According to anonymous sources, Josh Lloyd's name has been involved in ongoing trade discussions. As such, management decided to pull him from Box Score Breakdown duty until further notice. I am simply the messenger. Contrary to erroneous reports, I did not make a power play to abrogate Lloyd from the BSB family.

DENIAL ISN'T JUST A RIVERS IN THE NBA

In a three-team deal, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Austin Rivers, the Boston Celtics obtained Shavlik Randolph, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and a 2017 second-round draft pick, and the Phoenix Suns received Reggie Bullock. As you can tell, the only reason I mentioned this trade is because of the awesome headline I created. The fantasy implications are close to nonexistent.

The Clippers plan on waiving Jordan Farmar. He only averaged 14.7 minutes per game this season. I have to believe Rivers will split those minutes with J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford.

HOSPITAL WARD

Two backup point guards, Shane Larkin and Kendall Marshall, incurred game-ending injuries. Larkin sprained his left ankle and earned five fouls in 19 minutes. Marshall lasted four minutes before suffering a right knee injury. Neither team plays until Monday. Larkin's minutes were more solidified on the Knicks, and Marshall's minutes fluctuated based on game flow under coach Kidd.

Kevin Love was dealing with back spasms throughout the game. He played 37 minutes and provided 17 points (4-12 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 8-9 FT), seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal. This was a problem he swept under the rug about two weeks ago. It's hard to ignore now when he's on the sideline with two different wraps around his midsection. The Cavaliers play tonight against the Clippers. He'll have three days off if he decides to rest. After watching him labor up and down the court, rest may be the best course of action.

M.I.A.

• Cleveland
  • Mike Miller (DNP-CD)
  • Iman Shumpert (shoulder)
  • James Jones (DNP-CD)
• Houston
  • Terrence Jones (leg)
• Milwaukee
  • Larry Sanders (personal)
• New York
  • Andrea Bargnani (calf)
  • Cleanthony Early (inactive)

ROTATION NOTES

Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Shane Larkin displaced Cleanthony Early (DNP-inactive), Tim Hardaway, and Cole Aldrich in the starting lineup. Now I will attempt to break down the rotation from a 95-79 blowout loss. In many ways, you can disregard much of what happened. However, I'm here to provide context.

Quincy Acy played 4 minutes after averaging 26.2 minutes per game the previous eight games. You can thank newcomers Lance Thomas (18 minutes) and Lou Amundson (17 minutes) for the minute distribution. Aldrich played 15 minutes off the bench but remains the primary long-term beneficiary of Stoudemire's balky knees.

Stoudemire missed the last nine games over the past three weeks. He was scoreless in eight minutes. Coach Derek Fisher said Stoudemire could have played more and was "physically able to," but with the game over after the first five minutes, Fisher played it safe. From a health perspective, limiting Stoudemire to 25 minutes a game and sitting him one game of back-to-backs for the remainder of the season seems plausible. In fact, they probably should have done so at the beginning of the season given his medical history.

Langston Galloway started over Stoudemire in the second half. His 10-day contract expires Saturday. I'm in the camp that firmly believes he'll hold value the rest of the season on the Knicks. You can call me delusional. Just know that I purchased his stock before he played an NBA game. My take is simple: the Knicks will continue to lose by double digits, allowing the bench mob to play increased minutes, of which Galloway is a member. Sure, he's an undersized shooting guard. Nonetheless, it's his defense that'll keep him on the floor long enough to accrue meaningful stats.

Anthony missed the previous six games over the last two weeks. He ended with 25 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 10-12 FT), three rebounds, three steals, two assists, and eight turnovers in 28 minutes. It was the fifth time he attempted at least 10 free throws this season. I think it's because he doesn't exaggerate contact when attempting contested layups. In the postgame presser, Anthony said, "I'm back. I'm back playing. I really think these two weeks really helped." He mentioned that the plan was to sit out the past two weeks all along. The Knicks don't play again until Monday, and I expect him to suit up. For the Anthony owners, the Knicks plays 13 more times with three back-to-back sets before the All-Star game. Anthony's confident postgame remarks shouldn't fool you into keeping him longer than necessary.

