NBA Fantasy Basketball-Starting 5-February 9

Last night was jam-packed with 11 games in the NBA. Two Texas teams came up big on the road as the Spurs road into to Philadelphia and the Rockets landed in Portland. The battle for Florida was on once again in Orlando, and Jeremy Lin continued to evolve into the Tim Tebow of the NBA. Here’s 5 quick lists of 5 to get you caught up on all the fantasy numbers you need to know from last night’s action.

5 Fantasy Stars

Tony Parker (9) goes around a pick set by forward Tim Duncan (21) against the 76ers last night. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

1. Tony Parker-SA: Parker played 38 minutes for the Spurs as he led them to a huge road win in Philadelphia. The Sixers had only lost 3 home games until last night while San Antonio was 2-8 on the road prior to winning their last 3 road tilts. Parker finished the night with 37 points, 3 boards, 8 assits, a steal, and a block and earns our MVP-for-a-day honor for his final line and his leading the Spurs to a huge road victory.

2. Dwight Howard-Orl: Howard had a double-double in the first quarter against the visiting Miami Heat and his dominance allowed the 3-point happy Magic to get their 16th win on the season (16-10 overall). Howard finished with 25 points and 24 rebounds while adding 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks as the Magic triumphed over their in-state rival.

3. Deron Williams-NJ: Williams had 34 points and 7 assists to go with 2 boards and a block in his 41 minutes of time on the floor for the Nets. The visiting Pistons were able to get the win though thanks to a balanced attack while the only other Net with more than 11 points was Jordan Farmar off the New Jersey bench.

4. Josh Smith-Atl: Josh Smith led the Hawks to a victory over the visiting Pacers with a great all-around stat night. He had 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks as Atlanta got to 17-9 on the season

5. Ramon Sessions-Cle: Filling in for Kyrie Irving, Sessions had 24 points, 13 assists, 2 boards, a steal, and a block to help the Cavs get a big win over the visiting Clippers and move to 10-14 overall. Not bad for a team at the bottom of the league all last year. Sessions would be a great addition if Irving were to miss an extended period of time, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

5 Fantasy Backcourt Ballers

Jeremy Lin (17) dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

1. Jeremy Lin-NY: Lin is the hottest pickup of the year in fantasy hoops so far. Iman Shupmert got some love on this site and elsewhere when he looked like the Knicks answer at PG, but it’s nothing like the Jeremy Lin craziness sweeping the nation as Lin continues to lead the Knicks at the point and lead them to victories without Carmelo and Amare (ok, so they only beat the Wizards). Lin finished with 10 assists, 23 points, 4 boards, a steal, and a block as New York moved to 11-15 on the season.

2. Dwyane Wade-Mia: Wade played well hitting 15-24 from the field for 33 points along with 3 blocks, 2 boards, 2 assists, and a steal. The Heat fell short of winning in Orlando though as they fell to 19-7 on the year.

3. Chris Paul-LAC: Paul struggled shooting (5-16) but still had a solid final line with 12 assists, 3 steals, 3 boards, and 16 points. Most nights his shot will be better, but even when it’s not he still helps in other categories.

4. John Wall-Was: Wall had 29 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, a block, and a rebound in Washington. He couldn’t derail the Jeremy Lin train though as the Knicks beat the Wizards to drop them to 5-21 on the year.

5. Jose Calderon-Tor: Calderon had more assists than anybody else last night as he finished with 15 in the Raptors loss to Milwaukee. He struggled from the field, however, shooting 4-12 and scoring just 9 points. He’s extremely useful in assists, but that’s about his only category of contribution lately.

Feb 8, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) dunks against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

5 Frontcourt Fiends

1. Blake Griffin-LAC: Griffin finished with 25 points and 14 boards on 8-16 from the field. He fouled out after adding an assist and a steal to round out his boxscore.

2. LeBron James-Mia: James had 10 assists as he played point-forward for much of the night due to Mario Chalmers absence. He added 3 steals, 6 rebounds, and 17 points on just 5-15 shooting for the Heat.

3. Antawn Jamison-Cle: Jamison played 38 minutes and scored a game-high 27 to lead the Cavs to a home win over the Clippers. HE added 8 boards, 3 assists, and a block to his final stat-line

4.Tyson Chandler-NY: Chandler had 25 points and 11 boards while shooting 11-14 from the FT line and 7-12 from the field. He added 2 assists, a steal, and a block as he dominated the Wizards inside.

