Daily Notes for Wednesday: Alston, Dalembert solid starts
| Time | Visitors | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | Home | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | |||
| 7:00 p.m. |  | Memphis Grizzlies | 99.7 | .474 | -0.7 | @ |  | Indiana Pacers | 106.8 | .458 | -0.7 |
| 7:00 p.m. |  | Philadelphia 76ers | 95.6 | .454 | +3.0 | @ |  | Washington Wizards | 102.3 | .477 | -1.7 |
| 7:30 p.m. |  | Chicago Bulls | 102.0 | .451 | -0.5 | @ |  | New Jersey Nets | 100.6 | .464 | -0.7 |
| 7:30 p.m. |  | Orlando Magic | 94.5 | .432 | +1.4 | @ |  | New York Knicks | 107.8 | .477 | -3.8 |
| 8:00 p.m. |  | Utah Jazz | 99.3 | .460 | +1.4 | @ |  | Minnesota Timberwolves | 103.0 | .473 | +1.5 |
| 8:00 p.m. |  | Detroit Pistons | 94.1 | .450 | -0.3 | @ |  | New Orleans Hornets | 93.8 | .455 | -0.9 |
| 8:30 p.m. |  | Milwaukee Bucks | 99.6 | .456 | +1.3 | @ |  | Dallas Mavericks | 99.5 | .451 | +0.9 |
| 8:30 p.m. |  | Portland Trail Blazers | 95.1 | .463 | +5.2 | @ |  | San Antonio Spurs | 94.0 | .456 | +0.1 |
| 9:00 p.m. |  | Atlanta Hawks | 97.5 | .454 | -2.5 | @ |  | Denver Nuggets | 100.6 | .442 | +0.1 |
| 10:00 p.m. |  | Charlotte Bobcats | 94.2 | .452 | -0.5 | @ |  | Sacramento Kings | 108.9 | .482 | -5.7 |
| 10:30 p.m. |  | Boston Celtics | 92.0 | .425 | +5.9 | @ |  | Los Angeles Clippers | 103.8 | .467 | -4.3 |
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 a team's rebounds per game and its opponents' rebounds per game.
Out
Mike Dunleavy, SG/SF, Pacers (knee)
Kevin Garnett, PF, Celtics (knee)
Manu Ginobili, SG, Spurs (ankle)
Danny Granger, SF/PF, Pacers (foot)
Nene, PF/C, Nuggets (knee)
Day-to-day
Luol Deng, SF, Bulls (wrist)
T.J. Ford, PG, Pacers (flu)
Greg Oden, C, Trail Blazers (knee)
Mickael Pietrus, SG/SF, Magic (wrist)
Al Thornton, SF/PF, Clippers (foot)
Samuel Dalembert hasn't been bringing it with his scoring the way I thought he might a few weeks ago, but he still is rebounding and blocking shots, and on Wednesday night against the Wizards, that should be enough to make him worth starting. … It shouldn't be too hard for Rafer Alston to pick up a lot of assists as the starting point guard for the Magic. He had nine in his first start for them Monday, and I'll be shocked if he doesn't have at least 10 against the Knicks on Wednesday. … Kevin Love has a nice matchup against the Jazz, even if the Wolves as a team do not. The Jazz are pretty soft in the middle right now, and Love should be able to fight off Mehmet Okur for rebounds as the starting center. He has had at least nine rebounds in 12 straight games. … Speaking of centers with nice matchups, Tyson Chandler has a good one for the Hornets against the Pistons. Detroit is going to have a lot of trouble covering Chris Paul at the point of attack, and when he takes it in the lane, it probably will be Chandler's man who goes to help out. If we don't see a few Paul-to-Chandler alley-oops, I'll be quite surprised. I think he's a sure double-double in this one.
Even before Jarrett Jack's 33-point performance against the Knicks on Monday night, he had been playing well of late. In his past five games, he's averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals, and he has made a total of eight 3-pointers. T.J. Ford currently is out with the flu, but even if he plays Wednesday, Jack should be able to put together a productive night against the Grizzlies. … It certainly is not a given that it will continue in any meaningful way, but Sean Williams played 19 minutes for the Nets and blocked three shots against the 76ers in a win Monday. If you are desperate for blocks, he's a guy you absolutely need to pay attention to in the coming weeks. If he gets around 20 minutes per game, he'll be a valuable contributor in that category. … I'm not sure I like Antoine Wright much as a player, but the Mavericks sure seem to. He is playing 32 minutes per game in his past five and is averaging 14.8 points, 1.6 3-pointers and 2.0 steals. Those all are numbers you can use, especially if you are trying to make up ground in 3s and steals as the season winds down. … There are lots of Celtics to look at for their matchup against the Clippers on Wednesday night. With Kevin Garnett injured, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Glen Davis all should get good minutes, and since it is the Clippers, coach Doc Rivers might rest his starters more than usual. If you need points and rebounds, Powe in particular should be a good place to look for one night. If you own one of the few teams carrying Eddie House, you really need to play him this time around.
Seth Landman is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
