to look toward Wednesday’s meeting with the Kings and pray he’s ready.
Tony Parker is listed as probable for Wednesday’s game after sitting out Sunday’s game with a bruised shin, but sounds likely to be ready for the Spurs.
Gordon Hayward actually practiced on Monday and could play Tuesday after missing five straight games with a hip injury. He’s been day-to-day for about 10 days now, and I’ll believe he’s back when I see him on the court for the Jazz.
Nikola Vucevic has been ruled out for Tuesday and has played a total of 19 minutes for the Magic in January due to a concussion. Maybe he’ll play by the end of the week, but if you’re in a weekly lineup league, I hope he’s on your bench.
Tony Wroten doesn’t have a timetable for his return from a sprained ankle for the Sixers, which should help guys like James Anderson and Elliot Williams get minutes.
Andrew Bogut banged his right knee on Monday, but was able to return to the game and double-double for the Dubs. Owners will want to keep an eye out for more news on this situation, but he looked fine once he was back on the court.
Trevor Booker was out with a sprained ankle on Monday and is day-to-day. Kevin Seraphin stepped up for the Wiz with 16 points and seven boards in his absence.
Denver’s Randy Foye should be back on Thursday from a stomach illness.
Luke Ridnour’s right wrist injury could set him back this week, but X-rays were negative. Giannis Antetokounmpo would likely replace him in the starting lineup, while Khris Middleton and O.J. Mayo could see a few more minutes for the Bucks.
Samuel Dalembert left Mondays’ game with a left shoulder injury and didn’t return. He was starting to play well for the Mavs, but DeJuan Blair, who had 13 points and five boards on Monday, would benefit most from his absence. Brandan Wright had 10 points and four rebounds, and will also see a boost if Sammy D misses time. Shawn Marion had 18 points and a full stat line before leaving Monday with an illness. I’ll be surprised if he’s not ready on Wednesday.
John Salmons played through his back injury for the Raptors Monday, but didn’t do much. He was hot before going down, but struggled to get going in just 17 minutes.
