James Harden Even Harder on the Court

James Harden scored 36 points (11-22 FG, 7-12 3P, 7-7 FT) with six rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block in 40 minutes during Monday's win of Houston Rockets over the Knicks.

Spin: With Dwight Howard (knee) sidelined, Harden stepped up and carried the Rockets to a win. He's now scored 30+ in back to back games, and five times so far on the season.

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Carmelo Anthony Won't be Able to Play for the Rest of the Week.

Carmelo Anthony's will likely miss the remainder of the New York Knicks' road trip this week because of painful back spasms , which includes games against the Mavericks on Wednesday and Thunder on Friday, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports.

Spin: Berman's report also says that Anthony's back spasms that he suffered Tuesday night were so bad he couldn't walk or talk in the locker room. There is currently no timetable for his return, either.

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Lebron James Trying to get Cleveland Back on Track

Lebron James scored 29 points (9-17 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 9-11 FT) to go along with four rebounds, 11 assists and three steals in 31 minutes Monday against the Magic.

Spin: James has posted back-to-back double-doubles in points and assists as he's trying to get Cleveland back on track. Despite their struggles, James continues to produce at an elite fantasy level.

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Donald Sloan Has Been Quiet Recently on the Court

Donald Sloan scored 29 points (10-14 FG, 3-5 3P, 6-9 FT) with five assists, two rebounds and a steal in 38 minutes during Monday's win over the Mavericks.

Spin: He's been quiet recently, averaging just 9.0 points a game over his previous six contests, so don't expect Sloan to repeat this kind of performance very often.

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Derrick Rose Dealing with Left Hamstring Tightness

Derrick Rose (hamstring) was held out of the second half of Tuesday's game as a precaution, ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell reports.

Spin: He did not play in the second half due to a tight hamstring, and it is not believed that he re-injured anything. Coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that Rose will be re-examined prior to Friday's game in Boston, but he did not think another MRI would be necessary. While a couple days off may be all Rose needs to get back on the court Friday, the fact remains that Rose has not started and finished two consecutive games this season, so expectations regarding his ability to stay on the court should be exceedingly low.

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Eric Gordon's Shoulder Might Undergo Surgery

New Orleans Pelicans' Shooting Guard Eric Gordon (shoulder) will take a week or two to decide whether or not to undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Spin: Gordon suffered the injury Saturday against the Jazz, and he said he'll consult with the team's medical staff to decide the next course of action. "If I keep on playing, it's going to be a lingering issue," Gordon said. "This thing doesn't heal all the way correctly, I've heard, unless surgery happens. I don't know, it's (surgery option) still hard to determine right now." If the oft-injured Gordon opts for surgery, he'll likely miss three months or more, whereas choosing to forego surgery would place him out for just a few weeks, with the risk of the labrum not fully healing. Gordon said he'll take time to weigh his options while continuing to attempt to build strength in his shoulder. "I'm going to try and strengthened it back up as much as I can," Gordon said. "You almost got to train like you are trying to get back. That's what I'm going to do and go from there."

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Amir Johnson Low Performance Last Monday Game

Amir Johnson scored just two points with three rebounds in 25 minutes Monday.

Spin: He's been mostly invisible recently, averaging just 5.4 points and 4.2 boards over his last five games, although he has added eight blocks over that stretch to salvage a little fantasy value. Johnson's ankle may still be bothering him, but even if he's healthy keep him on your bench or the waiver wire until he gets back to his usual form.

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