No one is going to try to suggest that the addition of Kyle Korver turned the Jazz season around. But the fact remains that after winning its 10th straight game Wednesday night, Utah is now 16-2 since adding the Ashton Kutcher lookalike.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But given his play this week, including 27 points last night, Korver deserves some definite waiver wire consideration, especially for those of you in need of 3-pointers.

When the Jazz landed Korver on December 29 for Gordan Giricek and a protected first round draft choice, the deal didn't exactly send shock waves hurtling through the NBA.

But consider the moves made by Utah's Western Conference rivals since then: The Lakers dealing for Pau Gasol, the Warriors signing Chris Webber, the Spurs bringing in Damon Stoudamire and now the Suns acquiring Shaquille O'Neal, a deal finalized yesterday. And Jason Kidd could still be headed west.

No, these teams aren't making moves to counter the addition of Korver, but they certainly have been forced to answer the run the Jazz has been on since landing the perimeter specialist.

Korver definitely made an impact Wednesday, canning four free throws in the final 19 seconds to cap an exciting 118-115 overtime victory in Denver.

On a night when returning Marcus Camby (see Injury Report, below) played smothering defence on All-Star Carlos Boozer, holding him to 3-for-15 shooting, it was Korver who stepped up to fill the void. Korver didn't even play in the first quarter, but he came off the bench to pour in 15 points in the second quarter as Utah grabbed a healthy lead heading into halftime. With starting two-guard Ronnie Brewer getting knocked out early with a bruised tailbone, Korver could find himself starting tomorrow night, or at least playing starter minutes. And with an average of better than 20 PPG with 11 3-pointers sunk in the past three games, he's definitely worth considering.

It was a huge win for the Jazz, who denied the Nuggets an opportunity to move into a tie for first in the Northwest Division, instead opening up a two-game bulge. Of course, Utah has already flown past once-soaring Portland, a team that's now spinning its wheels as it slips in the standings.

The Jazz were led by Deron Williams, who poured in 29 points for the second straight game. But forget about his scoring for a minute, as impressive as that's been. Let's talk about those assists. With another 11 dimes dropped Wednesday, Williams has now recorded at least that many assists in eight straight games. I'd like to see him helping out more from beyond the arc, given how well he's shot the ball this year (40.5 percent from 3-point range), but the fact that Williams is doing a much better job of getting to the line has really helped him take his game to a new level.

• Jarrett Jack, rewarded for his strong play of late with a start last night, responded with another big game, sinking 4-of-8 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, as he scored 17 points with six assists. Martell Webster, relegated to a bench role for the first time this season, managed just eight points in 21 minutes. If you've been holding onto Webster, dump him for Jack. It's been a frustrating year for Jack, but if he sticks in the starting lineup, he'll definitely be an asset, and might even help in rebounding, averaging seven per game in the two games leading into last night, nice totals from a guard.



• You can't hold Chris Paul down for long. He bounced back from an offgame on Monday with 42 points last night, leading the Hornets to a huge double-overtime win in Phoenix. In 50 minutes, he shot the lights out, nailing 18-of-33 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, while contributing eight steals and five boards. Paul was too busy canning everything in sight to do much distributing, so he only had nine assists, but he also turned the ball over just once. I am so impressed by his development as a shooter this season. Forty-eight percent shooting from the field? Only a handful of point guards are doing better than that this season. Of course, that's just one of the reasons that Paul has emerged as the top fantasy player in the game.



• Let's not be too hasty in cutting Thabo Sefolosha. With Ben Gordon (wrist) out last night and the Bulls nowhere near full strength, Thabo continues to thrive, nailing 9-of-17 for a career-high 22 points. He had a big all-around game with six assists, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two treys. His minutes may be inconsistent down the stretch, but if he can continue to shoot as well as he did last night, Sefolosha will definitely evolve into a larger part of the Bulls' offense. The fact that Gordon is nowhere near ready to return helps the sophomore's chances even more.

