So, it happened. The Knicks got a win, their first for 2015, something, which at times, looked like may not happen. Aside from that milestone, LaMarcus Aldridge got himself injured banging his hand on DeMarcus Cousins' knee, himself just returning from an injury, and Marcus Thornton scored 15 points for the Celtics. A mixed bag for guys named or partially named, Marcus.

I WILL WALK 500 MILES

C.J. Miles had himself another big night, dropping 23 points (9-18 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 1-1 FT) with six rebounds and five steals in 33 minutes. The reason I'm telling you this is that Miles is owned in just 24 percent of leagues, but over the last month, Miles is averaging 14.8 points, 2.6 three-pointers, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Fantasy teams can use those numbers. As hard as it is to buy into Miles, a perennially injured battler, these numbers are for real, especially when you consider that he is playing on the offensively-challenged Pacers. I own Miles myself and I'll be happy to drop him once a slight injury occurs, but for now, I'm reaping the rewards.

M.I.A.

These guys all sat out Monday's action, for one reason or another.

• Timberwolves
  • Nikola Pekovic (ankle)
  • Shabazz Muhammad (abdominal)
  • Kevin Martin (wrist)
  • Ricky Rubio (ankle)
• Hornets
  • Kemba Walker (knee)
• Sixers
  • Luc Mbah a Moute (knee)
  • Tony Wroten (knee)
• Nuggets
  • Danilo Gallinari (knee)
• Mavericks
  • Raymond Felton (DNP-CD)
• Pacers
  • Lavoy Allen (DNP-CD)
  • George Hill (groin)
• Rockets
  • Terrence Jones (leg)
• Pelicans
  • Anthony Davis (toe)
  • Jrue Holiday (ankle)
• Knicks
  • Quincy Acy (DNP-CD)
  • Andrea Bargnani (calf)
  • Cleanthony Early (ankle)
  • Pablo Prigioni (DNP-CD)
  • Cole Aldrich (DNP-CD)
• Bulls
  • Mike Dunleavy (ankle)
  • Joakim Noah (ankle)
• Cavaliers
  • Iman Shumpert (shoulder)
• Raptors
  • James Johnson (DNP-CD)
• Bucks
  • Larry Sanders (suspended)
• Kings
  • Ramon Sessions (DNP-CD)
  • Carl Landry (wrist)
• Trail Blazers
  • Robin Lopez (hand)
• Lakers
  • Ronnie Price (elbow)
  • Kobe Bryant (rest)

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

I haven't written the Box Score Breakdown for a few days, but the fantasy line of the night hasn't changed. James Harden, once again, was amazing. The bearded one poured in 45 points (12-18 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 14-15 FT) with one rebound, seven assists, four steals, and one block in 40 minutes. That, my friends, is monstrous. There's nothing else to say about Harden, just revel in his fantasy brilliance.

ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS

Al Jefferson made his return, came off the bench, played 25 minutes and if your league is asleep at the wheel, may be still on a waiver wire somewhere. Please rectify that. He'll be back starting before long and improve upon his eight points and five rebounds. Brian Roberts started in place of Kemba Walker, but has no relevance in most leagues, despite his temporary starting role. Cody Zeller played just 18 minutes and if you grabbed him when Jefferson went down, you can look elsewhere.

The Wizards pummeled the Sixers, so anything Randy Wittman did that may seem odd with the Washington rotation can easily be explained away.

Last week's wunderkind, Jae Crowder, played just 13 minutes as Brad Stevens continues to do his best to mess with fantasy owners' minds. Crowder is not a great NBA player and now has struggled in three straight games. If you added Crowder after his big night against the Pelicans, you won't be pleased with a two rebound night and you can move on in standard leagues. In a typical Stevens move, Brandon Bass and Marcus Thornton, played more minutes than Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley. The only guy gaining value in Boston is Marcus Smart, who played 32 minutes, scored 14 points with seven assists and hit four three-pointers. He's a hot add in all leagues.

Straight out of the Brad Stevens playbook, Brian Shaw spread his minutes around, limiting all starters  bar Ty Lawson to less than 27 minutes. His team got destroyed, so there's that, but Shaw is not to be trusted.

On the flip side, the Warriors could rest their guys in the 43 point drubbing and while that isn't ideal for fantasy, it's not a problem we have to contend with based on the whims of Steve Kerr.

Mike Conley returned from his ankle sprains (yes, plural), and played 30 minutes, leading the Grizzlies in scoring with 22 points, adding four assists. Deploy as usual. Jeff Green got another 32 minutes off the bench, going for 11 points and eight rebounds, plus nice peripheral stats, at the expense of Tony Allen, who played just 17 minutes. Hopefully you didn't drop Green as he is maintaining 12 team league value. He's averaging 14.8 points, 0.8 three-pointers, 5.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals in his four games in Memphis.

