The Clippers big three of Chris Paul, Matt Barnes, and J.J. Redick (yep) shut down the Russell Westbrook show and provided their own form of fireworks Wednesday, but as we can't have nice things, injuries once again threatened to derail many fantasy teams heading into the playoffs. At least we got Kemba Walker back...

WORKING CLASS MAN

Whenever I hear of anyone with the surname Barnes, like Matt Barnes of the Clippers, it must be the Australian in me that always wants to call them Barnesy, after legendary Australian singer, Jimmy Barnes. I use legendary a little loosely, but Barnesy can be considered iconically Australian, a hero among working class males in particular. If you haven't seen Barnes in action, may I direct your attention down below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erSJGrpfnOI

Anyway, that preamble, leads me to spruik Barnes, of the Matt variety, as someone who is underowned in fantasy leagues. He is definitely thriving with Jamal Crawford's continued absence, but that belittles his accomplishments a little. In the beat down of the Thunder, Barnes supplied 22 points (6-8 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT) with three rebounds, one assist, three steals and two blocks and while the shooting won't continue in that vein, Barnes should be looked at in more leagues. His last two weeks have yielded averages of 12.6 points, 2.6 three-pointers, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks, shooting at 47 percent from the field. All teams should be able to use that, and if he cools off, just add the next flavor of the week.

M.I.A.

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

• Hornets
  • Brian Roberts (DNP-CD)
  • Cody Zeller (shoulder)
• Bulls
  • Taj Gibson (ankle)
  • Derrick Rose (knee)
  • Jimmy Butler (elbow)
  • Joakim Noah (knee)
• Nets
  • Alan Anderson (tailbone)
• Heat
  • Shabazz Napier (DNP-CD)
  • Hassan Whiteside (suspended)
• Celtics
  • Isaiah Thomas (back, elbow)
• Magic
  • Kyle O'Quinn (DNP-CD)
  • Willie Green (back)
  • Evan Fournier (hip)
• Bucks
  • Jerryd Bayless (ankle)
• Clippers
  • Blake Griffin (elbow)
  • Jamal Crawford (calf)
• Thunder
  • Kevin Durant (foot)
• Hawks
  • Thabo Sefolosha (calf)
• Nuggets
  • Jusuf Nurkic (ankle)
• Timberwolves
  • Kevin Garnett (knee)
• Suns
  • Gerald Green (DNP-CD)
  • Brandon Knight (ankle)
• Rockets
  • Dwight Howard (knee)

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

Chris Paul shook off his bruised knee to blanket Russell Westbrook and completely dominate the Thunder, scoring 33 points (11-19 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 6-7 FT) with four rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Paul has still yet to miss a game, but the sprained ankle he suffered in the dying minutes may effect that. Paul said it's not a concern, so he may push through it and if you own him, you hope so, as Paul has been a master, yet again, this season.

ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS

Marvin Williams, predictably, started in place of Cody Zeller and played 32 minutes, with three blocks and three three-pointers. He also grabbed seven rebounds, and looks to have value for as long as Zeller is out, which may be for another couple of games. Kemba Walker returned for Charlotte, playing just 16 minutes off the bench, scoring six points, all from deep. He'll obviously play more than that moving forward as he rejoins the starting lineup, just in time for most leagues' playoffs.

Nikola Mirotic moved into the starting lineup with Joakim Noah experiencing knee soreness and continued his solid form. Another double-double for the Bulls' rookie, ending the game with 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Mirotic has great fantasy value as long he has the opportunity. How long that lasts for is up in the air though.

Isaiah Canaan was battling a sinus infection, so he moved to the bench in favor of Ish Smith, but both point guards looked very good in their roles. Canaan scored 20 points with four three-pointers in 30 bench minutes, while Smith had 23 points with three three-pointers and six assists in his 37 minutes in the overtime loss. Canaan is still the guy to own long-term, which this switcheroo likely only due to Canaan's illness. Robert Covington has been restricted to just 24 minutes over his last five games as Brett Brown continues to run him off the bench in what is a curious decision, given his stellar form earlier this season. Covington's numbers are down across the board in this new bench role and there is a hot waiver-wire add you want, Covington is a decent drop candidate.

Chris Andersen went large in Hassan Whiteside's absence, scoring 18 points with 14 rebounds, one steal and one block, which is really only useful if you remember to add him next time Whiteside is out. Whiteside's one-game suspension is up, so he'll retake the starting center job when the Heat next take the court.

Avery Bradley made his return to the lineup and straight away played 34 minutes, scoring 17 points with five rebounds and two steals. If you owned Bradley before the injury, his role will remain steady so can be re-added in leagues where he was dropped. His ceiling isn't high, but at the end of 12 team leagues, Bradley may be the best option. With Isaiah Thomas out, Phil Pressey was called into action, playing 18 bench minutes, but adding Pressey is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Surprisingly, the Nuggets and Hawks game was a blowout in favor of the Nuggets, so on both sides, minutes were spread relatively thinly. Don't read a whole lot into it.

Adreian Payne got another start with Kevin Garnett out, but it as Gorgui Dieng's time to log heavy minutes in the Timberwolves' frontcourt. Dieng took advantage of the fact that Nikola Pekovic lasted just eight minutes before succumbed to his ankle issue again, and scored 10 points with seven rebounds and four assists. Even recently signed Justin Hamilton got into the action, scoring 15 points with two blocks in 28 minutes. If Pekovic is forced to miss time, Hamilton, as the only other center on the roster, would be a player to look at in deeper leagues, but that's about it.

