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.
Corey Maggette on Fire, Duke Remains On Top in Fantasy League
Top Performer/Line of the Week
Corey Maggette is on a major tear. The explosive wing has broken the 30-point barrier twice in his past six games, including 35 points on 12-of-16 shooting (.750) Tuesday night in a loss to Denver and 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting (.765) in a December 26th victory over Phoenix. In his past 12 games, Maggette has scored over 20 points 11 times and is averaging 24.5 points and 6.3 rebounds on a stellar 62.9% shooting from the field. In his last two games, he has poured in a combined total of 63 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists against only 2 turnovers.
McRoberts Moves into Starting Lineup in Indy
After averaging 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over the previous three games for the Pacers, Josh McRoberts was rewarded for his strong play off the bench to start the New Year with a promotion to the starting lineup in January. In his first two games as an NBA starter, the versatile forward is averaging 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 60% from the field. McRoberts marks the third Blue Devil to start a game this season for the Pacers, following in the footsteps of Duke swingmen Dahntay Jones and Mike Dunleavy, Jr.
Blue Devil Roundup
*J.J. Redick must love seeing the Toronto Raptors on Orlando’s schedule. For the second time this season, Redick lit up the Raptors for over 20 points, recording 22 points on Wednesday night, including going 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Earlier in the season, Redick notched a career-high 27 points at Toronto on his way to averaging 18.8 points in four games against the club. The crafty guard doesn’t limit his best performances to one team, however, as he led the Magic to a win against Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz on December 21st with 20 points on 7-of-9 from the field and a perfect night from both long range (2-of-2) and the free throw line (4-of-4). The dominant performance came on the heels of a pep talk from Coach K after Redick called to wish his former coach a Merry Christmas.
*Elton Brand is finding his groove in Philly. After struggling to fit into the offensive system coming off an injury-plagued start to his Sixers career, the former Duke National Player of the Year is averaging 17.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in the eight games from December 18th to January 3rd. His performances are helping his team as well, as the Sixers, who had lost 13 of their previous 14 games prior to that stretch, went 4-and-4 during the run, including wins against Boston and Denver.
*Chris Duhon started the New Year off right as well, leading the Knicks to a win against the Pacers Sunday night with 18 points, including a season-high six three-pointers on only seven attempts from outside. The smooth floor general also contributed 7 assists against zero turnovers to help New York to their third win in four games. Since the start of December, the Knicks have won of 12 of 18 games to put them firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Duhon has averaged 12.0 points and 6.8 assists per game during the run.
Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
The Blue Devils continue to distance themselves from the rest of the league. Led by continued strong performances from Carlos Boozer (3rd in the entire fantasy league in average score per game) and Luol Deng (13th in the fantasy league), as well as the performances noted above from guys like Corey Maggette, Elton Brand, Chris Duhon, and J.J. Redick, Duke’s fantasy team shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
1. Duke Blue Devils: 9601.8
2. UCLA Bruins: 9133.4
3. Arizona Wildcats: 7564.5
4. UCONN Huskies: 7347.7
5. Florida Gators: 7243.4
6. North Carolina Tar Heels: 7045.3
7. Texas Longhorns: 4671.5
8. Kansas Jayhawks: 4312.7
9. Kentucky Wildcats: 3770.3
10. Memphis Tigers: 3317.9
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.
Quotes of the Week
“He has been balling. For him, his confidence is growing like crazy.” Carlos Boozer on J.J. Redick after Redick led the Magic to victory over the Jazz December 21st
“On top of the confidence, the guy is just so focused and tough. He’s on top of everything. He’s a guy you can trust defensively, he plays with great energy offensively. He’s certainly, heck, I don’t know, I don’t think he’s the fastest guy we have in the sprint. But he runs harder and gets down the floor better than anybody we have.” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy on J.J. Redick
“I don’t know if Stan has seen the Iron Magic results.” J.J. Redick, joking about winning the Iron Magic competition after his coach’s comment above
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
Five Alums Top 20 Point-Mark in Monday NBA Action
There were only four games in the NBA on Monday night but six Blue Devils were in action. Each of the six put up some solid numbers…
*Mike Dunleavy, in only his second game back from injury, scored 22 points on 7 of 14 shooting, with 3 rebounds and 2 steals in just 23 minutes of action.
*Dahntay Jones netted 21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block alongside his current Pacer and former Duke teammate Mike Dunleavy.
*Carlos Boozer had a dominant outing, with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block in a win over Memphis.
*Elton Brand, after missing two games with a sore hamstring, notched a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
*Luol Deng had 22 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and a block as the Bulls came up two points short against Milwaukee.
*Corey Maggette recorded 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal in a win over the Pacers.
With only four games on the night, this is another particularly impressive showing by our Blue Devils doing work in the league!
Elton Brand rounding into form, Mike Dunleavy ready to return
Line of the Week
In was more than a week ago, but it’s hard to overlook a performance like the one Carlos Boozer had last week against Toronto. The powerful post man led the Jazz to a win over the Raptors with 22 points and an amazing 18 rebounds. In his past six games, Carlos has averaged 22.8 points and 11.2 rebounds, leading the Jazz to a 4-2 record over that span, which included Utah’s first regular season victory at San Antonio in over a decade.
Top Performer
After an injury-plagued start to his career in Philadelphia, we may finally be seeing the return of the explosive, dominant Elton Brand that led the L.A. Clippers within a game of the Western Conference Finals in 2006. In three games last week, the former Duke National Player of the Year averaged 19.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game.
Dunleavy Cleared to Play!
After sitting out most of last season and the beginning of this one with right knee and hip injuries, Mike Dunleavy, Jr. has finally been cleared to play again for the Pacers. Coach Jim O’Brien has stated that he will likely not see time this week, just to make sure that he’s in NBA shape when he gets back out on the court. After a breakout season averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in 2007-08, Dunleavy hopes to build on that performance for Indiana this season.
Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
There has been a lot of turnover in the battle for second place in the fantasy league this season, as three different teams have alternated time at #2, but the top spot has remained the same for several weeks. Duke continues to enjoy a healthy lead, and with the return of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. a few days away, that lead could become even more impressive.
1. Duke Blue Devils: 3691.0
2. UCLA Bruins: 3465.2
3. UCONN Huskies: 3261.1
4. Florida Gators: 3196.8
5. Arizona Wildcats: 3032.3
6. UNC Tar Heels: 2402.5
7. Texas Longhorns: 1987.4
8. Kansas Jayhawks: 1932.3
9. Kentucky Wildcats: 1605.5
10. Memphis Tigers: 1277.3
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.