Roy Hibbert struggled with fouls, racking up four in his 19 minutes, scoring 12 points in the process. This will happen from time to time and despite what some owners may think, you need to still own Hibbert in 12 team leagues. C.J. Wroten and Donald Sloan split the point guard minutes and the return of George Hill can't come soon enough.

Ryan Anderson and Dante Cunningham started again in place of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, but Cunningham has no place on standard league roster. Anderson is borderline as well, and scored just 11 points with three three-pointers in his 37 minutes. Alexis Ajinca played 26 minutes and was very productive without Davis again, but once Davis returns, the Frenchman becomes irrelevant again. Ajinca has averaged 10.3 rebounds and 15.3 points in the three games without Davis. Keep that in your memory bank for the next time Davis goes down.

Oh, the Knicks. I know the Sixers are tanking, but the Knicks are shoving it in our faces. They started two guys on 10 day contracts, Langston Galloway and Lou Amundson, while Cole Aldrich, Pablo Prigioni, and Quincy Acy did not enter the game. If you can figure that out, you're better than me. Galloway was good though, scoring 21 points with three three-pointers and three assists and he is someone you want in a deeper league if he continues to start. I'm not adding Galloway in standard leagues, now, especially with Lord Elfrid Payton and Marcus Smart available in a lot of places.

Tony Snell moved back out of the starting lineup, with Kirk Hinrich replacing hm. Hinrich did not score and had three assists, so it goes without saying what move you need to make with him. If it doesn't go without saying, I'm saying it now. Don't add Hinrich.

Timofey Mozgov got a good portion of minutes for the first time in a few games, playing 33 minutes, going for a 15 and 15 double double, adding one steal and two blocks, even with Kevin Love returning. Tristan Thompson still played 27 minutes and Mozgov doesn't have a high ceiling, but is still valuable enough for an end of the bench role in standard leagues.

Greivis Vasquez started over Terrence Ross, as he did in the second half Sunday, playing 31 minutes, but hardly arousing out senses with 10 points and three assists. I'd wait a game or two to see how this shakes out. Ross, actually, was the best he's been in his bench role, scoring 16 points in his 23 minutes. His value doesn't change much though What was interesting, apart from Dwane Casey continuing to limit Jonas Valanciunas' minutes, is that James Johnson was a healthy scratch. Safe to say, with DeMar DeRozan back, Johnson's value is kaput.

Ersan Ilyasova played 23 minutes off the bench, scoring 14 points with seven rebounds, Look out, the Ilyasova blow up could be happening, as Jason Kidd limited Zaza Pachulia and John Henson to 41 minutes combined, not even a full game's worth at center.If you are in a position to take a flier, Ilyasova is someone you should be watching.

DeMarcus Cousins was back from his sore ankle, beasted for 22 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks and it was business as usual, limiting Jason Thompson to his usual pedestrian output of four points and seven rebounds.

LaMarcus Aldridge left the game after 14 minutes of playing time, hurting his hand, but thankfully X-rays came back negative. That likely means that Aldridge won't be facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines. Meyers Leonard will get a temporary bump, and he had nine points in his 19 minutes Monday. We could also see Thomas Robinson get more run, as he played 21, but we've been fooled by Robinson before.

No Kobe Bryant, so Wayne Ellington got the nod again, but he didn't do a lot, scoring nine points. Jeremy Lin played 31 minutes with no Ronnie Price, garnering 10 assists and three steals to go with 10 points. Lin is a better player than Price, of that there is no debate, and could be someone to look at down the stretch. Ed Davis was limited to 22 minutes, because Byron Scott, while Tarik Black played 21 minutes off the bench. Davis was still more productive but his place in standard leagues in tenuous. Brandan Wright played 24 minutes to Alex Len's 19, but Len was the more productive. Why the minutes were like that, I do not know, nor can I speculate, but I don't think it's a reason to drop Len.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Andrew Wiggins cooled off, scoring 12 points. A mere blip.

Lance Stephenson dished out nine assists with eight points and he is someone I'd recommend grabbing, despite his putrid showing early on.

Nerlens Noel swiped four steals and now has 2.4 steals in his past five games. He is an elite option for steals at the center position and should be owned in all competitive leagues.

Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond combined for 38 rebounds. That's big time, while Brandon Jennings Brandon Jenningsed, going 1-for-10 for seven points.

Mike Scott poured in a cameo 20 points with five rebounds and two steals,but he only has value in case Al Horford or Paul Millsap go down.

