NBA Fantasy Basketball-Starting 5-February 7

Last night in the NBA had a huge milestone for Kobe, but a big loss for the Lakers. It had a West Coast team, the Clippers, heading East for a big win, while an Eastern Conference power, Atlanta, couldn’t win at home against the lowly Suns. A new star continued to shine in New York and Chicago won on the road despite losing their star.

In case you missed any of the action, here’s last night’s biggest win and toughest loss followed by 8 lists of 5 to help start your Tuesday by catching up on the 10 games of NBA goodness from last night’s schedule

Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) is called for goaltending on this shot by Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) late in the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. The Thunder won the game 111-107 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Biggest Win-Oklahoma City Thunder: As referee-aided as the win may have been, for the Thunder to go in to Portland and win is a huge victory. Portland will contend to the end that Aldridge’s block was good and the game-tying bucket was incorrectly given to Kevin Durant. It appeared to be a legitimate block on instant replay, but the Blazers seemed to melt a little after that and missed the chances they had to win the game after the controversial play. The win was just the 3rd time the visiting team has left the Rose Garden victorious and gets OKC to 19-5 despite blowing a six-point lead going into the 4th quarter. J.A. Adande had a nice blog entry on this game contrasting the 2 teams and observing that a 1 vs 8 matchup between these two would be an incredible series. I for one am hoping for it, and can’t wait for playoff basketball. This game felt like it which we haven’t been able to say too often this season.

Toughest Loss-Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have dropped 3 in a row and 5 of 6. To add injury to insult they lost Danilo Gallinari to injury (chip fracture of his foot) when they were already without Nene, Arron Afflalo, Timofey Mozgov, and Corey Brewer. Rudy Fernandez should get some playing time and makes a good addition for fantasy teams, but for the Nuggets this game was a loss on so many levels as they fell to  15-10 overall and 7-5 at home.

5 Standin’ out Superstars

Sacramento Kings power forward DeMarcus Cousins gets our MVP-for-a-day for his monster game against the Hornets. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

1. DeMarcus Cousins-Sac: Cousins had 28 points, 19 boards, 3 blocks, and a steal to lead the Kings past the Hornets in his 38 minutes on the floor. The Kings move to 9-15 with the win while New Orleans falls to 4-21.

2. Dwight Howard-Orl: Howard had a monstrous 33 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, an assist, and 2 blocks as Orlando forced OT before falling at home to the visiting Clippers. Orlando slips to 15-10 on the season with the loss.

3. Chris Paul-LAC: The Clippers were led by Paul who had a team-high 29 points to go with 8 assists, 2 steals, and 7 boards in a great all-around effort. In big games lately, he’s been coming up big for the Clippers and has the team  at 15-7 for the year and in a good position to continue their playoff push.

4. LaMarcus Aldridge-Por: Aside from the block/goaltend Aldridge played an incredible game finishing with

5. Russell Westbrook-OKC: Westbrok had a near triple double against Portland with 28 points, 11 boards, 8 assists, and 2 steals. He played 42 minutes for the Thunder in their big win.

5 Contributin’ across the Categories

1. Tim Duncan-SA: Duncan had 19 points, 17 boards, 5 blocks, 3 assists, and 2 steals in San Antonio’s win on the road in Memphis. The win gets the Spurs to a solid 17-9 record despite a 4-8 record on the road.

2. Andrew Bynum-LAL: Bynum had 20 points and 20 rebounds along with 3 assists and 3 blocks for the Lakers as he continues his emergence as one of the top centers in the game. He’s averaging over 17 points and over 12 rebounds per game.

3. Kevin Durant-OKC: Durant had 33 points while taking 33 shots and added 7 boards, 5 assists, a steal, and a block for Oklahoma City in their win in Portland.

4. John Wall-Was: Wall scored 31 points while adding 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals for Washington as they beat visiting Toronto to get just their 5th win of the year. They’re 5-20 overall and 4-10 at home.

