I love the NBA so much, I haven’t watched more than 5 minutes of college basketball this week.  Let’s take a look at week 3/19-3/25:

Four Games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indiana, LA Clippers, Minnesota, New Orleans, Portland, Sacramento, Washington.

Three Games: Boston, Chicago, Golden State, Houston, LA Lakers, Memphis, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, Seattle, Utah.

Two Games: Milwaukee, Orlando, Toronto.

Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:

Zaza Pachulia, FC: He started the year on the right foot, but then struggled with some minor injuries and was eventually relegated to the bench for a couple months.  Zaza returned to the Hawks’ starting lineup a couple weeks ago and has really excelled on offense since Joe Johnson’s injury.  Pachulia is averaging 15/10/2 with 1.2 steals, nearly 1 block, and shooting an impressive 50/85% in his last five games.  He’s playing like a top 10 center right now, and is a must-start with four games at home this coming week (SAC, MIA, POR, DAL) where Zaza scores an average of 3 more points then he does on the road.

Tim Thomas, F: Arguably one of the laziest players in the league, Thomas is known for flashing just enough of his talent a couple times a year, to ensure a fat contract with whichever team is willing to bite.  The 6’10 swingman has disappointed just about every team and fantasy owner who’s ever counted on him to make a real difference, but he makes a very nice pickup to plug in this week.  Tim is currently in the midst of a nice little hot streak, averaging 16/4/3 with a whopping 3.2 treys and 51/86% shooting.  Get the “dog” in your lineups as the Clips tip off four times next week (@CHI, @MIL, UTA, WAS).

Larry Hughes, SG: This season, Larry Hughes has been… well, Larry Hughes.  In and out of the lineup with various injuries, erratic play and struggling to jive with his teammates, Hughes is having his worst season since 2002-03 (his first year with the Wiz).  That said, when L-Boogie is healthy he’s a valuable fantasy commodity.  Hughes has recently been starting at PG for the Cavs and posting impressive numbers, averaging 15/6/6 with 1.1 threes, 1.4 steals, and 1 block in March. His percentages can hurt you (40/68% this season), but his contributions in other cats should be enough to help propel your squad to win this week.  Cleveland is on an 8-game win streak, and will see four pretty good matchups this week (@CHA, DAL, NY, DEN).

Linas Kleiza, GF: The second-year Lithuanian expatriate (from Rockville, MD) has broken out with increased minutes in Denver this month.  “Linas the Menace” has posted 16/8/1 with a sterling 2.8 treys and 51/87% shooting over his last five games.  At 6’8, Kleiza is a strong rebounder and has really improved his long range shot (38% from the arc this season).  Don’t expect consistency, but with the Nuggets hitting the hardwood four times this week you could definitely do worse.

Ronald Murray, SG: Injury alert – Chauncey Billups pulled his groin against Phoenix on Friday night.  Flip stepped in and dropped 25 points on 12 for 16 shooting and swiped the ball 6 times.  Billups’ groin strain was apparently not unexpected, as the point guard said “it’s been coming for about two weeks, I’ve been feeling. Finally it just went…” Murray’s value will strictly be tied to however long Billups is out, but don’t be surprised if Chauncey sits out the next few games.  Flip is pretty one-dimensional but he can certainly put up some points for your team.  He’ll have plenty of opportunities with four games coming up (PHI, @HOU, @SA, @MIL).

Chris Kaman, C: A huge disappointment this season, the Kaveman is back in the Clippers’ starting lineup and has reached double-digits in three straight. He’s also swatted 8 shots in those three games. He’s a decent start with a full-schedule on tap.

Sit ‘em down:

Mo Williams, PG: “This season’s Mike James” has failed to score more than 8 points in 3 of his last 5 games and he’s 1 for 16 from long range this month.  The Bucks only play twice this week, so you should look elsewhere… perhaps Anthony Johnson, Sam Cassell, or Steve Francis would be better options.