Court Report: Darko's Best

Half of Friday's active teams scored under 90 points, but that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of bullet-point material.

• Kevin Love(notes) had a truly awful night for Minnesota, so naturally the team turned to… Darko Milicic(notes)? Darko had his best game as a pro on Friday, scoring 23 points and adding 16 boards, five assists, two turnovers, two steals, and six blocks in 40 minutes. With Nikola Pekovic(notes) sidelined, Darko has now seen at least 32 minutes in three straight games, and he's averaged 15.7 points on 57-percent shooting, 10.3 boards, 4 assists, 2.3 turnovers, 1 steal, and 4.3 blocks in 37 minutes. At this point, he's certainly worth a look in most formats in the event that he can even partially maintain his recent pace.

• Michael Beasley(notes) scored at least 25 points for the sixth consecutive game (25 points, 1 three, 10 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks), and over those six games he's averaged 31.3 points on 53-percent shooting, 1.7 threes, 6.8 boards, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 39 minutes. Beasley is playing with some serious confidence and looks like he can be counted on moving forward with Rambis no longer an impediment to playing time. Figure on his percentages coming down a bit as the season progresses (49% FG, 48% 3PT), but the volume offense is going to be there, and those combined threes, steals, and blocks put him in select company for fantasy purposes.

• Matt Barnes(notes) delivered something of a perfect fantasy line in his 24 minutes against the T-Wolves Friday. He made all seven of his shots, including five threes, made all five of his free throws, and added seven boards, six assists, no turnovers, and two steals. He helped cover for Kobe Bryant's(notes) eight-of-27 shooting, as did Pau Gasol(notes) (16 points, 16 boards, 6 assists, 1 turnover, 2 blocks) and Lamar Odom(notes) (11 points, 8 boards, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 4 blocks).

• John Wall(notes) missed his third straight game because of an ankle sprain, but that didn't stop the Wizards' backcourt from being the main sources of production for the Wizards. Kirk Hinrich(notes) had one of his strongest performances of the season in 41 minutes (22 points, 9-9 FT, 1 three, 6 assists, 1 turnovers, 2 steals), while Gilbert Arenas(notes) was reasonably productive (24 points, 8-10 FT, 2 threes, 4 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 blocks) in a season-high 39 minutes. Wall was a game-time decision Friday and the team is hopeful that he'll be able to return to practice Saturday.

• The Wizards played their five starters an average of 39 minutes, allowing JaVale McGee(notes) to post one of his best lines of the young season (38 minutes, 10 points, 12 boards, 3 steals, 3 blocks). How nice would it be if this was the start of more playing time for McGee on a consistent basis? His career per-36s include 14.5 points, 9.2 boards, 0.9 steals, and 3.1 blocks.

• Rudy Gay(notes) and O.J. Mayo(notes) came up very small in the Grizzlies' loss to the Wizards. Gay scored 11 points on a season-low eight shot attempts and had a season-high six turnovers, while Mayo made just one of his 11 field goals en route to three points in 29 minutes. Zach Randolph(notes) registered his fifth double-double in eight games (19 points, 12 boards) Marc Gasol(notes) was his efficient best (16 points, 7-9 FG, 8 boards, 1 steal, 1 block), and Mike Conley(notes) was a mixed bag (12 points, 5-13 FG, 2 threes, 6 assists, 4 turnovers, 4 steals). This game adds to the divide between what Gay accomplished without Randolph and what he's accomplished since Z-Bo returned from his back injury.

• The Thunder entered Friday's matchup in Boston without Kevin Durant(notes) and Jeff Green(notes), but pulled off an 89-84 win with strong defense and high-percentage foul shooting. Russell Westbrook(notes) led the way for the Thunder (31 points, 2 threes, 11-13 FT, 6 assists, 7 turnovers, 2 steals) and had now made 91 percent of 113 free throws in 12 games (9.4 FTA per game). James Harden(notes) had some good and bad in the first start of his career (12 points, 2-8 FG, 7-8 FT, 1 three, 6 boards, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal), and Serge Ibaka(notes) had 13 points and seven boards but blocked under two shots (0) for the just third game this season … Both Durant and Green are day-to-day with their respective left ankle sprains.

• As you might have expected, there were no real standout performers for the Celtics. Rajon Rondo(notes) scored 14 points but had a season-low seven assists (4 turnovers), Kevin Garnett(notes) scored 16 points (10-10 FT) but had a season-low two boards, and Ray Allen(notes) had a season-low eight points on three-of-nine shooting. The Celtics were playing for just the second time in six days.

• The Sixers got an average of 8.6 points from their five starters, but Thaddeus Young(notes) (39 minutes, 23 points, 6 boards) and Louis Williams(notes) (31 minutes, 19 points, 3 treys) provided the needed offensive boost in their 90-79 win over the Bucks. Andres Nocioni's(notes) foul trouble meant extra run for Young, and the minutes and points were both season highs. Andre Iguodala(notes) (Achilles) remains out (indefinitely?) for this team and Young will continue to see a production bump in the interim, but it's difficult to project anything consistent for Young overall while Iggy remains on the roster.