5. Marc Gasol-Mem: Gasol bounced back from a tough game in Boston with 22 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Even though Gasol played much better the end result for Memphis was the same as they dropped their 2nd consecutive game to fall to 12-13 on the season.

5 Gamin’ Guards

Tony Parker has been playing excellent and even inciting some All-Star buzz. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

1. Tony Parker-SA: Parker had another nice game as he led the Spurs to a come-from-behind victory over Memphis. He finished with a team-high 21 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals.

2.Steve Nash-Phx: Nash had 24 points and 11 assists to lead the Suns past the Hawks in Atlanta last night. He shot a sizzling 9-12 from the field and 4-4 from 3-point territory as he helped Phoenix to a 10-14 record.

3. Kobe Bryant-LAL: Bryant became the 5th highest scorer of all time by passing his old teammate Shaquille O’Neal while scoring 24 points in the first half in Philadelphia. After half-time, things went downhill for Kobe and the Lakers as Bryant only managed 4 more points and finished with 28 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers. He shot 10-26 overall and 4-10 from deep but couldn’t hit shots at the end of the game to close out the Sixers who roared back to drop the Lakers to 14-11 on the year and 3-9 away from the Staples Center.

4. Deron Williams-NJ: Williams had 25 points and 5 assists for the Nets as they lost to the Bulls and fell to 8-18 on the year.

5. Wesley Matthew-Por: Matthews had 18 points on 6-9 shooting in 36 minutes with 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 rebounds. Jamal Crawford started for the injured Raymond Felton which may have cut into Matthews’ normal shots (Crawford had 18 shots).

5 Ballin’ Big-men

1. Al Jefferson-Uta: Jefferson led Utah with 22 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, and a block. He didn’t get much help though as the Jazz fell to the Amare-less and Melo-less (mostly) Knicks to slide to 13-10 overall. Utah’s a good team at home but a dismal 2-6 on the road.

2. Luis Scola-Hou: Scola had 25 to lead Houston while adding 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

3. Carlos Boozer-Chi: Boozer only played 27 minutes against the Nets last night but was able to rack up a solid 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal as the Bulls cruised past New Jersey. to get to 21-6

4. Pau Gasol-LAL: Gasol had 16 points and 11 boards with 2 assists and a block for the Lakers in Philadelphia.

5. Blake Griffin-LAC: Griffin had 18 points on 6-11 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block in the Clippers visit to Orlando.

Chauncey Billups shot the ball well, but may be done for the year. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

5 Scorchin’ Shooters

1. Jarryd Bayless-Tor: Bayless took 23 shots but made 6 3-pointers on his way to 30 points for the Raptors in Washington. He added 3 assists, 3 boards, and 2 steals in Toronto’s loss as they slid to 8-18 on the year.

2. Kyle Lowry-Hou: Lowry hit 5-6 from deep on his way to 20 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal as the Rockets won in Denver to up their record to 14-11.

3. Chauncey Billups-LAC: Billups may be out for the year with an achilles injury which would be devastating to the Clippers. He sunk 5 3-pointers last night and finished with 18 points, 3 assists, and 3 boards. The Clippers and his fantasy owners are hopeful that those are not the final contributions he makes for the year.

4. Lou Williams-Phi: Williams made all the shots when it counted and was the hero for the Sixers in the 4th quarter as they came back to defeat the visiting Lakers. The win moves Phily to 18-7 overall and 13-3 at home. Williams finished with 24 points (14 in the 4th), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.

5. Linus Kleiza-Tor: Kleiza had a big night to go with Jerryd Bayless’s (see above) shooting 11-16, hitting 4 3′s with 5 boards, 2 steals, and an assist as he matched Bayless with 30 points.

5 Passin’ Points

1. Jameer Nelson-ORL: Nelson returned from his concussion with 12 assists and 15 points for the Magic last night in their loss to the Clippers.

2. C.J. Watson-Chi: Watson filled in after Derrick Rose left with his recurring back issue. C.J. was my number 1 guard to add for the week, and he performed well last night although I’d take Jeremy Lin over him right now. Watson finished with a double-double with 14 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. If Rose misses time, Watson could be in for a nice week.

