Mike Dunleavy, Jr. notched his second 30+ point game of the season Friday night, with 34 points on only 20 shots from the field to lead the Pacers to a win over the New Jersey Nets. Dunleavy has had a breakout year this season, averaging career highs in points (17.5 per game) and assists (3.4 per game) for Indiana.
Injury Update
Luol Deng missed 16 games in the past two months with a sore Achilles tendon, but is finally back in the Bulls’ starting lineup and playing healthy for the first time in months. Elton Brand is also progressing nicely in his rehab from an Achilles injury, participating in non-contact drills with the Clippers last week and hoping to progress to full-contact practices within the next two weeks.
Battier, Rockets on Winning Streak
The Houston Rockets are the hottest team in the NBA right now, having won 12 in a row and 16 of their last 17 games. The Rockets have lost only four times in 2008, with their last loss on January 27th against Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz, who are also rolling in a big way. Shane Battier continues to provide the Rockets with solid outside shooting and stellar defense from the small forward position, averaging 9.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the month of February while shooting 45% from long range and helping Houston stay in the playoff mix in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Unfortunately, it was announced today that Houston’s starting center Yao Ming will likely miss the rest of the season due to a broken foot.
Grant Hitting the Boards
For four years at Duke, Grant Hill made a habit of filling whatever role his team needed, whether it was handling the point, defending all over the court, or making a game-winning full court pass to get to the Final Four. This year in Phoenix, Grant is showing again that he can step up in a number of roles. Since the trade that sent Shawn Marion to Miami in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal, Hill has stepped up his work on the boards dramatically, notching double-figure rebounds in three of his last five games and averaging almost ten per game in that stretch.
Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
The Blue Devils are slowly getting healthy again, now missing only Elton Brand from the full roster. With his return only a few weeks away, look for some movement in the standings soon.
1. Connecticut Huskies: 13,976.7
2. North Carolina Tar Heels: 13,836.0
3. Duke Blue Devils: 11,584.4
4. Arizona Wildcats: 9362.6
5. Florida Gators: 9346.8
6. Kentucky Wildcats: 8252.2
7. Kansas Jayhawks: 7481.4
Scoring summary: one point for each point scored, 1.5 point for each rebound, two points for each assist, steal or block, 0.5 points for each 3-pointer made, and -1.2 points for each turnover. Field-goal percentage is included by subtracting 0.2 points for each field goal attempt and adding 0.5 points for each field goal made, which would mean you break even by shooting 40% from the field.
Quote of the Week
“There won’t be any introductions necessary when the [USA National Team] coach meets his players. Every NBA player, from star to scrub, knows who Coach K is. Mike Krzyzewski is so thorough as a coach there couldn’t possibly be a pro who could have slipped below his radar.”
-Associated Press writer Jim O’Connell, after Coach K’s introduction as the first-ever U.S. National Head Coach
