Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.Kobe Bryant told Craig Sager last night that is was good to have Pau Gasol back. I couldn't have said it any better. Gasol was indeed back, and back in a big way -- game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 13 rebounds and a blocked shot. The early effects of Gasol returning played out in the frontcourt: Andrew Bynum went for 11 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes, while Lamar Odom came off the bench to play 25 minutes and put up 11 points and eight rebounds. A thoughtful gesture, considering Gasol has played eight full seasons, prior to this one, and missed the first 11 games before making his return. It was definitely his night.
The NBA's leading rebounder, Joakim Noah, pulled down 15 boards to go along with 12 points, four steals and two blocks. He's having a great season. The same can't be said for Derrick Rose, though he did come on last night and score 20 points and dish six dimes. Let's hope this gets him going.
Also In the Headlines
• If you were watching the Suns-Hornets game last night then you heard the big news:
• Andrew Bogut is down and out once again. We learned yesterday that he is going to miss 2-to-4 weeks thanks to a strained leg. Tough break. Bogut was starting to look like he was finally getting his game back on track. As a filler, if you put a gin to my head I would take Kurt Thomas over Dan Gadzuric. If there is not gun involved, I'll opt for neither. I think it's going to be guys like Hakim Warrick and Ersan Ilyasova who are going to step it up. And besides, there are enough good centers still available on the wires that you don't have to dip into either Thomas or Gadzuric.
• Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sat out last night's game against the Jazz. Parker for his ankle and Ginobili because of a strained groin. Ginobili is supposedly out for the next week or so, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him take his time and wait until he's 100-percent before returning. Parker, on the other hand, is day-to-day. Make sure you keep an eye on his status heading into Saturday's game against the Wizards.
• Mehmet Okur sat out for the second straight game with the flu. The Jazz don't play again until Saturday night and all indications are that he'll play. So he should be a safe play this weekend. All you Kyrylo Fesenko fans out there have been warned.
• Paul Millsap played awfully well alongside Carlos Boozer last night -- 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds and a block. Still not sure that he's consistent enough to start on a nightly basis. Unless, of course, there's an injury in the frontcourt or Utah pulls a favorable matchup.
• Darren Collison continues to plug away as the starting point guard for the Hornets -- 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting, five rebounds, five assists, a three and a steal. So, essentially he posted what Chris Paul would have given you... in the first half.
• David West struggled with just six points, four rebounds and five assists. He's scored in single-digits in two out of the three games since Chris Paul went down. Hmm. Something to think about, right?
Lost and Found
• Theo Ratliff's contract is back in play, as he blocked three shots in 13 minutes against the Jazz last evening. Actually, it's been a while since he's been known for anything other than his contract. He's stepping out.
• Darius Songalia had three steals and a block in 24 minutes. I don't know about adding him, but if for some reason David West were to go down he might be a solid add -- not now, though.
Classified Adds
• Eric Maynor went from an intriguing add to a dud overnight. He was held scoreless last night in 17 minutes. This after three straight strong showings. Given the superb play of Ronnie Brewer, Sloan's man-crush on Wesley Matthews, strong showings by both Paul Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko and the return this weekend of Mehmet Okur, we might have to shelve Maynor for the time being.
• George Hill dropped double-figures in his fifth straight game -- 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, a three and two assists. Again, Parker missed last night's game, which allowed Hill to log 30 minutes in his absence. Once Parker returns, possibly this weekend, Hill won't be much of a fantasy contributor.
• Jared Dudley went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished last night's game against the Hornets with 17 points, five rebounds and two steals. Dudley has been a nice contributor from the
three-point line and in the steals category. The Suns have a fairly favorable three-game schedule next week, so look to Dudley if you need more treys and picks. • Devin Brown had 19 points, two threes, six rebounds and five assists starting at the two-guard for the Hornets, but I still like Marcus Thornton better. The rookie came off the bench to score 19 points in 20 minutes. Brown might be the "safer" bet right now since he's starting and getting more minutes -- for now -- but I wouldn't count out Thornton. He's the guy to add in deeper leagues as far as I'm concerned.
Tonight
• There are 10 games on the schedule for Friday night.
• LeBron James is probable after injuring his wrist on Wednesday night and Shaquille O'Neal is "out" against the Pacers.
• I don't expect to see Marcus Camby on the court as the Clippers take on the Nuggets.
• Raja Bell will likely suit-up again as the Warriors remain shorthanded. I still wouldn't put him in your lineup, since all it will take is a minor tweak for him to remain on the bench.
• The Bobcats will be without Tyson Chandler in Milwaukee.
• The Celtics and the Magic get together in Boston. This should be a good one.
Lotto Line
7-11-13-25-36
• Peja Stojakovic looked 28 years young again last night. He made 7-of-11 three-pointers, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 36 minutes. Oh to be young again.
