November 24, 2008, 3:16 PM

Daily Notes for Tuesday: Time to see how Knicks use new options

Comment Print Share
McKitish By Brian McKitish
Special to ESPN.com
Archive

Matchups for Tuesday, Nov. 25

Time Visitors Opp. PPG Opp. FGP RPG Diff. Home Opp. PPG Opp. FGP RPG Diff.
7:00 p.m. Golden State Warriors 106.1 .459 -0.4
@
Washington Wizards 103.5 .474 -5.1
7:30 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers 93.1 .429 +3.2
@
New York Knicks 106.6 .483 -7.6
8:00 p.m. Phoenix Suns 97.9 .447 +1.1
@
Oklahoma City Thunder 101.8 .454 -1.2
8:30 p.m. Indiana Pacers 97.7 .424 +1.8
@
Dallas Mavericks 96.5 .416 +3.7
10:30 p.m. New Jersey Nets 103.2 .454 +1.5
@
Los Angeles Lakers 91.3 .419 +4.5

All times 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
Gilbert Arenas, PG, Wizards (knee)
Mike Dunleavy, SG/SF, Pacers (knee)
Monta Ellis, PG/SG, Warriors (ankle)
Brendan Haywood, C, Wizards (wrist)
Desmond Mason, SG/SF, Thunder (elbow)

Day-to-day
Josh Boone, C, Nets (ankle)
Antonio Daniels, PG, Wizards (knee)
Gerald Green, SF, Mavericks (back)
Danny Granger, SF, Pacers (ankle)
Al Harrington, PF/C, Knicks (back)
Josh Howard, SF, Mavericks (ankle)
Robert Swift, C, Thunder (back)

Start 'em, sit 'em

If you had Jamal Crawford on your bench this past weekend, make sure you get him back in your lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Wizards. It will be Crawford's first start for the Warriors, but he already is accustomed to playing in a wide-open offense, so it shouldn't take him long to adjust. Crawford couldn't have asked for a better opponent to open up against, as this game figures to be a high-scoring affair. The Wizards rank 27th in opponents' points allowed per game and 29th in opponents' 3-point field goals per game. In fact, start all your Warriors, including Anthony Morrow, who figures to be hurt the most by the Crawford addition. … Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Nick Young should thrive against a Warriors defense that has been giving up 106.1 points per game, but don't expect much from the Wizards' big men, who couldn't do much against a similar New York team Saturday night. … We can speculate all we want about the new Knicks lineup, but we'll finally get a chance to see it firsthand Tuesday night, so watch closely. New York is in full rebuilding mode, so expect to see both Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson retain their value despite the added depth at their positions. It just wouldn't make sense to limit their minutes in favor of Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley, given the difference in age. Al Harrington should have no problem securing the starting center gig, and he'll likely start Tuesday despite his day-to-day listing. Get him back in your lineups. … Shaquille O'Neal has been simply dominant when playing after a day or more of rest, and he'll have two days' rest before taking on an undersized Thunder frontcourt Tuesday. Expect a big night from Shaq, who is averaging 20.7 points and 8.7 rebounds on two days' rest this season. … Marquis Daniels heads back to Dallas to take on his old team and is averaging 18.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in his past five games. He'll have plenty of motivation and should be a solid start Tuesday, particularly if Danny Granger is limited by his injured ankle. … Brook Lopez will have a tough time against Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the post, but he still must be active in all formats as long as Josh Boone is out with an ankle injury. Lopez has averaged 14.6 points, 9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in his past five contests.

Waiver-wire pickups

Russell Westbrook
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty ImagesTime to get Russell Westbrook, if he's still available.
With P.J. Carlesimo out as coach and Scott Brooks in, the Thunder are expected to shake things up with a move toward youth. That means more minutes for rookie point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has been stellar of late, averaging 12.2 points, 4.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game in his past five contests. He has plenty of potential and should be added in all formats, owing to the expected increase in minutes. … Feel free to take a gamble on either Quentin Richardson or Cuttino Mobley in New York in light of the recent trades. The Knicks lost a lot of offensive firepower in Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, and even though Al Harrington will help, there's still a lot of offensive production to replace here. It has been rumored that Q-Rich will not be in the starting lineup, but that does not mean he can't reap the benefits of the trade. Stay tuned to see how things shake out. … Last week's top pickup, Anthony Morrow, could struggle now that Jamal Crawford is in town, but he's worth holding on to for a few more days just in case he can retain his value. … Trevor Ariza is a one-category wonder, but he has provided a nifty 2.0 steals per game in just 25 minutes. He can be ignored in shallow leagues but should be added in deeper formats.

Brian McKitish is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.