3. Greivis Vasquez-NO: Vasquez again started for the Hornets in place of the injured Jarrett Jack and again excelled in his expanded minutes. He finished with a team-high 20 points and 9 assists to go with 2 boards and just 2 turnovers in 40 minutes of playing time. He shot 6-9 from the field and 7-8 from the line. He’s still available in over 60% of leagues and will be useful until Jack returns when his role is TBD.

4. Mike Conley-Mem: Conley had 19 points, 8 asists, 6 rebounds, and a steal for the Grizzlies who fell to the Spurs last night in Memphis.

5. Isaiah Thomas-Sac: Thomas played a huge 26 minutes off the bench and had 17 points to go with 6 assists, a steal, and 5 rebounds in the Kings win over the Hornets. He’s a decent pickup in deep leagues as he’s averagin over 11 points in his last 7 games and is playing more minutes due to Jimmer’s recent struggles. He’s owned in just .3% of leagues

5 Missin’ the Mark

1. Hedo Turkoglu-Orl: In an overtime game where every point counted, Hedo had 0. He missed all 6 shots from the field he took in 25 minutes while contributing 4 assists, a steal, and 2 rebounds.

2. Kevin Martin-Hou: Martin’s Rockets won despite his 1-9 shooting performance. He finished with 8 points, 4 assists, and a rebound in 22 minutes of action against the Nuggets.

3. Rudy Gay-Mem: Gay his 9 of his 26 shots and finished with 18 points, 8 boards, and 4 steals. His shooting percentage and shot selection was not as good as the Grizz need from him last night.

4. Jose Calderon-Tor: Calderon had 3 points on 1-5 shooting in 35 minutes and only added 4 assists and 2 rebounds for the Raptors.

5. Paul Millsap-Uta: Millsap shot 3-10 from the field for just 9 points but was able to corral 13 boards against NY for the Jazz.

The hottest commodity in New York (and fantasy hoops) is Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

5 to consider adding

1. Jeremy Lin-NY: Lin played 45 minutes last night for the Knicks as Mike D’Antoni hands over his offense to the guard. Lin finished with 28 points and 8 assists to go with 2 steals and 2 rebounds. He’s a must-add in all formats at least for the short term as his role couldn’t be bigger moving forward and Baron Davis, who may reduce it long term, is still aways away from a return. Lin’s owned in 6 percent of leagues coming into today but expect that number to skyrocket as he’s as hot as any commodity can be even in New York.

2. Rudy Fernandez-Den: Fernandez will play a much bigger roll with the long-term injury to Danilo Gallinari. In his 35 minutes last night he scored a team-high 14 on just 5-13 shooting while adding 2 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block. His inclusion here is more based on his projected minutes than he performance last night. He’s available in over 96% of leagues.

3. Trevor Booker-Was: I’ve mentioned Booker quite a bit but he had another good game last night as he played 43 minutes for the Wizards against the Raptors. He finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, and an assist. Those numbers are great especially from a guy owned in just 7 percent of leagues.

4. Chase Budinger-Hou: Budinger continues to come off the bench but had another nice night last night for Houston. He finished with 16 points in 25 minutes, hit 4 3-pointers, grabbed 5 boards, and dished out 2 assists. He’s owned in just 3 percent of leagues because of the inconsistency in his minutes. When he gets the PT he produces 3′s and points and usually a good amount of rebounds as well.

5. Jared Dudley-Phx: Dudley returned to the starting lineup for Phoenix last night and played 28 minutes while reaching double-digit scoring (1o points). He should be back at full strength for the rest of the week. If your league is one of the 35 percent where he’s available, he’s definitely worth a look.

Tags: Chauncey Billups, fantasy basketball advice, Jeremy Lin, LaMarcus Aldridge, NBA Recap, Oklahoma City Thunder, popular, Starting 5, Waiver Wire