Injury Report

As mentioned, Camby made his return to the Nuggets last night after missing a pair of games with a knee injury. Knock on wood, the Cambyman has missed just three of Denver's 48 games this year, a remarkable pace for man who has managed to play as many as 70 games just twice in his 12-year career. Still, Camby showed no rust Wednesday, sinking 5-of-11 from the field for 11 points to go along with 17 rebounds and four blocks. Camby's steals have slipped this year, but he's enjoying the best rebounding season of his career, so as long as you don't mind living on the edge, wondering if that major injury will happen each time he falls to the floor, then go ahead and enjoy the numbers he'll give you.

Tip-ins: In shallow leagues, Kenyon Martin may be available. After recording a second straight double-double and adding four steals last night, he may not be for long…If Nene has made up his find about starting chemotherapy that could end his season, he isn't making it public…Allen Iverson struggled with his shot (9-for-27) but canned five treys en route to 34 points. He added 10 assists for his third double-double in four games…Carmelo Anthony had another strong rebounding game, and shot well (10-of-17) as part of a 29-point night, but he missed an open shot at the buzzer that could have won it for the Nuggets in regulation…Go ahead and stick a fork in Steve Francis. He's been out since December 15 with a torn left quad and now faces season-ending surgery…It was triple-double city on Wednesday with Dirk Nowitzki and Earl Watson each turning the trick. Watson's night was the biggest shock, of course, and is sure to make him a popular waiver wire claim over the next couple of days. As for Dirk, his rebounding work has been excellent lately, but it's about time he snapped his recent shooting funk, nailing 9-of-17 from the floor after a few off games. The only surprise here is that it was the first time he's achieved a triple-double in his career…Steve Nash had a triple-double as well, with 32 points, 12 assists and…er…10 turnovers. Oops…Corey Maggette is obviously back to full strength after a bout with the flu that cost him a few games. He went off for 33 points, eight rebounds, five steals, three assists and two treys last night…Any worry that Amare Stoudemire's production could slip when Shaq arrives took a back seat for a night after Stat when berserk with 26 points, a season-best 20 rebounds, four blocks and three assists…Rajon Rondo, one of the most popular waiver wire pickups over the past week, continued his scorching play last night, sinking 10-of-13 on his way to 24 points, with eight assists, five rebounds and four steals…Great news for Gerald Wallace (foot) owners as Crash is getting closer to a return after practicing yesterday. He'll be a game time decision tomorrow night…Caron Butler (left hip flexor) will travel with the Wizards on their four-game trip that starts Friday, however, he may remain out until after the All-Star break…Shawn Marion's debut with Miami is scheduled for Sunday. It will be fascinating to see how he fits in there and whether his value rises or not. Certainly, not having Nash to feed him the ball will hurt, but will the Matrix get more touches with the Heat?…The Spurs are hoping to have Tony Parker (foot) back after the break, but it's not a sure thing…The Grizzlies sure don't look like they've improved much this season, and now that Pau Gasol and Stromile Swift are gone, it will take some time for the team to find its identity. Memphis dropped its fourth straight Tuesday, and with just 331 wins through 1,000 career games for the franchise, the Grizzlies are by far off to the worst start in NBA history. Next fewest wins through the first 1,000 games is Cleveland, with 386. Ugh. Sure, Rudy Gay's had a breakout year, but he remains inconsistent. He enjoyed a nice night Tuesday with 21 points, but zero trips to the line? He's really improved his FT shooting, but that doesn't matter if he's not drawing any fouls at all. Gay's breakout has come at the expense of Mike Miller to an extent, but with Gasol and Swift gone, Miller will be asked to contribute more. He's looks up to the task with a season-high 32 last game. New addition Javaris Crittenton is not expected to have any effect on the point guard situation as Memphis sees his future as a two-guard. He could cut into Juan Carlos Navarro's value, however. Speaking of the PG situation, starter Mike Conley (chest) is expected to return tomorrow after missing the past five games. Other players who may benefit from Gasol's and Swift's departures are Darko Milicic, who has racked up three straight double-doubles, and Hakim Warrick, who is getting more PT of late and earned his first start of the season Tuesday (although he didn't do much with it).

Rob Blackstien runs www.RotoRob.com, a site featuring daily fantasy sports analysis. In addition to his baseball work on the site, he contributes to Rotoworld’s basketball coverage. Rob also writes for CREATiVESPORTS.com, BaseballNotebook.com and has contributed to Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide and Fantasy Football Guide.

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