Phoenix 161, New Jersey 157, 2OT

With only three games on today's NBA schedule, you'd expect things to be a bit slow in your fantasy NBA leagues, with very little movement in the standings. However, with the Nets and the Suns playing against each other, you can probably make an exception. The Nets have the four-headed monster of Kidd, Carter, Jefferson, and Krstic. At the other end, with Steve Nash leading the way, everyone on the Suns roster is capable of putting up 20+ points on any given night.

Today's Nets-Suns game was an instant classic. And that boxscore is a veritable fantasy goldmine; 318 total points is a lot to go around. I couldn't stop refreshing the box score because I had four players on my fantasy team in that game:

• Amare Stoudamire: Another double-double (23-11) for Amare. He's back and he's for real. Unfortunately, he fouled out in the first OT or he could've gone for 30+.
  
• Shawn Marion: A great all-around game for the Matrix, which is what Marion owners should expect. 33-9-3, 3 stls, 2 blks, 3 treys, 60% shooting, and a perfect 6-6 from the FT line.
• Vince Carter: A pity he fouled out near the end of regulation, thinking he only had four fouls (d'oh!). Otherwise, he could've added more to 31-4-9 on 77% shooting. 77% from VC? Oh my!
• Jason Kidd: Despite NJ's loss, Kidd is still a winner in the fantasy books. 38 pts, 14 rebs, 14 asts, 3 treys, 50% shooting, and 9-9 from the FT line. He had 13-8-7 at halftime and had a triple-double in the middle of the 4th quarter. 14 rebs is ridiculous for a PG. And when was the last time Kidd went for more than 30? He really got it going today.
  

Almost everyone in that game had a terrific fantasy line. Here are the other star performers:

• Steve Nash: 42-6-13, 6 treys, 64% shooting. A career high in points for Nash. And you gotta love his shooting percentages.
• Raja Bell: This guy has really been on fire lately and shows no signs of cooling down. 24 pts, 6 treys. Forget about his earlier injury troubles.
• Boris Diaw: After taking so much heat from fantasy owners and experts, Diaw had one of his best games of the season. Only 1 reb, but 16 pts, 2 blks, and 14 ast, out-dishing Nash! He might still be available in your league and he's definitely worth a gamble.
  
• Richard Jefferson: 25 pts, 8 rebs, 58% shooting. Looks like that injury is a thing of the past.
• Marcus Williams: On a night where shots were falling from everywhere, Williams had his own share. His 18 points (on 8-11 shooting) gave the Nets a much-needed boost from the bench. I still wouldn't pick him up though except in very deep leagues.
  
• Eddie House: The former Sun wasn't able to beat his old team, but he showed signs of last year's brilliance. 12 points with 2 treys. Look for him to provide instant offense off the bench for the Nets from here on in. Probably worth a pickup in deep leagues, especially if you're looking to add a few treys.
• Mikki Moore: Mikki who? Without him, the Nets wouldn't have been able to keep up with the Suns. 14 points, 7 rebs. Still has very limited fantasy value, unless he somehow manages to displace Jason Collins (who only played 16 mins) from the starting lineup.
  

It's just too bad there won't be any more Nets-Suns games for the rest of the season, having already played their other match-up last November 25 (Phoenix 99, New Jersey 93). (Incidentally, Marcus Williams put up a career-high 27 points on that night.) Boo.

(I had one other player today, Tayshaun Prince, who also had an above-average game with 20 pts on 50% shooting, with 7 rebs, 3 stls, 1 blk, and a trey to boot. It was a very good day for fantasy for me. I jumped up +3 in the standings on a day with only three games. In honor of the best fantasy day ever, I decided to name my team the "New Jersey Suns".)