Jan. 12 -- Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference. Every week we take you around the Western Conference for a look at the day-to-day developments on real NBA teams and how they might affect your fantasy squad.

Dallas Mavericks: How many weapons does Dallas have? At the end of the Boston game, with the score tied and just a couple tics on the clock remaining, Coach Avery Johnson drew up a play for Dirk Nowitzki. He was well-covered. As was second-option, Jason Terry. So all Jerry Stackhouse did was drill a 17-foot baseline jumper for a tough road win. The point is that Jerry Stackhouse is on the court at the end of the game, even if he’s not at the beginning.

Houston Rockets: Things can’t go well for Tracy McGrady. He’s hurt; he’s not hurt, now he’s hurt again. T-Mac should be out for another week. Even though the Rockets lost, David Wesley, Rafer Alston and Juwan Howard all had very big games. With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady out, those three will shoulder the load. This is not what the Rockets had in mind at the beginning of the season, for Juwan Howard to be their superstar.

Memphis Grizzlies: So let me get this straight. If Kobe Bryant throws his forearm in your throat, you’re going to respond a week later with a triple-double. Much props to Mike Miller and his 21-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist night last Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings…Everyone should celebrate the rare triple-double, except those Pau Gasol owners who had no rebounds to grab after Miller cleaned the boards so well. Gasol finished with just five rebounds.

New Orleans Hornets: Say what you will about the Hornets, they have a future. Chris Paul and David West are two of the best young guys in the league. What that means is their team will struggle now, but benefit later, and their fantasy value will fluctuate almost on a nightly basis. I still love both guys as starters…Desmond Mason should be showing them the ropes. He’s asserting himself more in the offense. Watching Mason makes me believe that there should be a fantasy category for sick dunks.

San Antonio Spurs: All personal feelings aside, I really hate writing about the Spurs. They’re too good, too consistent and too predictable, which is a great thing for fantasy basketball. I wish I could write something more interesting than the following: Tim Duncan is great. Tony Parker is great. Manu Ginobili is great. But if all three are going to put up the kind of numbers they put up on a nightly basis, my creatively is rendered useless.

Denver Nuggets: Did you see Carmelo Anthony’s line for last Tuesday’s triple-overtime game against the Phoenix Suns? In addition to hitting the game-winner, Melo scored 43 points on 15 of 31 shooting. He made 13 of 14 free throws. He grabbed 11 rebounds, had three steals, and two blocks. In my expert opinion, I think that’s good…Earl Boykins also had a huge game against Phoenix. Mini-Me went 11 of 21 from the field for 33 points. He added eight assists.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Marko Jaric reads this column. It’s obvious. Every week I call him out for his poor play, he responds with monster games. I would love it if Jaric would play like he did against Milwaukee last Tuesday. He scored 21 points on eight of 11 shooting. He went four of five from the free-throw line. Jaric added six assists, three rebounds, and two steals…Wally Szczerbiak continues to play solid basketball. He’s shooting the ball well, especially from distance. I’d like him to fill up the assists and rebounds column more, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Portland Trail Blazers: Things aren’t pretty in Portland, even though Portland itself is a pretty nice city. Zach Randolph still is the man. Even with a sinus infection, he posts huge numbers…Darius Miles, who started the season on fire, has missed the last month after knee surgery. Unfortunately there’s no timetable for Miles return…Sebastian Telfair is back, but not better than ever. Keep him benched.

Seattle Supersonics: Call me crazy, but I’m a Luke Ridnour fan. I am. I know he doesn’t light night on fire, but I think he’s a solid fantasy player. You won’t mistake him for Jason Kidd, but he’ll get points, and he’ll make his free throw…Ray Allen continues to play well, but he needs to be more well-rounded. I’d like him to grab a few more rebounds.

Utah Jazz: The Utah Jazz has become a two-man machine again. Center Mehmet Okur is playing really well, and he’s putting up solid numbers every night. Okur is looking at a double-double night in and night out. Last Monday against Washington, Okur scored 19 points on eight of 18 shooting. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out three assists…Andrei Kirilenko seems healthy for now, which is great news. Kirilenko scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, and of course had four steals.

Golden State Warriors: Even though Troy Murphy is listed as day-to-day, don’t expect him to miss any time with a sprained ankle. Murphy, as you know, is an underrated fantasy player. He’s a perfect complement to the best backcourt in the NBA, with Jason Richardson and Baron Davis. J-Rich and B-dizzle continue to sizzle. It didn’t take long to develop the chemistry.

Los Angeles Clippers: My heart stopped. My eyes teared. I went to church to ask why. I didn’t understand. How could Elton Brand miss a game? It just made no sense to me. It’s been three years since E.B. missed a game. The hip injury isn’t serious; he should return later this week. In Brand’s absence, Chris Wilcox stepped up nicely with 14 rebounds…Cuttino Mobley has been on fire…Sam Cassell is playing way too inconsistently for my liking.

Los Angeles Lakers: Stop the presses. This just in. Hold everything. Breaking news right now: Kobe Bryant is good. Since he’s returned from his two game suspension, Kobe has been on fire. His last four games, Kobe has scored over 45 points. That hasn’t been done since Wilt in the mid-60’s…But Kobe needs help, and Lamar Odom should be the guy to give it to him. Lamar had a nice game against Indiana last Monday. Odom scored 17 points and added 12 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns: I love triple-overtime games. Love them. Last Tuesday against Denver, Steve Nash scored 26 points and 13 assists, which is probably below his average for a triple overtime game…Raja Bell, who is playing better, played over 57 minutes against Denver. He scored 30 points on 10 of 19 shooting, with eight three-pointers. He added six assists…Shawn Marion also played 57 minutes, scoring 28 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. I love triple overtime games.

Sacramento Kings: Mike Bibby is quietly having a very solid year. Last Tuesday against Memphis, Bibby scored 26 points on nine of 20 shooting. He added eight assists and four rebounds. The only bad mark is his six turnovers…Kenny Thomas had a very nice game last Tuesday also. Anytime you put up a double-double, you’ll get mentioned here. Thomas scored 16 points on six of 11 shooting. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, with half coming on the offensive end. Ironically, the other half came on the defensive end.

Drew Belzer is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column Around the Western Conference runs every Thursday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at Drew@TalentedMrRoto.com .

The views expressed by the TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.