• Kevin Love doesn't miss a beat in return

  • By Seth Landman, Special to ESPN.com | November 22, 2012 8:15:56 AM PST
Kevin Love made his season debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, and he went right back to being his usual productive self.

He got a headstart on the rebounding title by pulling down 14 boards, and while his shot was a little off, he still managed to score 34 points. The Timberwolves scuffled, losing to the Nuggets, but this is a major development for fantasy owners, as Love is probably the consensus fourth best player in fantasy basketball, behind LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul.

Looking Back

• I don't know whether we'll look back on an overtime win against the banged-up New Orleans Hornets as a turning point, but the Indiana Pacers had a couple of remarkable fantasy performances from players who are certainly worth our attention. Paul George scored 37 points on the strength of nine 3-pointers, and for a guy who had been struggling with his shot so far this season, that's a big boon. George has limitless potential, and if he finds a way to earn a bigger role offensively in the long term, this could be the game we look back to as the start of something great.

• Elsewhere on the Pacers' roster, Roy Hibbert continued to struggle with his shot, going 3-for-12 on the night, but he made up for it with a triple-double: 10 points, 11 rebounds and, most impressively, 11 blocks. I'm still a bit concerned about Hibbert over the long haul, given the way he has started the season offensively, but anyone who puts up 11 blocks is certainly not someone you should be giving up on in fantasy leagues.

Kyle Lowry made it back into the starting lineup for the Toronto Raptors in their loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, and he finished with 21 points, eight assists, two steals, three blocks and four 3-pointers. You can feel good about keeping him in your lineup going forward.

Jeremy Pargo had what might end up being the best game of his career filling in for Kyrie Irving in the Cleveland Cavaliers win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting from the floor, and he sank four 3-pointers. Irving will be out for an extended period of time, and in deep leagues it might be worth picking up Pargo, though I'd be surprised if he has a performance like this anytime soon.

Kevin Seraphin played 33 minutes for the Washington Wizards in a one-point overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks, and while that might be more impressive in a game that ended in regulation, it's worth pointing out that Seraphin got more minutes than any other Wizards big man. He finished with an impressive 21 points and 10 rebounds, and, as he showed down the stretch last season, he has the potential to have nights like this on a somewhat regular basis.

• With 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, Josh Smith had his first truly great game of the season for the Hawks, and that's important because he had really been struggling in the early part of the season. If you haven't already given up on him, don't trade him now, because he's starting to look like the same Josh Smith who was a fantasy monster in previous seasons.

• In a story that is worth keeping an eye on, Jermaine O'Neal continues to put up great numbers for the Phoenix Suns in limited playing time. He finished with 17 points, five rebounds and two blocks in just 19 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers, and is averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals in 21 minutes over his past three games. If you need blocks, he might be worth a look, at least in the short term.


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