Ersan Ilyasova made his first appearance since December 23rd. He was dealing with concussion symptoms. In 12 minutes off the bench, he missed all six of his shots. He's a ringer to snag the starting power forward gig from Johnny O'Bryant, or at least play more minutes than the current starter. However, the Bucks epitomize team basketball and selflessness (perhaps minus the restricted free agent Brandon Knight). Set your expectations low and Ilyasova may just meet them. Leave him on the wire in most cases until he works his way back from the concussion absence.

Kevin Durant played a season-high 40 minutes. Despite that, he only attempted 12 shots and finished with a team-high 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and one assist. Reggie Jackson and Dion Waiters scored 16 points each. With the game out of reach, Waiters hoisted four of the Thunder's final five shots en route to a team-high 16 shot attempts. Jackson chipped in six rebounds and six assists. After falling behind 40-18 after the first quarter, Andre Roberson only played 8 minutes and Steven Adams lasted 15 minutes. The Thunder pulled to within 10 points during the fourth quarter but never fully recovered, throwing all the minutes out of whack as coach Brooks traded defense for offense (with the exception of Kendrick Perkins on Dwight Howard for 20 minutes).

Jason Terry played 14 minutes after skipping the first game of a back-to-back set. Hopefully this news doesn't affect you.

Coach David Blatt only ran a seven-man rotation, yet played Timofey Mozgov the second fewest minutes. Tristan Thomson played 32 minutes to Mozgov's 23 minutes, outplaying him for the second straight game. Foul trouble was not a storyline this time. Coach Blatt simply went with the guy who wasn't allowing Jordan Hill wide open 19-foot jumpers all night. It appears the coach will play whoever matches up best with the opposition, partially why Mozgov played 33 minutes against DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings. The position battle is something to keep an eye on, especially with Kevin Love's back issues on the forefront.

Jeremy Lin played 15 minutes, fewest of any Laker. I'm not going to try to explain it. He hasn't cracked 19 minutes over the past three games, one of which was without Kobe Bryant. I'm nearing my breaking point with Lin in 12-team leagues. I know Bryant could possibly get shut down at some point, but Ronnie Price and coach Byron Scott have different motives when it comes to keeping their top-5 protected first round pick.

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

James Harden could do no wrong against his former team. In 37 minutes, the former Thunder compiled an efficient 31 points (9-15 FG, 6-8 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 10 assists, nine rebounds, and one steal. Ever since Dwight Howard returned to the lineup, Harden is shooting 49 percent from the field and 43 percent from downtown. I'm not crediting Howard solely; the improvement of Donatas Motiejunas and Harden's scorching touch from mid-range and downtown propelled his averages in the right direction. He's averaging a league-high 27.0 points per game as a member of the 45/38/89 club.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH

Prior to last night, Russell Westbrook played 38 minutes three times. He's now done it in back-to-back games. Even though the minutes have been depressed all season, his per possession numbers are off the charts and the usage rate is a league-leading 38 percent, per NBA.com. Against the Rockets and Patrick Beverley, Westbrook attempted a season-low 13 shots and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, five steals, one three-pointer, and eight turnovers in 38 minutes. He leads the league with 2.3 steals in 31.3 minutes per game. With the Thunder outside the playoff picture, coach Brooks could ramp up Westbrook's minutes moving forward.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS ANDODDITIES

O.J. Mayo scored a team-high 22 points (8-14 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT) in 24 minutes off the bench. It's his highest scoring output since the second game of the season, adding a single rebound in the process. Over the last four contests, he's averaging 15.3 points on 59 percent shooting and 3.0 three-pointers on 63 percent accuracy. You may be tempted to add him. Just know that it's unsustainable and we've seen this before from Mayo.

Khris Middleton emerged as the Jabari Parker replacement you want on your fantasy team. He played at least 30 minutes in seven of the past 10 games and recorded at least two steals in eight straight games. Against the Knicks, Middleton produced 14 points (4-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-6 FT), six rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 33 minutes. Over the past eight games, he's shooting 44 percent from downtown, 84 percent from the free-throw line and 47 percent from the field while averaging 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.6 steals in 29.5 minutes per game (second only to Brandon Knight). He's extremely valuable in rotisserie leagues because of his great percentages and lack of turnovers.

Brandon Knight supplied 20 points (6-13 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds, six assists, and six steals in 35 minutes. I didn't want to exclude him from the breakdown after such a fantasy-friendly game. He's averaging career-highs across the board, both in counting stats and percentages. I'm still waiting for the shooting to regress, but halfway through the season I just have to accept this new reality.