• The Bucks' starters also struggled mightily in the loss to the Sixers, averaging 9.4 points. The difference was that the team had one less bench contributor - Corey Maggette(notes) was a lone bright spot (26 minutes, 20 points, 10-11 FT, 6 boards), and they shot just 34 percent as a team and missed all 12 of their three-point attempts. Andrew Bogut(notes) had just four points and six boards in 32 minutes but also blocked five most shots to give him 16 over the past three games.

• Carlos Delfino(notes) (concussion) missed his fifth straight game Friday and, while Scott Skiles said he doesn't think he'll be out much longer, he remains without a specific timetable. With that said, now might be the time to act if he's currently a free agent in your league (34% owned), as he'll certainly get consideration from a number of managers once he's back on the Bucks' active roster (per-game rank of 64).

• The Raptors produced what the team would probably consider an ideal box score in their 106-96 win over the Rockets. Andrea Bargnani(notes) was the efficient leader (26 points, 11-17 FG, 1 three, 6 boards), Linas Kleiza(notes) was solid section option (32 minutes, 17 points, 7-11 FG, 1 three), and DeMar DeRozan(notes) contributed (15 points, 7 boards). Reggie Evans(notes) added nine boards, Amir Johnson(notes) was productive and avoided fouls (27 minutes 10 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 fouls), and Jarrett Jack(notes) and Jose Calderon(notes) combined for 14 points, 15 assists, and three turnovers.

• The Rockets weren't without some production in their loss to the Raptors, which dropped them to 3-9 on the season. They got solid lines from Kevin Martin(notes) (31 points, 11-11 FT, 4 threes), Luis Scola(notes) (19 points, 5 boards, 1 steal, 1 block), Kyle Lowry(notes) (11 points, 1 three, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 steals), and Shane Battier(notes) (14 points, 2 threes, 6 boards, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, 2 blocks). The problem was that there was a grand total of 21 points from their six other active players in a combined 90 minutes.

• The Rockets also announced Friday that Yao Ming(notes) will miss at least another two weeks as he deals with left ankle problems. Team doctors did declare that there are no structural problems and called the foot that he had surgically repaired "pristine". Rick Adelman expressed his concerns about timing and conditioning issues when he does eventually return, and this certainly has all the makings of a fantasy (and real-life) headache for the entire season.

• The Heat got big games from LeBron James(notes) (32 points, 2 threes, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, 2 steals) and Chris Bosh(notes) (22 points, 8-8 FT, 14 boards) in the win over the Bobcats. Over the past two games, Bosh totaled 57 points, 20 boards, and made 19 of 19 attempts from the charity stripe. Dwyane Wade(notes) missed the morning shootaround and was a game-time decision because of flu-like symptoms, but ended up playing 36 minutes anyway (11 points, 4-13 FG, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 steals). One other notable for the Heat was Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes), who was a per-minute stud (19 minutes, 8 points, 4-5 FG, 9 boards, 1 steal, 2 blocks).

• Stephen Jackson(notes) was able to take advantage of Wade being at less than 100 percent and scored 30 points (12-24 FG, 4 threes), but that was about it for the Bobcats. Gerald Wallace(notes) grabbed nine boards but struggled otherwise (6 points, 2-9 FG, 4 turnovers, 6 fouls), and Larry Brown limited D.J. Augustin(notes) to 25 minutes (3 points, 1-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, 5 assists, 0 turnovers) while Shaun Livingston(notes) played a season-high 24 minutes (10 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover).

• The Hornets just keep plugging along, moving to 10-1 in their 108-101 win over the Cavs. Chris Paul(notes) was studly (15 points, 2 threes, 4 boards, 10 assists, 3 turnovers, 6 steals), David West(notes) had his best game of the season (34 points, 14-20 FG, 11 boards, 1 steal, 3 blocks), and Marco Belinelli(notes) was also excellent (20 points, 7-7 FT, 3 treys, 5 assists, 1 turnover). On the flip side, Trevor Ariza(notes) made just three of 12 shot attempts (0-4 3PT, 1-5 FT), lowering his field goal shooting to 36 percent on the season.

•Mo Williams(notes) returned to the Cavs' starting lineup after missing two games with a groin strain, but he was fairly limited (21 minutes, 8 points, 3-8 FG, 2 assists, 5 turnovers). Get him back in your active lineup but don't count on a big game on Saturday, either (@SAS). Antawn Jamison(notes) had his first double-double of the season (20 points, 3 treys, 11 boards), while J.J. Hickson(notes) scored eight points (3-8 FG) and was on the bench for much of the second half for the second straight game. Byron Scott said earlier in the week that Hickson won't lose his starting assignment, but clearly he's going to need to do more to get back to consistent playing time.

