Top Performers - January 24th Edition

Best Performances of the Night:
Kirk Hinrich (SG, PG), Chi - Captain Kirk put up 38 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 4 3's, all while shooting at a high %. This was his second monster game of the year (the other being his triple double on 12/14 against the Knicks). What's interesting about this is the fact that Duhon was not his starting backcourt mate in either game; I've read about how Hinrich plays better when Duhon isn't starting next to him, but this game makes it hard to ignore. He's been slowly coming along as the season has progressed, so it may be getting late to trade for him while his value is low, especially after a game like yesterday. (Photo Credit Brian Kersey / AP)

Danny Granger (SF, PF), Ind - 33 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 3's...nice. He's really been coming on strong in January (averaging more than 21 PPG), and in his last 5, he's putting up more than 25 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 3 3's. He seems to have found his grove, so keep him in your lineup & enjoy the 1+ steal, block & 3 per game.

Josh Smith (SG, SF, PF), Atl - Not a great shooting night from JSmoove, but he got his first career triple double, putting up 22 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals & 5 blocks; although he did also commit 7 turnovers. He's a fantasy stud, no doubt about it, and if he improves his shot selection & gets a consistent 3 point shot, he'll be a super-stud. Enjoy his production...

Others of note:

-Amare Stoudemire (C), Pho - 33 points on 14-16 shooting, along with 6 boards, 2 steals & 2 blocks

-Jose Calderon (PG), Tor - Clutch with the game on the line, and scored 24 points, hit 3 3's, dished out 13 assists, grabbed 3 steals, and shot 8-10 from the field & 5-5 from the line. Anyone missing TJ Ford?

-Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C), Cle - Scored 24 on 10-10 shooting from the field...I think he put up some other stats as well, but I can't get past the 100% FG%. Impressive day from Big Z.

Performances that we could have done without:

Martell Webster (SG, SF), Por - 3 points on 0-4 shooting from the field; he's only posted double figures in points once in his last 5

Antonio Daniels (PG), Was - 2 points on 0-4 shooting from the field; he did dish out 5 assists

Kendrick Perkins (C), Bos - 4 points; this follows up his career high 24 on Monday

Weird Line of the Night:

Jamaal Tinsley (PG), Ind (again) - I'm noticing a trend with Tinsley falling into this category...meaning, it might not be very weird anymore. He put up 2 points on 1-4 shooting from the field, and dished out 6 assists. In his last 4 games, he's averaging 4 points, shooting 6-21 from the field; although he's also averaged 4 boards & 11 assists. I think it's fair to say his shot is a little off right now, but at least he's continuing to distribute the ball effectively.

Surprise Lines of the Night:

Al Thorton (SF, PF), LAC - Nice game for the rook from FSU, as he had 23 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals & 2 blocks. In his last 3, he's put up 22, 14, & 23; he's starting to produce when getting consistent playing time. Coming into the season, I thought he was one of the most NBA ready players from the draft (along with Big Al Hortford in Atlanta), but Thorton's just now starting to show some consistency. Hopefully he'll continue to get minutes, meaning he'll be a good fantasy pickup if you need points & some 3's.

Andrea Bargnani (SF, PF, C), Tor - Andrea had his game of the year! Although that's not saying much. He scored 20 points & had 7 boards, 7 assists & 3 3's in 40 minutes of play. I'm not going to take this as THE sign that he's breaking out of his funk, but keep a close eye on his play. I still haven't dropped him in a few leagues, holding out hope that he'll start to fulfil his promise at some point this season...fingers crossed.

Marko Jaric (SG, SF), Min - Super Marko had another great game! 15 points, 8 boards & 10 assists isn't a bad line at all; this follows up his 16 point, 8 board & 10 assist game on Monday...is he here to stay? Only time will tell, but I think in this case, past performances do not guarantee future results...especially with Foye's impending return. But if you've got Jaric, play him while he's hot (like his girlfriend).

The weekend is almost here! Thanks for reading, and feel free to send any fantasy questions to rotoadvice@yahoo.com; I'll likely devote an occasional post to answering these, and I'll work to reply to all of your emails.