Daily Lies & Statistics: Stats that make you go “hmmm”

There are times when a statistic comes along that just doesn’t seem to make sense. Last night there were two stats that made me go “hmmmm.” First it was the ZERO rebounds that the Wizards managed to pull down in the second quarter of their game against the Celtics last night. Zero. No rebounds. Not a single one. How? Pretty impressive stuff.

The other stat that tickled my fancy was that Rajon Rondo for the first time this season failed to pick up a steal. Given that he posted 12 of them in his last three, I think we can let this one slide.

The game overall went from sluggish to sleek. At certain points in the second quarter you got that feeling that the Wizards were just going through the motions and the Celtics were getting ready to run away with it. The Wiz, though, fought back and were within two points with 26 seconds to go…and then Gilbert Arenas missed, no bricked two key free throws that would have tied the game. Arenas was 1-of-6 from the line. Dude look like a lady.

Rondo himself was aggressive on offense, leading the Celtics with 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 11 assists to just one turnover. Yes, he was looking for his own shot. Yes, he still managed to drop double-digit dimes. No, this doesn’t mean we’re going to see Rondo turn into a more active scorer. The 21 he dropped was a season-high. Consider it an added bonus. Forget the Lakers’ ten straight wins, the Celtics are on a nine game winning streak of their own. Those with triskaidekaphobia are more comfortable with the Celtics’ streak.

Notable Performances:

Andray Blatche: He had a nice night coming off the bench — 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, one three-pointer and five steals. This is just the 2nd time in his last seven in which he’s hit double-figures. Unfortunately there aren’t enough minutes or touches available for Blatche to be a standard league impact player.

Nick Young: He has just six points over his last two. The needle and the damage done. He’s not a reliable fantasy baller at all.

Carmelo Anthony: He dropped 40 points on 16-of-28 shooting against the Pistons. Le’s just put that 14-point performance on Monday behind us. OK?

Charlie Villanueva: Scored 27 points in 34 minutes off the bench. It’s the mask. Here’s hoping that he starts finding a groove. At least before the furious four — Ben Gordon, Tayshuan Prince, Rip Hamilton and Will Bynum — return.

Deron Williams: Let’s just pretend like Wednesday never happened. Deal? Williams was impressive last night — 32 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds. That’s what I call a make-up game.

C.J. Miles: I could see this one coming for miles. He is miles ahead of where he was just last week. Miles… miles… Sorry, I guess I must have watched the TNT broadcast last night with the sound on. Anyway, Miles posted a season-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, with three treys and a steal off the bench. He’s got value in deep leagues, but really isn’t much of an impact player. Last night was a ceiling game.

Ryan Anderson: He was on fire early, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the first half. He did most of his scoring by hitting 4-of-7 three-point attempts. The Magic were riding the hot hand on this one, plus they lost Mickael Piertrus for a brief stint (factoring into Anderson’s playing time).  There aren’t enough minutes for Anderson to be a standard league factor — barring an injury.

Matt Barnes: 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting — see above (sky below).

*11 games on the schedule tonight. Remember to check the status of Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon. If Calderon is a no-go, then Jarrett Jack should be a nice start.