• The Jazz had a poor showing all around against the Spurs in the 94-82 home loss. They shot just 42 percent and were outrebounded 46-31. Deron Williams(notes) was the best of the lot (23 points, 8-11 FT, 5 assists, 2 turnovers), but even he made just seven of his 19 shots (37%). Paul Millsap(notes) had a quiet game relative to his recent play (12 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks) … The Spurs were led by Tony Parker(notes) (24 points, 4 boards, 7 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 steals) and Tim Duncan(notes) (19 points, 14 boards, 3 blocks). Matt Bonner(notes) missed all six of his shots in 17 minutes (0-3 3PT) after 4.5 threes in the previous two games.

• The Bulls grabbed 20 offensive boards and outrebounded the Mavs by 25 (59-34) in the impressive 88-83 road win. Derrick Rose(notes) was just okay relative to what we've seen so far (22 points, 1 three, 6 assists, 4 turnovers), but Taj Gibson(notes) (17 points, 18 boards) and Joakim Noah(notes) (10 points, 17 boards, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 2 steals) actually outrebounded the Mavs by themselves. Kyle Korver(notes) added 14 points off the bench (26 minutes, 2 threes) while Keith Bogans(notes) was nearly invisible for the third straight game (19 minutes, 0-5 FG, 0-5 3PT).

• Carlos Boozer(notes) has resumed running and shooting and is expected to being practicing next week, with a return to the active roster slated for about two weeks from now.

• Dirk Nowitzki(notes) had it working against the Bulls, and he scored a season-high 36 points (15-26 FG, 3 treys, 8 boards, 2 steals), but he got little help. Jason Kidd(notes) scored three points and had a season-low four assists in 34 minutes, Jason Terry(notes) made just three of 15 shots (9 points, 1-8 3PT), and Caron Butler's(notes) poor shooting continued (12 points, 3-10 FG, 6-6 FT).

• The Kings went with yet another different starting lineup on Friday, inserting Donte' Greene at small forward and moving Jason Thompson(notes) back to the bench. Luther Head(notes) remained the starter at shooting guard, and that's bad news for Beno Udrih(notes) and Francisco Garcia's(notes) minutes and fantasy value. With Head seeing 31 minutes (10 points, 1 three) and Greene playing 35 (9 points, 6 boards, 2 steals), there wasn't a whole lot available for Udrih (22 minutes, 12 points, 2 threes) or Garcia (17 minutes, 7 points, 1 three, 1 block). Westphal is notorious for inconsistent rotations but has at least said that he's going to stick with Friday's lineup for the foreseeable future. Given these recent developments, Head can get a deep-league look and Garcia becomes a bit more expendable, but it should be mentioned again that we're dealing with Westphal.

• Things weren't pretty for the Nets, except of course for Kris Humphries(notes). Humphries turned in his third double-double in five starts (32 minutes, 18 points, 9-12 FG, 10 boards, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 steal) and has averaged 11.2 points on 61-percent shooting, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 32 minutes during those games … Troy Murphy(notes) was once again a healthy scratch and also now appears to be on the trading block. There's a good chance that he'll fit into someone's plans as an expiring contract, but it's hard to foresee a trade happening in the early stages of the season. Terrence Williams(notes) was also inactive on Friday and wasn't thrilled with the decision.

• The Knicks/Warriors matchup was the outlier on a night of low-scoring games. The Knicks scored 72 first half points on the way to a 125-119 win, and there was plenty of fantasy production to go around for the two teams that combined to shoot 54 percent from the field and 49 percent from three. The usual suspects were involved for the Knicks: Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) (26 points, 11 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks), Raymond Felton(notes) on a career night (35 points, 13-17 FG, 4 threes, 11 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 steals, 1 block), and Danilo Gallinari(notes) (23 points, 3 treys). Ronny Turiaf(notes) got another start and has averaged 6.8 points on 58-percent shooting, 5 boards, 4.4 assists, 1.2 turnovers, 0.8 steals, and 2 blocks in the five games where he's seen at least 25 minutes of playing time.

• The Warriors got huge nights from their starting guards - Monta Ellis(notes) scored 40 points (17-30 FG, 4 threes) and added three steals, while Stephen Curry(notes) posted a robust line (29 points, 3 threes, 5 boards, 8 assists, 4 turnovers, 1 steal). Dorell Wright(notes) was efficient from the floor for a change (16 points, 8-15 FG, 6 boards, 4 assists, 0 turnovers), and Reggie Williams(notes) provided a late spark off the bench (25 minutes, 18 points, 4 threes, 5 boards).

• David Lee(notes) had to have a second procedure to help clean out the infection in his left elbow, but he was released from the hospital Thursday and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. At this point, he could still end up needing two more weeks before he can rejoin the active roster.

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