Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire-Best from the Box, January 30

Both point guard Jarrett Jack (2) and shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) had huge fantasy basketball games last night for their owners and the short-handed Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

As we look back at a lighter schedule in the NBA last night, there’s still some box score breakouts to highlight. The Bucks and Warriors went on the road and won early while the home teams took the late games in LA and Portland. The best game of the day was the Trail Blazers come from behind victory over Dallas with LaMarcus Aldrige hitting the three to tie and the shot to win the game after a charging foul on O.J. Mayo. Here’s the highlight in case you missed it.

From last night’s four games, here are the players who broke out of the box score with surprisingly positive nights:

Klay Thompson-Golden State Warriors

With Stephen Curry on the sidelines joined by Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes and Carl Landry, the Warriors were short-handed as they went into the Q to take on the Cavaliers. Klay Thompson rose to the task drilling six three-pointers on his way to a career high 32 points along with seven rebounds, three blocks, and a pair of assists. Thompson has averaged 20 points over his last five games while scoring 18 or more in seven of his last eight games.  If Curry is out, his ceiling goes even higher, but this former Washington State Cougar has become a great backcourt scoring option for Coach Mark Jackson and the Warriors. His fantasy owners are just as thrilled with his overall production especially in three’s and points.

J.J. Hickson-Portland Trail Blazers

While it was Aldridge who came through in the clutch, Hickson also had a great game for Portland finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds along with a pair of blocks, an assist, and a steal. He’s averaged 17.2 points and 10.0 rebounds over his last five and 13.5 points and 10.6 rebounds for the month. He’s a double-double machine and should continue to put up the numbers as long as he keeps getting the playing time alongside Aldridge in the Blazers frontcourt.

Jan 29, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Earl Clark (6) shoots against the New Orleans Hornets during the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Earl Clark-LA Lakers

I mentioned Clark on Saturday as a good waiver wire pickup to watch or possibly add if he kept starting (full post here). Last night Clark owners enjoyed one of his best games of the year as he led LA with 20 points on 8-11 from the field and 4-5 from three-point range. He aded 12 boards and four assists before fouling out. He’s still just owned in 14.6% of leagues and as long as he starts for LA is a great pickup for your fantasy team.

Tristan Thompson-Cleveland Cavaliers

Although he wasn’t even the best Thompson in the game (see Klay above) he was probably the best Cav last night. Thompson played 37 minutes on his was to a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. He’s stepped up throughout the loss of Anderson Varejao and has become the second most fantasy-relevant Cavalier behind All-Star Kyrie Irving.

Greivis Vasquez-New Orleans Hornets

Vasquez is in the midst of a breakout year. With Rajon Rondo going down, the former Terp could be the best assist-man not named Chris Paul in the NBA. He’s currently third in the league in assists per game trailing just Rondo and Paul. Vasquez has had 11 assists or more in five of his last six games and had 15 last night to go with five boards and 15 points. Vasquez is firmly in-place as New Orleans point guard and as the team grows and matures his fantasy stock will only rise in the year’s to come.

Jarrett Jack-Golden State Warriors

Jack got the start with Stephen Curry out and was able to step up in a big way. Jack’s almost universally owned but there are still some leagues where he’s on the waiver wire. He finished last night with a stellar line of 26 points, 12 assists, a block, a steal, and a rebound. Whenever Jack gets the start he’s a great daily league play and has been racking up assists even coming off the bench averaging 8.1 over his last 10 games.

January 15, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks point guard Beno Udrih (19) during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Lakers won 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Beno Udrih-Milwaukee Bucks

If you need a point guard who can churn out assists, Udrih makes a great grab. He’s owned in only 0.5% of ESPN leagues and has averaged six assists in his last five games after last night’s 11-assist performance. He added four boards, two steals, and seven points last night. Udrih’s minutes fluctuate based ont eh game situation but he’s proven to have some value if you need help in the assist category which is sometimes one of the more elusive categories to pile up stats in.