NBA Fantasy Basketball-Starting 5-February 21

There was plenty of action yesterday as the NBA opened week 9 of the season with a Presidents Day full of hoops. There were 11 games on the schedule including the returns of ‘Melo and D-Rose, the Nuggets and Wolves playing OT, and the Spurs an Clippers both in games that were close late.

Here’s 8 lists of 5 to make sure you start your day caught up on all the fantasy basketball action.

5 stars shining

Feb. 20, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin (17) chases New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

1. Deron Williams-NJ: Williams was out for revenge after getting torched by Linsanity in their first meeting. D-Will was quoted as saying, “This all started on me.” He answered the Knicks guard last night at MSG by going off for 38 points including 8 three-pointers to go with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal. He earns our MVP-for-a-day after carrying the Nets to a 10-24 record with the victory.

2. Kevin Durant-OKC: Durant didn’t let down after thrashing the Nuggets for 51 as he scored 31 against the Hornets on 10-19 shooting and added 3 threes, 8 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block. The Thunder won again at home to get to 13-1 at home and 25-7 overall.

3. Dwight Howard-Orl: Howard dominated once again versus Milwaukee finishing with 28 points 16 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block. He helped Orlando steal their 3rd game in the last 2 weeks from the Bucks to move to 21-12 overall.

4. Monta Ellis-GS: Ellis led Golden State to a big win at home over the visiting Clippers. He finished 11-20 from the field including a perfect 4-4 on threes. He added a steal, 4 assists, and 5 rebounds as Golden State again proved they can beat anyone at the Oracle where they moved to  9-9 while getting to 12-17 overall.

5. Dirk Nowitzki-Dal: Dirk hit 10-24 while dominating the Celtics sans KG and scoring 26 points to go with 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, an assist, a steal, and a three-pointer. Dallas’s win got them to 21-12 after a rough start.

5 scorers shooting

Feb. 20, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) misses a dunk as Portland Trail Blazers center Marcus Camby (23) defends during the first half of the game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

1. Al Harrington-Den: Harrington came off the bench and guided the Nuggets to an overtime victory to get to 18-15 overall and 9-7 at home. Harrington fired up 29 shots on his way to 31 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, and a steal.

2. Russell Westbrook-OKC: Westbrook scored 31 points to match Durant’s output while adding 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 rebounds as the Thunder cruised past the Hornets.

3. Kobe Bryant-LAL: The Lakers flat-out whooped the Blazers after an improbable  29-7 first quarter. Kobe led the charge, as usual, with 28 points on 13-26 shooting with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. The Lakers moved to 14-2 at home and 19-13 overall with the W.

4. Kyle Lowry-Hou: Lowry had 24 points to go with his 9 assists, 7 boards, and 4 steals. He led the Rockets to another win at home taking their record to 13-4 at home and 19-14 overall.

5. Derrick Rose-Chi: Rose had 23 in his return on 8-18 from the field with 2 threes, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. He’ll get back in the swing of things and his numbers should return to their higher level, but it was good to see him back on the court leading the Bulls to another win. The home victory over the Hawks runs their record to 26-8 overall and 12-2 at home.

5 bigs boarding

1. David Lee-GS: Lee had 13 rebounds and 24 points to go with 3 steals ans 2 assists as he and the Warriors starters all finished in double digits +/- and dominated the Clippers.

2. Andrew Bynum-LAL: Bynum had 19 boards last night as he dominated the glass while adding 14 points on 5-7 shooting as well as 2 assists, a steal, and a block.

3. Ersan Ilyasova-Mil: Ilyasova had 15 points and 15 rebounds with no peripherals as the Bucks fell to Orlando to slide to 13-19.

4. Kevin Love-Min: Love had 22 points and 13 boards for the Wolves in a losing effort in Denver. He added 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block as Minnesota dropped to 7-7 on the road and 16-17 overall.

5. Kris Humphries-NJ: The Nets forward played a whopping 44 minutes and finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds along with a block. In his last 5 games Humphries is averaging 17 points and 11.4 rebounds and has gotten 3 double-double’s in those 5.

February 20, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) is defended by Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (25) during the second half at Energy Solutions Arena. The Spurs defeated the Jazz 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

5 forwards finishing

1. Rudy Gay-Mem: Gay poured in 23 points with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block as the Grizz fell in Houston to slide to 18-15 on the season.

2. Blake Griffin-LAC: Griffin had 21 points to go with 9 boards on 7-10 shooting as he battled foul trouble in the Clippers loss to the Warriors. The loss dropped LA to 19-11 overall and just 8-7 away from their home at the Staples Center.

3. Al Jefferson-Uta: Jefferson finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists as the Jazz fell to the Spurs to see their overall record dip below .500 to 15-16.

4. Tim Duncan-SA: Duncan finished with 20 points to go with 7 boards, 3 assists, a steal and a block as he and Tony Parker helped a short-handed Spurs team emerge from Utah with a W to run their record to 23-0 after winning their 11th in a row.

5. Paul Pierce-Bos: Pierce was all the C’s had last night with Rondo suspended, KG absent, and Ray Allen struggling. Pierce was able to score 20 points on 7-13 shooting with 4 steals, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists but was unable to prevent Dallas from dropping Boston to 15-16 on the year.

5 points passing

1. Andre Miller-Den: Miller stepped in for an injured Ty Lawson and before fouling out himself had 12 assists to go with 5 points since he was 0-8 from the field. He added a steal and a block, and could be in for a huge numbers boost if Lawson misses time and Miller can actually make a shot.

