Borrowing from Brian McKitish's routine, here are some noteworthy numbers from Tuesday:
• 35: Points by Samuel Dalembert against the Denver Nuggets. Yes, you early-to-bed East Coast folks, Samuel Dalembert went for 35 points last night.
• 23: Number of 3-pointers made by the Houston Rockets against the Golden State Warriors. This ties the NBA single-game record.
• 2: The number of crutches Pau Gasol used to leave the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Gasol strained the plantar fascia in his already-injured right foot late in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Brooklyn Nets. When he tried to block a Brook Lopez shot in the fourth quarter, Gasol said he heard a "pop" in the bottom of his foot. As bad as that sounds, just read this. Incidentally, this piece also notes that Dwight Howard refuses to discuss his availability for the Lakers' Thursday matchup with the Boston Celtics.
And that would be your cue to check your league's free-agent list for Earl Clark (14 points, 12 rebounds versus the Nets) and Antawn Jamison.
Looking Back
• As expected, Tayshaun Prince took his place as the Memphis Grizzlies' starting small forward on Tuesday. But perhaps I've underestimated Jerryd Bayless, who came off the bench with 29 points in 29 minutes against the Phoenix Suns. After going 11-of-15 on Tuesday, Bayless is shooting 52.8 percent (38-of-72) over his past five games. Bayless naturally won't keep shooting this well, and if he's playing 30 minutes instead of the 36-38 he was logging in his recent starts, his stats will slip accordingly. However, he seems well worth adding in most formats.
• Back to Dalembert for a moment. He made 17-of-21 shots against the Nuggets, and was an incredible 14-of-15 through three quarters. He also finished with 12 rebounds, two assists and a block. And Dalembert did all this in just 27 minutes.
As amazing as Dalembert's performance was, keep in mind that prior to Tuesday the veteran was averaging 5.7 points this season, and had played 19 minutes total in the Milwaukee Bucks' previous two games. Barring a long-term injury to Larry Sanders -- who did take a hard fall late in Tuesday's game but seemed to escape serious harm -- Dalembert still has no fantasy value.
Looking Ahead
• Sanders collided with a hard-charging Kenneth Faried, getting a blocking foul for his trouble. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, X-rays didn't show any damage to his hip, but Sanders will undergo additional evaluations on Wednesday. With the Bucks facing the Utah Jazz tonight, you'll want to check for updates on Sanders.
• After missing 26 games with elbow and wrist problems, Andrea Bargnani is expected to play when the Toronto Raptors host the Boston Celtics. Expect Bargs to come off the bench and play limited minutes for now.
• With Thaddeus Young (hamstring) expected to miss three weeks, Lavoy Allen could gain fantasy relevance in the near term. When Young left Monday's game with the Orlando Magic, Allen stepped in with 10 points and three blocks in 30 minutes. The Philadelphia 76ers host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
• A quick list of players who are iffy for Wednesday: Blake Griffin (hamstring), Tim Duncan (ankle, knee), Arron Afflalo (calf), J.J. Redick (shoulder) and Jameer Nelson (forearm).
• With the Warriors playing for the second straight night, Andrew Bogut (ankle) will likely be rested.