The Suns moved Marcus Morris into the starting lineup to replace Brandon Knight, with Gerald Green a shock DNP-CD. Obviously, in this case, Morris becomes the intriguing fantasy option over Green, and he added eight points, nine rebounds and five assists in his 30 minutes. We don't have a concrete timetable on KNight, so if you're pushing for the playoffs in a deeper than standard league, you must look at Morris, but for 10 or 12 team leagues, no move is likely the right one. T.J. Warren saw extended run, playing 19 minutes and scoring 17 points off the bench. In his last three games, Warren has averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, and he should be proactively added in all deep leagues. I'm just watching in standard leagues, but it's about time the rookie starting spreading his wings. A word of caution. His 71 percent field goal percentage is unlikely to be maintained long term.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Ben McLemore got hot, hitting three three-pointers for 27 points, but he's very hard to rely upon, despite his consistent role and minutes. The confusion at point guard remained for Sacramento with Andre Miller player 26 minutes, while Ray McCallum got just 25 minutes. McCallum is still the guy to own, but he's not a must-own by any stretch.

Al Jefferson said he heard a pop in his calf, which doesn't sound promising to me, but we'll have to wait to hear the diagnosis the injury. In his absence, Bismack Biyombo played 23 minutes, getting six rebounds, two steals and three blocks and that's where his value will lie if Jefferson is forced to miss time.

Aaron Brooks dropped 31 points with five assists, and while streaky, owning Brooks is something that should be considered in most leagues. Definitely in preference to teammate Tony Snell, who scored 10 points in 45 minutes. He did grab 10 rebounds, but Snell's skill set is limited.

Nerlens Noel is a defensive animal, at least in the box score. He got himself another four steals and two blocks and is now averaging 3.4 steals and 2.1 blocks in his last seven games. His keeper league value is sky high, because there is literally nobody who provides that sort of defensive stat combination.

Brook Lopez's rebounding has risen significantly recently, pulling down another 14 against the Heat. He is now averaging 8.5 rebounds in the last month, huge for a guy criticised for not grabbing boards. Lopez pulled down just 6.0 per game last season and if he adds more double-doubles to his game, his fantasy value will rise.

Tony Allen was superb again, with 16 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks and he is also underowned. Averages of 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in his last four make me want to take notice, especially seeing as though steals is a low volume category that can easily be swung by a savvy move.

Kelly Olynyk replaced Tyler Zeller as the starting center for the second half and had his best game since returning from the ankle injury. He totalled 15 points, two three-pointers, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in just 20 minutes and if he can get back to 30 minutes a night, he should be owned in all leagues.

Khris Middleton goes from strength to strength, dropping another 30 point night. He is a key cog to Milwaukee this season, but whether he retains that role when Jabari Parker returns is yet to be determined. For now, just ride him out until the end of the season.

Russell Westbrook was slowed slightly by Chris Paul, scoring just 24 points, but did add three three-pointers, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals, at the expense of a whopping 10 turnovers. With Kevin Durant still out another one to two weeks, Westbrook will have more opportunities to set the box score on fire.

Enes Kanter started again over Steven Adams, but with Scott Brooks using them the way he is, you will find it hard to own either in most leagues. Kanter had 18 points and five rebounds, with nothing else while Adams added three blocks with five rebounds. There are better options around.

Andre Drummond had his third 20 rebound game in his last four outings, and is averaging 18.5 boards over that stretch. You love the 22 points, 27 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, including 17 offensive rebounds. That makes twice in his last four that Drummond has had double-digit rebounds, on the offensive glass. Yikes!

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. Chris Paul, G, LAC, 33 points
2. Aaron Brooks, G, CHI, 31 points
3. Khris Middleton, F, MIL, 30 points

Rebounds

1. Andre Drummond, C, DET, 27 rebounds
2. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 17 rebounds
3. Pau Gasol, F, CHI, 16 rebounds

Assists

1. Gerald Henderson, G, CHA, 11 assists
2. Steph Curry, G, GSW, 11 assists
3. Chris Paul, G, LAC, 9 assists
4. Dwyane Wade, G, MIA, 9 assists
5. Eric Bledsoe, G, PHX, 9 assists
6. Reggie Jackson, G, DET, 9 assists
7. Ray McCallum, G, SAC, 9 assists
8. Ty Lawson, G, DEN, 9 assists

Steals

1. Nerlens Noel, F, PHI, 4 steals
2. Henry Walker, G, MIA, 4 steals
3. Nine players tied with 3 steals

Blocks

1. Kenneth Faried, F, DEN, 4 blocks
2. Tyler Zeller, C, BOS, 3 blocks
3. Marvin Williams, F, CHA, 3 blocks
4. Bismack Biyombo, C, CHA, 3 blocks
5. Steven Adams, C, OKC, 3 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Anthony Morrow, F, OKC, 6-9 3Pt
2. Matt Barnes, F, LAC, 6-7 3Pt
3. Chris Paul, G, LAC, 5-8 3Pt
4. Kyle Korver, G, ATL, 5-7 3Pt

Minutes

1. Tony Snell, G, CHI, 45 minutes
2. Pau Gasol, F, CHI, 43 minutes
3. Nikola Mirotic, F, CHI, 43 minutes