Chris Duhon has a big night, Carlos Boozer producing at All-Star level
Line of the Week
It has been a long season for Chris Duhon and the Knicks as they try to balance staying competitive with preparing for next summer’s huge free agent period. F riday night, however, the ultra-competitive floor general put together a signature performance to lead the Knicks to a come-from-behind victory over Atlanta. Duhon, who notched a Knicks record for assists in a game last season, put on a show with 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting (62.5%) and 4-of-8 (50%) from long range, 10 assists against ZERO turnovers, 4 rebounds, and a steal.
Mike Dunleavy, Jr. Returns!
After missing 64 games last season and the first 13 games of this season with knee and hip problems, Mike Dunleavy announced his return to the Pacers’ lineup last week with several strong performances. While his minutes are still limited as a precaution while he gets back into game shape, the versatile wing forward still managed to post 13 points in only 15 minutes of action in his first game back, followed by 22 points in 24 minutes in Game #2. Through four games, Dunleavy is averaging 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in only 20 minutes per game.
Top Performer
It appears that Carlos Boozer is hungry for a third NBA All-Star selection. Not only is Boozer making a strong case for the Western Conference All-Star Team, he’s making a case for All-NBA honors. Boozer is currently fourth in the NBA in efficiency rating, behind only Lebron James, Chris Paul, and Dirk Nowitzki. In the Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League, he trails only Kevin Durant in both total and average fantasy points per game for the entire league. Boozer has scored at least 24 points in his last four games, all Jazz wins, and has had 12 double-doubles in his first 18 games, including an impressive 35 point, 13 rebound game his last time out against Indiana. For the season, Carlos is averaging 20.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, and a career-high 3.6 assists per game. The dominating performances have Utah back in the hunt for the division lead and Boozer back on track for another amazing season.
Shane Still a Stat Stuffer
Houston’s November 27th game against San Antonio marked the first time in 28 straight regular-season games that Shane Battier did not hit a three-pointer, an impressive streak that began on March 20, 2009. The former Duke National Player of the Year has made a name for himself as an outside shooter and a remarkable team defender during nine productive NBA seasons. Saturday night against the Warriors, however, Battier showed that no space on the box score is safe, as he recorded a career-high six blocks to go with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.
Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
The Blue Devils continue to maintain a solid lead in the fantasy league this week, having held the top spot for all but a couple of days at the beginning of the NBA season. With Mike Dunleavy returning to action this past week and several Devils putting together impressive games recently, things aren’t likely to slow down any time soon.
1. Duke Blue Devils: 4970.1
2. UCLA Bruins: 4699.2
3. UCONN Huskies: 4325.7
4. Florida Gators: 4206.2
5. Arizona Wildcats: 4146.0
6. North Carolina Tar Heels: 3534.0
7. Texas Longhorns: 2576.2
8. Kansas Jayhawks: 2473.3
9. Kentucky Wilcats: 2133.3
10. Memphis Tigers: 1733.4
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
“We know his capability, that’s Carlos Boozer. We know what he can do. We see everything in practice. He carries himself well. He comes in and tries to do everything right, and it just leads onto the floor.” Utah Jazz teammate Paul Millsap