Tim Hardaway did last night what he did all of last season: score most of his points in garbage time to make it look like he had a decent game. Before fouling out in 26 minutes, he scored half his 10 points (4-10 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 0-1 FT) in the fourth quarter. Anthony or no Anthony, Hardaway was an overhyped product of the New York media whose game never lent itself to fantasy basketball. He struggled during the second half last season when given more playing time, a trend that carried over.

Travis Wear scored 11 of his 13 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT) in the fourth quarter. He falls in that Langston Galloway theory of garbage time stats due to the blowout nature of the Knicks' games.

Trevor Ariza recorded four steals and hit 3-of-9 three-pointers in 38 minutes. It's been 14 games since he didn't record at least one steal and 10 games since he played at least 38 minutes. Coach McHale was content rolling out his starters big minutes in their blowout win over the Thunder one night after losing to the Magic, playing most of them until less than two minutes left in the game. Don't ask me why.

As alluded to earlier, Jordan Hill was left wide-open multiple times on the perimeter. He converted 6-of-7 from midrange on his way to 20 points (10-14 FG), six rebounds, three steals, one assist, and one block in 32 minutes. It appears the hyperextended knee wasn't a problem after all.

Kobe Bryant recorded a career-high 17 assists, scored 19 points (7-14 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-3 FT), and grabbed six rebounds in 32 minutes. Ever since his elongated hiatus, Bryant is averaging 14.7 points, 9.0 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.9 three-pointers, and 13.4 field goal attempts in 31.4 minutes per game. He also missed three games during that span due to rest.

As part of his maintenance program, Bryant is restricted to 32 minutes per game and will sit out one game of every back-to-back set the rest of the season. The Lakers embark on seven more back-to-backs, including three during the standard fantasy playoffs (Week 21-23). The team is slated for 11 games during that stretch; reducing Bryant to a maximum eight games, if he's not shut down by that point. I'm sorry if you own him, especially after he dropped this line:

I want to play, but at the same time, I understand [coach Scott's] position, and I understand management's position, and I will do what they ask of me. But it's very, very hard for me to miss one game.

Bryant is already ruled out of Friday's game against the Jazz. Look for Ronnie Price to provide 8+ assists, something he's done in four of the last six games Bryant rested.

Nick Young's free-throw streak ended at 31 consecutive makes. His slump lives on, making just 4-of-13 shots and 2-of-8 from downtown. He hasn't shot better than 33 percent from the field in his last seven games. Putrid is the word I was looking for.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. LeBron James, F, CLE: 36 points (12-24 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 8-13 FT)
2. James Harden, G, HOU: 31 points (9-15 FG, 6-8 3Pt, 7-9 FT)
3. Carmelo Anthony, F, NYK: 25 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 10-12 FT)

Rebounds

1. Zaza Pachulia, C, MIL: 14 rebounds (7 offensive)
2. Tristan Thompson, F, CLE: 11 rebounds (5 offensive)
3. Kevin Durant, F, OKC: 10 rebounds (3 offensive)
4. Timofey Mozgov, C, CLE: 10 rebounds (3 offensive)

Assists

1. Kobe Bryant, G, LAL: 17 assists (3 turnovers)
2. James Harden, G, HOU: 10 assists (2 turnovers)
3. Jose Calderon, G, NYK: 9 assists (3 turnovers)

Steals

1. Brandon Knight, G, MIL: 6 steals
2. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC: 5 steals
3. Trevor Ariza, F, HOU: 4 steals

Blocks

1. Kevin Durant, F, OKC: 3 blocks
2. Tristan Thompson, F, CLE: 2 blocks
3. Dion Waiters, G, OKC: 2 blocks
4. Lou Amundson, F, NYK: 2 blocks
5. Jason Smith, C, NYK: 2 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. James Harden, G, HOU: 6-8 3Pt
2. LeBron James, F, CLE: 4-10 3Pt
3. Kevin Durant, F, OKC: 4-6 3Pt
4. O.J. Mayo, G, MIL: 4-6 3Pt

Minutes

1. Kevin Durant, F, OKC: 40 minutes
2. LeBron James, F, CLE: 38 minutes
3. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC: 38 minutes
4. Trevor Ariza, F, HOU: 38 minutes