5. Greg Monroe-Det: Monroe got the Pistons to 7-20 after helping them win their 3rd in a row by leading the team with 20 points and adding 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

5 Fantasy Downers

1. Paul George-Ind: George followed up 3 solid games (including 30 points last Friday) with a 1-8 shooting not in Atlanta last night. He scored just 5 points to go with 3 boards, an assist, and 2 steals in 29 minutes in the Pacers loss

2. Brandon Jennings-Mil: Jennings shot just 3-12 from the field and 1-7 from deep on his way to 11 points, 4 assits, 3 rebounds, and a steal. He’s been passive and off the last few nights.

3. Jarryd Bayless-Tor: Bayless left the game with an ankle injury but struggled before his departure with just  6 points on 3-10 shooting (0-5 from 3-point distance). He did add 7 assists and 2 boards, but owners were hoping for more scoring after his 30 point outing in Washington.

4. Hedo Turkoglu-Orl: Turkoglu continues his horrid shooting with just 1-6 finding the twine last night. He had just 3 points and 1 rebound although he did contribute 7 assists.

5. Chris Bosh-Mia: Bosh shot 5-13 on his way to 12 points in 37 minutes. He did manage to grab 9 boards to go with a steal and a block, but his numbers have been markably down since D-Wade’s return.

5 Fantasy Players to consider adding

Randy Foye makes a good addition in his newly expanded role (shown here against the Nuggets Rudy Fernandez who also makes this list). Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

1. Randy Foye-LAC: It looks like it will be Randy Foye (5% ownership) who gets the points, minutes, and opportunities left in the wake of the Chauncey Billups injury. Last night Foye started and scored 15 points in 28 minutes while making 3 3′s and adding a steal, 1 rebound, and 2 assists. He’s worth a look in most formats since depending on the game he can be either a scorer or a facilitator helping in shooting, points, 3′s, and assists.

2. Quincy Pondexter-Mem: Pondexter is virtually unowned but is getting minutes in the absence of Tony Allen. In a season high 36 minutes last night, he had 17 points on 7-14 shooting and 6 boards with 2 assists. Until Allen returns, Pondexter makes an interesting “flier” addition in deeper leagues.

3. Rudy Fernandez-Den: Although he didn’t officially get the start, Fernandez played 29 minutes against Dallas and should continue to see an increased role for the next month while Danilo Gallinari recovers. He finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-9 shooting and 2-3 from distance. He added 3 boards, a steal, and an assist for the still-sliding Nuggets. He’s owned in under 5% of leagues

4. Gary Neal-SA: In just 0.5% is Neal owned and his production last night showed why he’s a valued member of the Spurs deep bench. Not only is Tiago Splitter worth owning coming off the bench, but Neal can be an asset to any fantasy team when his shot is falling. Last night it was as he hit all 4 of his 3-point attempts and scored 18 in his 30 minutes on the floor. He added a nifty 6 assists, 5 boards, and a block. If he sees this kind of time, he’s worth the add, but remember Many Ginobili’s return will probably reduce his role.

5. Steve Novak-NY: Lost in the Jeremy Lin-sanity has been back-to-back solid games from Novak. He’s hardly owned but has 19 points in each of the last 2 games and has made 5 3-pointers in each game as well. Last night against Washington he added 5 boards, a block, and a steal. There’s no way of knowing what his role will be when Amar’e Stoudemire returns but his flexibility and 3-point shooting can help space the floor an create the opening that make the Mike D’Antoni system work. He’s worth a look if you need 3′s, but Stoudemire will return Monday so his long-term prospects are a bit clouded.

Bonus-5 injury headlines not to miss

1. Kyle Lowry may sit tonight (elbow), Goran Dragic would start against his former team

2. Kyrie Irving missed last night’s game with a concussion

3. Jarrett Jack returned from injury

4. Mario Chalmers was out with an injury and Norris Cole got the start

5. Daniel Gibson returned from injury and played well

Tags: Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, fantasy basketball advice, Jeremy Lin, NBA Recap, popular, Randy Foye, Starting 5, Tony Parker