Daily Notes for Monday: Warriors-Magic shootout
| Time | Visitors | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | Home | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | |||
| 7:00 p.m. |  | Golden State Warriors | 112.2 | .436 | -5.0 | @ |  | Orlando Magic | 94.8 | .434 | -2.3 |
| 7:30 p.m. |  | Houston Rockets | 93.6 | .439 | +2.2 | @ |  | New Jersey Nets | 102.7 | .455 | +0.7 |
| 8:00 p.m. |  | Los Angeles Lakers | 97.7 | .436 | +4.0 | @ |  | Memphis Grizzlies | 99.2 | .470 | -2.0 |
| 8:30 p.m. |  | Sacramento Kings | 106.1 | .475 | -3.0 | @ |  | San Antonio Spurs | 93.6 | .455 | +0.5 |
| 9:00 p.m. |  | Portland Trail Blazers | 95.4 | .462 | +5.7 | @ |  | Denver Nuggets | 98.4 | .429 | -1.0 |
| 10:30 p.m. |  | Toronto Raptors | 100.0 | .457 | -5.9 | @ |  | Los Angeles Clippers | 99.7 | .447 | -2.2 |
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.
Out
Ricky Davis, SG/SF, Clippers (knee)
Monta Ellis, PG/SG, Warriors (ankle)
Stephen Jackson, SG/SF, Warriors (hand)
Chris Kaman, C, Clippers, (foot)
Day-to-day
Rafer Alston, PG, Rockets, (hamstring)
Carmelo Anthony, SF, Nuggets (elbow)
Ron Artest, SF, Rockets, (ankle)
Andrew Bynum, C, Lakers, (foot)
Kevin Martin, SG, Kings, (ankle)
Corey Maggette, SG/SF, Warriors (hamstring)
Kenyon Martin, PF, Nuggets, (wrist)
Jermaine O'Neal, PF/C, Raptors, (shoulder)
Beno Udrih, PG, Kings (hamstring)
It's going to be a big week for ambulatory Warriors. (That means everyone but Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson.) Look for Jamal Crawford and Andris Biedrins to have oversized nights against the Magic, and give Kelenna Azubuike a try if you're looking for a wild card to fill out your lineup. … The Magic are due for a big night against the porous Warriors. … Dwight Howard's return hasn't had the negative effect I'd feared upon Jameer Nelson's current unconscious streak. I've been drafting Nelson for years hoping for something even approaching the numbers from his past five games (22.8 points, 5.4 assists, 2.8 3-pointers, 1.2 steals), and it pains me to type this, but I'd try to deal him while his value's at an all-time high. You're talking about a career .462 shooter who's shooting .562 in December. That, good people, is a statistical aberration, similar to Erick Dampier's 2004 season, or the per-screen average of "The Day the Earth Stood Still." … Rafer Alston is still iffy for Monday as of this writing, so keep close to ESPN.com all day for round-the-clock Alston updates. … Ditto for Ron Artest, who has proclaimed he might need to take a personal day at some point this week. … Andrew Bynum has had back-to-back off nights, and it might be time to find another option off your bench until he gets his injury woes straight. You have to wonder if his foot problem is going to be a season-long concern. … Mickael Pietrus is back from his injury but should stay on your bench until Stan Van Gundy puts him back into Orlando's starting five. And maybe even beyond that. … Question: How many fair-weather Lakers fans in the world? Answer: Six million, and they all seemingly live on my street. Sad byproduct: Lamar Odom is still owned in more leagues than Boris Diaw. … I know it's hard for you Beno Udrih enthusiasts out there to see him struggle through a tender hamstring after such an impressive return to form, but give him the night off. … Spencer Hawes has clearly been the beneficiary of regime change in Sacramento, as his minutes have crept up toward the magic 30 mpg threshold over his past five contests. Still, he won't be able to get to the next level of production until Brad Miller gets dealt. When that happens, pounce like a Bengal tiger. … The 0.7 percent of you who still don't own John Salmons need to upgrade from dialup. … Nene had his best game in weeks Friday (14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks). He's lacked consistency in December, but he should be a safe start against the Trail Blazers. … After a nice little renaissance, Jamario Moon has had two clunkers in a row. Moon tends to produce in peaks and valleys, so I'd sit him until further notice. … Jermaine O'Neal is starting to siphon off Chris Bosh's numbers. Over the past five games his shot attempts have been trending upward. If he puts together a hot week, deal him while the dealing's good. … The Clippers might be struggling in the real world, but in fantasy, they've been running out one of the best top-to-bottom starting fives since Chris Kaman went down to injury. Eric Gordon and Al Thornton are up and down, but they're both finding more consistency as the Clippers play for the future. Heads high, Clippers Nation! … By the way, why do I have to play the Chad Ford Lottery Mock Draft Generator at least 12 times on average before the Wizards end up with Blake Griffin? This injustice must be rectified. It's getting in the way of my feeding my infant.
Look for Don Nelson to randomly plug and play his bench in gazillions of combinations over the next few games as Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette heal from various maladies. Only a couple of his bench players will get enough consistent playing time to be fantasy factors. Of all the candidates, I'd gravitate toward Marco Belinelli and Brandan Wright. Nelson still seems to use Wright only in certain matchups, but Belinelli (averaging almost 20 points over his past five) should provide some comfort for disgruntled Jackson owners. … Aaron Brooks has been solid in relief of Rafer Alston, and has been hitting his 3s with more frequency of late (5 for his past 12 attempts). … Luis Scola had one of those Aniston-esque teases Friday night (23 points, 10 rebounds), but I simply can't recommend him with a clear conscience. The Rockets are fast approaching the mantle of "Most Frustrating Fantasy Team Other Than the Warriors," with nothing short of three timeshares, and eight players averaging at least 20 minutes per game. Good for Rockets fans, bad for mankind. … It's taking some time, but Brook Lopez is inching toward fantasy relevance (10.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 blocks for December). Guess those high SAT scores are finally paying off. … If you want a leg up on blocks, why not take a gander at Darko Milicic? He's averaging close to three per game over his past five. Maybe he's finally found his role as the continental Adonal Foyle. … Roger Mason (2.2 3-pointers a night) is looking like a nice spot start against the Kings (106.1 points allowed per game). … Speaking of underowned players, Steve Blake gets my vote for the most criminally ignored point guard this side of Russell Westbrook. He does a little of everything; assists, steals, points, 3-pointers, solid free throw percentage. Blake's streaky from behind the arc but is shooting almost 42 percent on his 3s for the season. … J.R. Smith is steadily emerging from George Karl's doghouse and has been posting starter stats (17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 3-pointers. 1.2 steals) of late. More importantly, he's been hitting almost 50 percent of his shots in his quest for playing time. … It could be the three eggnogs I've downed since I started typing, but I've got a good feeling about the surging Trevor Ariza against Memphis' Kiwanis Club defense (.470 opponent field goal percentage).
John Cregan is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