2. Tony Parker-SA: Parker had 11 assists to go with his 23 points, 6 boards, and 3 steals as he led the Spurs to a win in Salt Lake City.

3. Steve Nash-Phx: Nash controlled the game against the visiting Wizards from the outset finishing with 12 points and 11 assists with 2 steals and a block in just 28 minutes of work as the Suns improved to  14-19 after winning their 2nd home game in 2 nights.

4. Jeremy Lin-NY: Lin scored 21 points, hit 2 threes, grabbed 7 rebounds, swiped 4 steals, and added 9 assists in the Knicks loss to New Jersey. Lin had a solid line but was unable to prevent the Knicks from falling below .500 as their record slipped to 16-17.

5. Jason Kidd-Dal: Kidd had 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 boards along with 2 threes and 6 points against Boston’s makeshift Rondo-less backcourt.

5 dialed-in from distance

February 20, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Matt Bonner (15) shoots during the first half against the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

1. Mo Williams-LAC: Williams hit 6-8 three-pointers while scoring 22 points against Golden State and also added an assist and a rebound in 33 minutes off the bench.

2. Matt Bonner-SA: Matt Bonner came off the bench for 31 minutes against Utah and hit 5-6 from deep on his way to 20 points with a rebound, steal, and an assist as well.

3. Steve Blake-LAL: Steve Blake provided a spark off the bench for the Lakers hitting 5-6 from long-range and scoring 17 points while adding 2 rebounds and an assist against his former team the Blazers.

4. Channing Frye-PHX: Frye hit 4-7 from deep as he scored 19 to go with 11 boards and 2 blocks as the Suns beat the Wizards.

5. Jason Terry-Dal: Terry hit 4 threes on his way to 16 points to go with 6 assists and 5 rebounds as Dallas rolled over Boston.

5 fantasy starters struggling

1. Nick Young-Was: Young was able to make just 3-13 as the Wizards fell in Phoenix. Young finished with 6 points, 1 assist, and 2 rebounds while the Wiz slid to 7-25.

2. Ty Lawson-Den: Lawson played just 17 minutes before rolling his ankle. His final stat-line of 13 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist is far less concerning to his owners than the injury is.

3. Chris Kaman-NO: Kaman shot a dismal 4-17 from the field shile finishgin with 12 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers in his 28 minutes against the Thunder. The rest of his Hornets teammates fared little better as New Orleans tumbled to 7-24 with the loss.

4. OJ Mayo-Mem: Mayo missed all 6 of his threes and finished 3-12 overall for just 6 points with a steal, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds.

5. Carmelo Anthony-NY: Anthony barely deserves to be here after his 4-11, 11 point, 6 assist, 3 rebound night. I wanted to mention him though just in cast some foolish owner in your league may be willing to part with him if he thinks Linsanity has eclipsed Melo. If you can pick him up cheap, Melo could be a huge addition since going forward I expect him to return to the focal point of the Knicks offense.

5 free-agents worth finding

Feb 20, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward Ekpe Udoh (20) dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

1. Ekpe Udoh-GS: I’ve been a Udoh apologist since he was drafted by the Warriors from Baylor. He always seemed like an ideal fit for their system, but he never got the time to show it on the floor. When Kwame Brown went down for the year, I expected him to overtake Biedrins and be starting soon for Golden State, but that never materialized… Fast-forward to last night when Biidrins had the flu and Udoh got the spot start. By the end of the night Udoh had 19 points, 8 boards, 2 blocks, an assist, and a steal against Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.  He’s now owned in 2 percent of leagues after last night’s performance and expect that to rapidly climb if he actually gets the time, which he should especially in Coach Mark Jackson’s ride-the-hot-hand type of system. Udoh could be the big free agent addition for the 2nd half if he is given the chance to perform like he did last night.

2. Kenneth Faried-Den: Faried (highlighted earlier at CPR) had another double-double for the Nuggets last night with 10 points and 14 boards to go with 2 steals and 3 blocks. He didn’t miss a shot going 4-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Faried is only owned in 0.9 percent of leagues due to his inconsistent time and limited long-term opportunity for minutes. He’s now put up a double-double in 2 of his last 3 games and when given the chance has played well. Despite going scoreless in just 11 minutes Sunday, he’s averaging 10.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1 steal per game in his last 5.

3. Trevor Booker-Was: Booker had trailed off after starting the beginning of the month on fire for the Wiz. Last night, he showed signs of reemerging as he scored 16 points on 7-12 shooting with 8 boards, an assist, a block, and a steal against the Suns. He’s owned in 22 percent of leagues but he’s worth watching at this point and adding if he can return to his earlier form.

4. Mike Dunleavy-Mil: Dunleavy has received inconsistent playing time in Milwaukee as they sort out a crowded SF/SG rotation. He had 18 points last night with 2 threes, 6 rebounds, and an assist. He’s averaging over 10 points for the month with almost 2 assists and over 3 rebounds per game. He’s still only owned in 4.5 percent of leagues and may be able to help if your desperate for points/threes.

5. Mickael Pietrus-Bos: Pietrus played a big role for the depleted Celtics and finished with 2 threes and 6 points to go with 12 boards and 4 assists. He hasn’t been getting this much PT or producing at this level, but with Boston so short on players he could continue to see increased run pre-break. He’s available in over 99% of leagues if you need a spot-start.

Tags: Deron Williams, Ekpe Udoh, fantasy basketball advice, Golden State Warriors, NBA Recap, Oklahoma City Thunder, popular, Starting 5, Waiver Wire