Daily Notes for Wednesday: Barbosa tough to handle
| Time | Visitors | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | Home | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | |||
| 7:00 p.m. |  | Memphis Grizzlies | 107.8 | .477 | -2.0 | @ |  | Toronto Raptors | 95.5 | .450 | -3.6 |
| 7:00 p.m. |  | Utah Jazz | 98.4 | .451 | +2.9 | @ |  | Philadelphia 76ers | 93.8 | .433 | +3.1 |
| 7:00 p.m. |  | Milwaukee Bucks | 98.0 | .453 | +2.7 | @ |  | Atlanta Hawks | 98.1 | .471 | +1.3 |
| 7:30 p.m. |  | Cleveland Cavaliers | 102.7 | .459 | +5.4 | @ |  | Detroit Pistons | 94.1 | .439 | -0.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. |  | Minnesota Timberwolves | 100.5 | .460 | +1.6 | @ |  | Dallas Mavericks | 98.1 | .452 | +0.9 |
| 8:30 p.m. |  | Washington Wizards | 102.6 | .445 | +2.6 | @ |  | San Antonio Spurs | 92.9 | .466 | +1.6 |
| 9:00 p.m. |  | Houston Rockets | 91.9 | .443 | +3.9 | @ |  | Phoenix Suns | 102.6 | .450 | -4.3 |
| 10:00 p.m. |  | Golden State Warriors | 109.8 | .477 | -6.8 | @ |  | Sacramento Kings | 104.1 | .472 | -3.7 |
| 10:00 p.m. |  | Indiana Pacers | 105.4 | .441 | -0.6 | @ |  | Portland Trail Blazers | 97.1 | .453 | -3.6 |
| 10:00 p.m. |  | Orlando Magic | 95.8 | .433 | -0.3 | @ |  | Seattle SuperSonics | 108.6 | .461 | -1.5 |
All times are expressed in Eastern Time.
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
Gilbert Arenas, PG, Wizards (knee)
Mike Conley, PG, Grizzlies (shoulder)
Jorge Garbajosa, PF/C, Raptors (ankle)
Acie Law, PG, Hawks (ankle)
Theo Ratliff, C, Timberwolves (knee)
Day-to-day
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, PF/C, Kings (knee)
Keyon Dooling, PG/SG, Magic (flu)
T.J. Ford, PG, Raptors (stinger)
Pat Garrity, PF, Magic (ankle)
Kyle Korver, SG/SF, 76ers (groin)
Desmond Mason, SG/SF, Bucks (ankle)
Darko Milicic, PF/C, Grizzlies (thumb)
Jermaine O'Neal, PF/C, Pacers (knee)
Zaza Pachulia, PF/C, Hawks (ankle)
Johan Petro, C, SuperSonics (back)
Salim Stoudamire, SG, Hawks (ankle)
Kenny Thomas, PF, Kings (flu)
Rasheed Wallace, PF/C, Pistons (knee)
Mo Williams, PG, Bucks (ankle)
It bears repeating that while T.J. Ford is dealing with an injury, Raptors backup point guard Jose Calderon should be an automatic play in all leagues. He's a great point guard who shoots a high percentage and puts up huge numbers in assists, and against Memphis he is a terrific play. … You can get away with sitting Philly's Samuel Dalembert against Utah, because Mehmet Okur's outside shooting should limit Dalembert's effectiveness around the basket. … Forwards have generally been pretty productive against the Bucks this season, so Atlanta's Marvin Williams and Josh Smith could prove to be tough matchups for Milwaukee's defense. … With Rasheed Wallace listed as day-to-day with a knee injury, I expect the Pistons to have major problems covering Drew Gooden. He's been averaging close to a double-double with 14 points and almost 10 rebounds per game, and I think he'll surpass those numbers on Wednesday. … It figures to be a long night for Minnesota against Dallas, but the best option for the Wolves figures to be Rashad McCants. If Dallas is weak anywhere on defense, it's at shooting guard. Al Jefferson should be well-covered by DeSagana Diop, and McCants will have to score if Minnesota is going to have any hope at all. … It's never easy to start players against the Spurs, but Antawn Jamison is the sort of player who is difficult for a team like San Antonio to match up with. If you're going to start any Wizards, I'd start Jamison, and hope he's shooting the 3-pointer with some accuracy Wednesday night. … On the other side, it's Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, as always. … Leandro Barbosa should have a great game against Houston; the Rockets don't have any guards quick enough to stay with him or Steve Nash, and Barbosa will be the one who benefits on offense. … You can expect a big night for Golden State center Andris Biedrins against Sacramento, because the Kings don't really have anyone who can fight him for rebounds. … In the same game, I'd probably sit Stephen Jackson against Ron Artest, although it is certainly a matchup that bears watching. … Start all your Magic players against Seattle, but Hedo Turkoglu is a particularly good play, since Seattle has trouble matching up with small forwards on the perimeter.
In his past few games, he's been terrific, but I'd be a bit wary of picking up the Grizzlies' Juan Carlos Navarro against the Raptors. In the Grizzlies' game against Toronto last week, he played only 10 minutes and didn't do anything positive statistically. I think he's a good long-term pickup who should be owned in more than 27.5 percent of ESPN leagues, but I'm not expecting a great night against Toronto. … On the other hand, the Raptors' Jamario Moon remains one of the best available options for blocks and steals. He is averaging 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks, and until that stops, he's worth owning, especially in deeper leagues. … People are still sleeping on the 76ers' Louis Williams, but with Kyle Korver still a bit banged up, Williams is one of Philly's best scoring options. He's worth owning while he's shooting over 50 percent from the floor and behind the arc. … Keep an eye on Mo Williams' status for the Bucks on Wednesday. If he sits on Tuesday night, and they elect to leave him out of both ends of the back-to-back, Charlie Bell could be a good play on Wednesday night against Atlanta. Last season, Bell was a useful scorer and good player, and Milwaukee went out of its way to re-sign him. Don't be surprised if they lean on him heavily if Williams is hurt. … Houston point guard Rafer Alston had a great night on Monday against the Clippers with 17 points, five rebounds and nine assists. His numbers for the season still look terrible, but I think he'll start to turn it around, and against Phoenix there's always an opportunity to put up good numbers. … Some people started picking up Portland's Jarrett Jack again this past week, but not enough. This could be your last chance, because Jamaal Tinsley has been ineffective checking other teams' point guards so far this season, and Indiana has consistently given up a ton of points. … In deeper leagues, it might be worth taking a flier on Travis Outlaw for the Trail Blazers as well. He has the potential to be a great source of blocks and steals, and he should get some minutes against Indiana because he's the only guy on Portland with the size and quickness to defend Danny Granger.
Seth Landman is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
