First time I can recall this season where that’s happened (the two game thing, not the thing down there with Gasol and Griffin, though maybe that too)
The nice thing about only 2 games is that I can actually get this post done before I have to go work so I don’t have to work on it on the crowded El Train. The bad thing about only 2 games is that it’s very common for one team to dominate the charts and the Pick Up Lines are pretty thin. I mean, only 41 guys played last night in the NBA, and Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were not two of them… Slim pickins [sic].
Line of the Night: Marc Gasol (2.03) made up for his fairly appalling performance in the Grizzlies last game with 18 points (8-8 from the line), 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Which Gasol will go in drafts first next year? There’s probably sports betting online going on already for that one.
Honorable Mentions: Kevin Garnett (1.77) provided some support for the Celtics with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks. Yahoo’s NBA home page claims it was all Paul Pierce (0.90) and his 44 minutes, 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists, but Garnett actually had the higher +/- score, indicating he was a big part of the Celtics come back. Funny how three days before the C’s destroy the Magic and then they almost get blown out themselves… Is Boston tougher than we think? Am I talking too much about normal basketball instead of fantasy basketball?
With Chris Paul back, Mo Williams (1.75) only managed 18 points (with 4 steals), while Chris Paul (1.68) also had 18 points (10-11 from the line), with 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. So, who’s the big loser with Paul back? Anyone who’s read GMTR for more than a day should be able to figure that one out (even if you don’t actually know who, you should be able to figure out where to look based on the words I used in the question. The answer is in the question).
Caron Butler (1.14) also had a nice game for the Clippers with 17 points (3 threes), and 2 steals. Since there were only two games, it makes sense that the next guy is also a Clipper: Blake Griffin (0.92) had 20 points (only 4-8 from the line), with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers. I mention the turnovers because that’s Paul, Butler, and Williams combined for only 3 turnovers, so that plus the FT shooting was was kept Blake’s otherwise monster line from scoring higher.
The other Grizz played hard, but to no avail… Mike Conley (0.59) had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals (the 4 steals, obviously the key there), while Rudy Gay (0.55) scored 24 points (3 threes), and grabbed 7 rebounds
***
Waiver Wire Line of the Night: E’Twaun Moore (1.65) (I’m just going to play it off like I’ve heard of him, since he is from East Chicago) got 17 minutes of run for Boston with Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo out with injuries. When you’re starting Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley (which the Celtics did), there’s bound to be a rookie breakout game. Moore did that with 16 points on 4 threes, 3 rebounds, and a block (0% owned). I wouldn’t count on him making 4 threes on 5-6 shots every 17 minutes (especially since he only had 6 points in a career-high 19 minutes the game before), but he’s worth keeping an eye on while Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo are out. I suppose if you’re in a 20+ team league, he’s worth an add until those two get back.
Pick Up Lines: Speaking of guys getting time with Allen and Rondo out: Mickael Pietrus (0.64) had 12 points on 3 threes (out of 8 he took) with 4 rebounds and 2 assists (4% owned). He had 14 points in his previous 30+ minute game, but then he missed a game right after that, so I’m not going to recommend him except, again, in those 20+ team leagues.
Randy Foye (0.32) is actually ranked #68 over the past week. Last night he only managed 7 points on 2-2 from the field and 2-2 from the line and I was going to mock the Player Rater for ranking him so well because of performances like that, but he started a bunch of games for the Clips there for a second (5% owned). If Chris Paul gets injured again (which, honestly, could definitely happen) or if Billups or Mo Williams miss some time, Foye has shown that he can do some fantasy damage. This is certainly more useful information for owners with daily changes, but if the injuries are significant, he would be a must add.
Biggest Loser: Sorry, Chauncey Billups (-0.50), but Chris Paul is back. With Mo Williams playing crazy good right now, Billups minutes dropped to only 22 in Paul’s second game back, allowing Billups to only get to 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists with 4 turnovers.
The funny thing about having only 2 games is that Dwight Howard (0.12) ended up with 16 points (50% from both the field and the line 16 rebounds 0 assists
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Daily rankings and stats come from the GMTR H2H Player Rater (beta version). They are based on the stat Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP) an estimate of the number of wins a player produces per week in H2H leagues over a replacement (waiver wire) player.
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