Gallinari solid in return: After missing 10 games with a fractured thumb, Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari made his return to the floor on Monday against the Warriors, and he showed very little in the way of rust in his 30 minutes. Gallinari scored 15 points on 4 of 11 shooting, while adding a couple of three-pointers and going 5 of 6 from the free-throw stripe. He also showed his abilities as a playmaker, dishing out six assists to just two turnovers, showing that he was already back up to speed. To fill out his line, he added five rebounds and a block in the Nuggets 123-84 win. (Updated 04/09/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/26/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Gallinari played 30 minutes in the game, and made it through without any setbacks, which is the most important thing to come from the night. It looks like he will be able to jump right back in and play full-time minutes right away, so Fantasy owners should feel confident getting him back in the lineup. Gallinari has been enjoying a fine season, however injuries have done a lot to derail it, so hopefully he can finish the season strong and return to being a reliable Fantasy option. (Updated 04/09/2012).
05/14/2012 07:53 Knicks too busy putting on show to give Phil Jackson a call
Phil Jackson reportedly has the itch to coach again. However, no NBA team has inquired about the Zen Master's availability. Ken Berger says the Knicks would be wise to make the call, but winning isn't their priority.
05/13/2012 04:01 World Peace returns in time to help Lakers' season continue
The Lakers pass their test in Game 7 and move on to the next round. Ken Berger says L.A.'s poise is back as is the old Ron Artest, who returns just in time to help save the day.
05/13/2012 03:15 NBA Playoffs Report Card 5.12.12: Lakers, Celtics re-establish old world order
Each night, Eye on Basketball brings you what you need to know about the games of the NBA. From great performances to terrible clock management the report card evaluates and eviscerates the good, the bad, and the ugly from the night that was.
05/13/2012 01:32 Gasol, World Peace help Lakers outlast Nuggets, advance to Western semis
Pau Gasol had 23 points, 17 rebounds and six assists, Metta World Peace scored 15 points in his return from a seven-game suspension, and the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Denver Nuggets for a thrilling 96-87 victory in Game 7 on Saturday night to win their first-round series.
05/13/2012 01:24 Lakers advance to second round with 96-87 win over Nuggets
Metta World Peace returned from a seven-game suspension and helped the Los Angeles Lakers hold off the Denver Nuggets 96-87 Saturday night in Game 7 of their first-round series. The Lakers advanced to the conference semifinals to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Gallinari averaged 15.9 points per game last year over 48 contests with the Knicks. After coming over to Denver, Gallinari put up 14.7 points per game in a lower-scoring offense. With Denver coach George Karl having so much confidence in the 23-year-old, Fantasy owners might be able to expect him to fall between the two scoring averages as he figures to play a prominent role in the offense in 2011-12. Gallinari shot 37 percent from 3-point range after coming over to Denver and he averaged around a 3-pointer and a half per game last year. He started grabbing more rebounds with Denver and averaged 5.4 per night over his final 14 games of the season. Karl has already said that he expects Gallinari to see an increased responsibility in the rotation and that can only compute to an improvement in the young Italian’s game. Gallinari will help your Fantasy team in scoring, rebounding and shooting and is well-worth drafting beginning in the middle rounds on Draft Day. The potential starter in all Fantasy formats should be considered a sleeper with pretty large upside. He’s already just inside the top 50 Fantasy forwards to target heading into the season. (Updated 8/28/11)