April 5, 2008, 12:24 PM

Daily Notes for Sunday: Chandler owns the Warriors

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Landman By Seth Landman
Special to ESPN.com
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Matchups for Sunday, Apr. 6

TimeVisitorsOpp. PPGOpp. FGPRPG Diff.HomeOpp. PPGOpp. FGPRPG Diff.
1 p.m.Golden State Warriors108.0.464-4.2
@
New Orleans Hornets95.6.460+1.3
3:30 p.m.Dallas Mavericks95.8.443+3.0
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Phoenix Suns105.4.455-3.0
6 p.m.Detroit Pistons90.4.439+2.1
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Miami Heat100.7.469-5.3
6 p.m.Milwaukee Bucks103.0.476+.9
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Indiana Pacers105.6.458-1.8
6 p.m.San Antonio Spurs90.9.445+1.2
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Portland Trail Blazers96.4.450-.9
6:30 p.m.Memphis Grizzlies106.6.479-2.9
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Minnesota Timberwolves101.6.469-.6
7 p.m.Orlando Magic99.7.449+.5
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New York Knicks103.3.476-.4
9 p.m.Los Angeles Lakers101.8.446+1.0
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Sacramento Kings104.3.465-1.4
9 p.m.Denver Nuggets106.2.456-1.3
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Seattle SuperSonics106.0.460+.7
9:30 p.m.Houston Rockets92.2.433+3.9
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Los Angeles Clippers100.4.466-3.4

All times are ET.
Key: Opp. PPG = Points per game allowed to opponents. Opp. FGP = Field goal percentage allowed to opponents. RPG Diff. = The difference between team's rebounds per game and its opponents' rebounds per game.

Injury Report

Out
Yi Jianlian, SF/PF, Bucks (knee)
Chris Kaman, C, Clippers (ankle)
Shawn Marion, SF/PF, Heat (back)
Martell Webster, SF, Trail Blazers (heart)

Day-to-day
Rafer Alston, PG, Rockets (hamstring)
Richard Hamilton, SG, Pistons (hip)
Grant Hill, SF, Suns (groin)
Mickael Pietrus, SG/SF, Warriors (groin)
Quentin Richardson, SG/SF, Knicks (head)
Brandon Roy, SG, Trail Blazers (groin)
Tim Thomas, SF/PF, Clippers (Achilles)

Start 'em, sit 'em

The Hornets' Tyson Chandler has been a monster against the Warriors this season, averaging 16.5 points and 18 rebounds in two games. Against a team like the Warriors, Chandler may be the closest thing there is to a guaranteed double-double, as he has the quickness and defensive versatility to stay on the floor when the Warriors go small. … Shaquille O'Neal is yet to face the Mavericks this season, and he'll meet them for the first time with the Suns on Sunday. This is the matchup I'd be most concerned about if I'm the Mavs. Erick Dampier is the only player they have capable of handling Shaq at all, and Dampier has had a tendency to get himself into foul trouble against teams with strong low-post play. If the Mavs have to play Shaq with someone small, he could command double-teams in the post and the Mavs could find themselves getting picked apart for dunks and open 3-pointers. I guess when you face the Suns, dunks and open 3s are always a possibility, with or without Shaq. Still, if the Diesel is on your roster, make sure you start him for this one. … I'm sure his owners already know to play him, but the Pacers' Mike Dunleavy has been killing the Bucks this season, and he'll likely do it again on Sunday. In three games against the Bucks, Dunleavy is averaging 28.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals. He's also shooting 56 percent from the floor, 63 percent on 3s and 83 percent from the line. Dunleavy's been great this season, but the Bucks make great fantasy players look even greater. … You're not going to believe this, but Hedo Turkoglu has been putting up some huge numbers against the Knicks this season. How does 24.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals sound? He'll likely match those averages on Sunday. … Really, if you own anyone on the Magic, Sunday against the Knicks is a great time to start him. In their past four games, the Knicks have allowed 118, 130, 119 and 114 points to the Hornets, Grizzlies, Bucks and Hawks respectively. I would say that it looks like they quit on their coach, but I think that probably happened before the season started. Perhaps most amazingly, in their most recent win, the Knicks gave up 96 points to the Heat. The same Heat who have been struggling to score at all in recent weeks. The point is, if your fantasy stud is matching up with the Knicks over the last week of the season, start congratulating yourself now.

Waiver-wire pickups

The Bucks' Charlie Villanueva, available on most waiver wires, is averaging 16.0 points and 9.4 rebounds to go along with 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks over his past five games. Why he is available in any leagues, I have no idea. Over the past week, he had 24 points and 12 rebounds on the road against the Wizards and 26 points and nine rebounds in Chicago. I can't imagine he'll still be available if he has a big game against the Pacers on Sunday, though I suppose it is possible people just aren't paying attention. Pick him up if you need scoring and rebounding, but be aware that his field goal percentage can be something of a liability. … The Warriors' Kelenna Azubuike continues to play major minutes in the absence of Mickael Pietrus. He can guard a few different positions, which makes him extremely valuable in coach Don Nelson's system. For his past five games, he's averaging 11.0 points and 5.4 rebounds, numbers that don't really stand out, but he's hitting 47 percent of his 3-pointers, and is making around two 3s per game. In terms of what is still available on the waiver wire in most leagues, Azubuike's not a bad option in 3-pointers if you need a last-minute boost in that category. … The Sonics' Jeff Green has been having some trouble shooting. The kind of trouble where you go 1-for-8 against the Rockets and 8-for-25 against the Clippers in two consecutive games. Still, he's putting up some numbers because the Sonics need him to play. He's the rare player who has the potential to make 3s, get steals and block shots. I'm still waiting for his rebounding to come along, but he's improving as he plays more and more. If you find yourself in a keeper league, and you're looking for one more sleeper to round out your team for next year, Green is worth a look. It's clear the Sonics want him to be part of their core around Kevin Durant, so he's going to get plenty of run next year. For the balance of this year, he could be valuable if you need someone with the potential to score 20 points on any given night, just make sure you can take the hit in field goal shooting.

Seth Landman is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com