The Celtics played 10 guys, and six of them scored in double digits and two of them were Brandon Bass and Marcus Thornton. Bass actually led the team in scoring, dropping 17 points and Bass is a solid player, but his presence in the Boston rotation is baffling.

Blake Griffin added six more assists and is now averaging 5.0 dimes on the season. With his drop in rebounds, the assist bump has been useful this season and is becoming a very solid roto player in addition to his head-to-head value.

Monta Ellis had 25 points with seven assists, freezing out Rajon Rondo, who only dished one assist in an odd performance. Before Monday, the lowest assist total Rondo had this season was four, so let's consider this a fluke.

Zach Randolph now has double digit rebounds in 12 straight games and since returning from his knee injury, hasn't missed a beat.

With Roy Hibbert limited, Ian Mahinmi grabbed 14 boards and is showing up well when pressed into action. He only has deep league appeal, but if Hibbert goes down, Mahinmi may have standard league value.

Donatas Motiejunas played 34 minutes, almost double-doubling, while Josh Smith languished on the bench. In his last four games, Smith is averaging 9.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists, which is not rosterable in most standard leagues. How the mighty have fallen, but look at me, here, writing this, while Josh Smith lies in his bed on a pile of money.

Omer Asik had a nice 11 points, 17 rebound double-double, but offered nothing else and is a specialised add if you need the boards. By no means is Asik someone who should be owned in all leagues.

Carmelo Anthony started his second straight game, scoring 24 points with nine rebounds and two blocks, which is awesome, but for how long? I still maintain that you need to trade Melo for whatever you can get. The rest of the Knicks are a like a tire fire that is watching another tire fire, that's how bad things are. If you can stomach it, you may be able to find some value, but I'm not that game.

Derrick Rose regressed, scoring 18 points on 5-for-14 shooting and dished just two assists. He's been great of late, but like Melo, you should get rid of Rose. Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson both double-doubled and combined for seven blocks, with Taj getting five. Joakim Noah will be back sooner rather than later, hampering Gibson's value immensely, but Gasol is hamper-proof.

Kyrie Irving had 12 assists, just his third game with double-digit helpers. He added 18 points, but is still an elite source of points on most nights.

DeMar DeRozan went scoreless, going 0-for-9 from the field and 0-for-1 from the line and for people that had him on the IR and activated him for this week, my commiserations. This is a mirage, so no need to panic.

Brandon Knight was superb again, and now has 10 steals in his last two games and is the only very good, reliable producer for the Bucks. Zaza Pachulia and Giannis Antetokounmpo both added three steals, mixed in among sub par lines.

Nicolas Batum continued his shooting woes, going 2-for-8 for eight points and is now shooting 19 percent in his last four games. If he gets dropped in your league, and it's possible, you should swoop in. In fact, I'd be targeting him in extreme buy-low deals.

Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic both dropped 24 points on the hapless Lakers, with Thomas grabbing five steals as well, but that didn't exclude Eric Bledsoe from a good performance, going for 17, five and seven with three steals.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. James Harden, G, HOU, 45 points
2. Rudy Gay, F, SAC, 26 points
3. LeBron James, F, CLE, 26 points

Rebounds

1. Greg Monroe, F, DET, 20 rebounds
2. DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC, 19 rebounds
3. Andre Drummond, C, DET, 18 rebounds

Assists

1. Kyrie Irving, G, CLE, 12 assists
2. John Wall, G, WAS, 10 assists
3. Jeremy Lin, G, LAL, 10 assists

Steals

1. Isaiah Thomas, G, PHX, 5 steals
2. C.J. Miles, F, IND, 5 steals
3. James Harden, G, HOU, 4 steals
4. Brandon Knight, G, MIL, 4 steals
5. Nerlens Noel, F, PHI, 4 steals
6. Nene, F, WAS, 4 steals
7. Lou Williams, G, TOR, 4 steals

Blocks

1. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 6 blocks
2. Taj Gibson, F, CHI, 5 blocks
3. DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC, 4 blocks
4. Gorgui Dieng, C, MIN, 4 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. James Harden, G, HOU, 7-12 3Pt
2. J.R. Smith, G, CLE, 6-9 3Pt
3. Isaiah Thomas, G, PHX, 4-6 3Pt
4. C.J. Miles, G, IND, 4-11 3Pt
5. Nick Young, G, LAL, 4-7 3Pt
6. Klay Thompson, G, GSW, 4-8 3Pt
7. Marcus Smart, G, BOS, 4-7 3Pt

Minutes

1. Kyrie Irving, G, CLE, 41 minutes
2. Tyreke Evans, G, NOP, 41 minutes
3. Brandon Knight, G, MIL, 41 minutes