Memorable January for Maggette, JJ Enjoying Career Year
Maggette Sets New NBA Record
So far, 2010 is the year of Corey Maggette. The high-flier averaged 26.9 points per game in January (51.7% FG) and enjoyed five 30+ point games during the month. In fact, he was the NBA’s fifth-leading scorer in January, and he accomplished that feat in only 15.7 field goal attempts per game, far fewer than anyone on the list ahead of him (Durant- 19.7 FGA/game, James- 19.3 FGA/game, Wade- 20.0 FGA/game, Anthony- 20.3 FGA/game).
He also got to the free throw line 11.6 times per game and converted 89.7% of those attempts, meaning he averaged 10.4 points per game on free throws alone. Maggette’s ability to get to the free throw line was not only impressive… it was record-setting. The powerful wing became the only player in NBA history to get to the free throw line at least 10 times in 10 straight games (Maggette’s streak lasted 11 games) and convert over 80% of those attempts.
Line of the Week
Corey Maggette’s recent performances have been hard to top, but the latest Line of the Week goes to Luol Deng. Deng scored 26 points (10-21 FG, 5-7 FT) and pulled down seven boards in Chicago’s January 29th road win at New Orleans. Two of Luol’s 26 came at the buzzer as his offensive rebound and putback forced OT as time expired. The victory was the fifth in a row for Luol and the Bulls, who have moved into 7th in the East.
Dunleavy Helps Haiti
Mike Dunleavy, Jr. pledged to donate $1000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund for every point he scored on January 22nd against the Pistons. The versatile forward recorded 14 points on the night, so the victims of that devastating earthquake will be receiving an extra $14,000 from Mr. Dunleavy. He probably would’ve preferred to have matched his January 13th output against Phoenix, when he scored 30 points to lead the Pacers to a 122-114 win.
Redick on Target for Magic
JJ Redick had a productive month of January, averaging 11.1 PPG and 2.0 APG for the Magic, including three big wins this past week. On Thursday, the sharp-shooter scored 11 points including a deep game-tying three-pointer with 41 seconds left as Orlando defeated Boston 96-94. On Saturday, JJ scored eight points and dished out seven dimes in a 104-86 win over Atlanta. Finally, the Duke legend netted a team-high 17 points in a 91-86 win yesterday at Detroit. On the year, Redick is averaging career-highs in points, 3pt FG%, rebounds, assists, steals, and minutes.
Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
The Blue Devils continue to hold a comfortable lead in this season’s fantasy league. Duke claims three of the top 18 players in the 10-team league (Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, and Corey Maggette), and the past month has been even more dominated by the Blue Devils, with Maggette and Boozer both listed among the top six fantasy producers. On the season, Duke has actually scored over 3000 points more than the bottom two teams combined.
1. Duke Blue Devils: 12,281.8
2. UCLA Bruins: 11,671.9
3. UCONN Huskies: 9498.7
4. Florida Gators: 9293.8
5. Arizona Wildcats: 9161.3
6. North Carolina Tar Heels: 8988.5
7. Kansas Jayhawks: 5771.9
8. Texas Longhorns: 5733.8
9. Kentucky Wildcats: 4850.9
10. Memphis Tigers: 4246.7
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.
