Where Crash Keeps Crashing (The Boards)

Gerald Wallace continued to stuff the stat sheet, as he recorded 30 points on 10-16 shooting, 10-13 from the line, 13 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block tonight. His team didn't win, but I'm sure his owners don't mind. Coming into tonight's game, Crash was 4th in total rebounds, behind notable big men Dwight Howard (12 and 20), Chris Bosh, and Marcus Camby (11 and 22). Wallace is the only one among the top 4 rebounders in the league who is a small forward, and his overwhelming contributions in that category from the SF slot must be a blessing for his owners. (Oh, that's me! I don't know how he fell into the 4th round in my h2h league. I guess I'm lucky. Right?)

Joe Johnson (40 points on 16-32 shooting, 5-7 treys, 3-4 free throws, 6 boards and 4 assists) put up a valiant effort for the surging Hawks, but Derrick Rose (32 points on 14-24 shooting, 4 boards, 6 assists, and no turnovers), Luol Deng (21 points on 8-17, 12 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block) and the Chicago Bulls denied the Hawks their 7th straight victory, as they defeated Atlanta at home 101-98 much to the delight of many hungry fans in attendance. (You see, the Chicago Bulls have this one promotion: if they win at home and score over 100 points, everyone in attendance gets a free Big Mac [and in their previous game 2 days ago, which they played at home, they beat the New York Knicks 98-89- two points shy of 100, and a lot of Bulls fans went home that night pretty pissed off despite a victory (they're rare in Chicago these days, too). Come on guys, beggars can't be choosers]).

Trevor Ariza (31 points on 11-20 shooting, 5-8 treys, 8 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals, a block, and only one turnover) posted a massive line, though his free throw percentage (4-10 from the line- that's just unacceptable) hurt. At least, he's not swinging his elbows at anyone anymore. If you don't know what happened, last week, in Houston's loss to the Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan, a rookie guard, limited Ariza to 0-9 shooting from the field. In one particular play, DeRozan stole the ball from Ariza, then Ariza, in his frustration, swung an elbow to the back of DeRozan's head, which fortunately missed. Ariza was ejected from the game immediately and was suspended for a game.

Tim Duncan (19 points on 8-18 shooting, 16 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks) scored the game-winning dunk on Roy Hibbert (20 points on 9-15 shooting, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists, a steal, and 6 blocks) in San Antonio's victory over Indiana, but Hibbert outplayed Duncan on the stat sheet, and that's what really matters. Right? No? Oh.

The Wizards could not stop Steve Nash (15 on 6-12 shooting, 7 and 15) and Amare Stoudemire (23 on 9-17 shooting, 5-5 free throws, and 14 boards) tonight, as the Suns stomped all over the Wiz, 121-95. Jason Richardson (22 points on 10-18 shooting ,and coming off a hand injury) helped, too. None of the Wizards' important players are worth mentioning, as they all put up stinkers tonight.

Too many games tonight, and I can't cover every single game without making the post unnecessarily long, so I'll wrap it up with my favorite game of the night (I would not have believed myself if I told myself before the season began that a Bucks/Kings game would be the most intriguing game in a night with a full slate of games.): Brandon Jennings (15 points on 4-11 shooting, 1-2 treys, 6-6 from the line, 6 boards, 9 assists, a steal, and only 1 turnover) vs. Tyreke Evans (24 points on 9-19 shooting, 1-1 treys, 5-7 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 6 turnovers) 1.

Statistically, the two played to a draw. But let's forget the fantasy world for a second and rewind to the final seconds of the game. The Kings are up 94-93 with 10 seconds left when rookie Brandon Jennings finds an open teammate for an easy lay-in, giving the Bucks a 95-94 point lead with 5 seconds left in the game. It looks as though Jennings will be the hero tonight. It'll be something else to add to his Rookie of the Year resume.

Rival ROY candidate Tyreke Evans (hero of last week's nationally-televised game [the Kings' only one this season] against the Wizards) receives an in-bounds pass, loses his perimeter defender through a screen, drives towards the final line of defense, center Andrew Bogut (15 and 13), does a beautiful European 2-step that completely jukes Bogut, and reverses a lay-up, giving the Kings a 96-95 victory over the Bucks- again losers of a last second hero-shot (remember Kobe?).

Life lesson of the day: You know how they say "Expect the unexpected." Well, I say to you: expect the expected. In fantasy basketball, play your big men, expecting them to rebound in double-digits on a nightly basis. Play your scoring guards, expecting them to find ways to put points on the board every night. Expect the Big Fundamental to pull through when it matters the most. Expect the Suns to run, and to run past you. Expect a superstar in the making (Evans) to break your (talking to you, people of Milwaukee) hearts. Oh, and expect the Lakers to finish the season 78-4. (It's common knowledge, right? Right?)