You know that feeling when you wake up and you aren't sure if what you are hearing or reading is real or a part of a dream. Well, when you live on the other side of the world and you wake up to see that your phone has blown up with tweets and emails about Josh Smith being released, my first instinct was that it was in some fantasy league I was in and my thought was "what's the big fuss?" After a couple of minutes of perusing Twitter, I realised that Smith was actually waived and started to come to terms with this legitimately shocking turn of events. Pistons gonna Piston. Oh, and James Harden dropped 44 points, so there was that as well. Welcome to a busy Box Score Breakdown.

A TOUGH DAY FOR JOSHS

Josh Smith lost his job and I had a headache, so I feel for all the other Joshs in the world. As for the Smith situation, as I'm sure you level of concern for my now dissipated headache is at an all-time low, let's start with what we know.

Smith is no longer in Detroit. That is definite. Obviously, Greg Monroe gets perhaps the biggest bump, as he will move back into the starting lineup and play next to Andre Drummond. As a starter, he averaged 30 minutes a game compared to 27 minutes as a reserve, but without any other notable big men aside from Drummond, we can likely expect Monroe to get more than that now. In 2012-13, Monroe averaged 33 minutes a game and that's probably closer than what we can expect.

Drummond will demand more touches, which is not necessarily a good thing, given how he responded at the start of the season and his tremendous dip in field goal percentage. Overall though, his value should remain similar and unless he has foul trouble to deal with should see more minutes. Both Monroe and Drummond will see more minutes because behind them is Joel Anthony, Jonas Jerebko and Tony Mitchell. Anthony and Mitchell have barely played this season, so we'll likely see more Jerebko, which boost his value in deeper leagues.

As for the rest of the Pistons, Kyle Singler will remain starting and will see his value increase, but not to a standard league level, whereas Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was mentioned by coach Stan Van Gundy as someone who would become more of a focus, and Jodie Meeks will also get more run. I wouldn't be running to add either guy in 10 team leagues, but if I had to grab someone in a 12 team league, I'd lean toward KCP.

As for Smith, if anyone drops him in a head-to-head league, you should own him. Regardless of where he ends up, this has to be a wakeup for him and it may curb his ridiculous shooting. What it won't effect, is his ability to rack up steals, blocks and assists, which is where his fantasy value is concentrated. In roto leagues, Smith is a guy who was difficult to own before this move and that doesn't really change. Once he signs, there'll be a clearer picture of what happens for the rest of the season.

ADD ME! ADD ME!

For the last two games in Toronto, James Johnson has been starting on the wing, and the results have been mighty impressive. For the second time this season against the Bulls, Johnson turned in a superb line, scoring 16 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT) with two rebounds, one assist, four steals, and two blocks in 33 minutes. With Landry Fields sidelined with a concussion, and being generally not good at basketball, Johnson has leapfrogged Greivis Vasquez to be the preferred option next to Terrence Ross and provides a different, defensive-minded skill set. In his two starts, Johnson has totalled four steals and four blocks, and has blocked at least one shot in his last five, shooting over 50 percent from the field in those five games as well. As long as he starts and plays 30+ minutes, Johnson's ability to get steals and blocks from the small forward position, makes him valuable in even 10 team leagues. If you have someone worth dropping, Johnson is in a great position for some short-term value.

M.I.A.

These guys all sat out Monday's action, for one reason or another.

• Nuggets
  • Randy Foye (quad)
  • JaVale McGee (leg)
  • Danilo Gallinari (knee)
• Hornets
  • Lance Stephenson (groin)
• Raptors
  • DeMar DeRozan (groin)
• Trail Blazers
  • Robin Lopez (hand)
  • LaMarcus Aldridge (illness)
• Rockets
  • Terrence Jones (leg)
• Jazz
  • Trevor Booker (illness)
• Grizzlies
  • Quincy Pondexter (DNP-CD)
  • Zach Randolph (knee)
  • Tony Allen (eye)
• Hawks
  • Jeff Teague (hamstring)
• Mavericks
  • Raymond Felton (ankle)
• Clippers
  • Spencer Hawes (knee)
• Spurs
  • Kawhi Leonard (hand)
• Warriors
  • Andrew Bogut (knee)

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

It could be no other. James Harden exploded for 44 points (14-26 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 12-13 FT) with three rebounds, seven assists, and five steals in 32 minutes, battling a sore hamstring. Harden had 31 points in the first half and now has three 40-point nights in December alone. You don't need me to tell you how good James Harden is though.

ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS

The Nuggets were destroyed by the Hornets, so the minute distribution in that game is not something we can read much into.

Patrick Patterson played 30 minutes, compared with Amir Johnson's 18 minutes. Patterson has been very consistent over the last month, averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 three-pointers, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28 minutes, numbers which should see him rostered in more 12 team leagues than he currently is.

For the Bulls, Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson both played 18 minutes of the bench. If that sort of split continues, it makes both players hard to own in standard leagues. Mirotic has earned more minutes, but let's just wait it out to see what happens with Gibson.

With LaMarcus Aldridge sitting, Meyers Leonard got the start and hit three three-pointers on his way to 13 points. Leonard has played sporadically this season, but the Blazers have started him and played him at least 29 minutes when Aldridge misses time. File that away for future reference.

Corey Brewer made his Rockets' debut, notching five steals in 23 minutes, cutting into the time that Jason Terry was able to get. Terry played just 14 minutes. If Brewer can keep getting steals, he has streaming value in standard leagues, but it's unlikely he is a guy that you can roster routinely.

With Trevor Booker sitting with an illness, Rudy Gobert played all the backup big man minutes, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking two shots in 30 minutes. He's still not a must own to me, because when Booker comes back, he will cut into Gobert's time, not Derrick Favors or Enes Kanter. Still, Gobert has been impressive and it's a situation that bears monitoring.

Kosta Koufos replaced Jon Leuer in the starting lineup, but both guys were ineffective. Leuer is better suited to playing the four with Randolph sidelined and if I had to stream one guy, it would be Leuer.

Dennis Schröder started in place of Jeff Teague and was impressive for the third straight game. He's a must-add if Teague's injury was serious, but with Teague likely missing only a couple more games, I wouldn't want to drop anyone of value for Schröder. The German scored a career high 22 points with six assists in 31 minutes.

The Warriors hammered the Kings, so the minutes were low for the main guys for Golden State. Don't panic. It's not because David Lee returned and had six points and seven rebounds. It's because they won by 20 points.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Arron Afflalo scored just nine points with three rebounds and if you play in a 10 team league, I'm not convinced that Afflalo must be owned. He offers nothing aside from points and three-pointers, which can easily be acquired by using his spot as a steaming position. I'd consider his place on your roster very seriously.

P.J. Hairston had his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, adding three blocks. Let's just chalk this up to the blowout nature of the game and not make any crazy grabs for the rookie.

Jimmy Butler's remarkable season continued, scoring 27 points with 11 rebounds and five blocks. If Butler isn't an All-Star, I'll be dumbfounded. There's barely a trade offer you could get for Butler that wouldn't be considered too low at this stage. Just an amazing turn of events from last season.

C.J. McCollum dropped a season-high 17 points with three rebounds, assists, and steals. The blowout alert was in full effect here, and this isn't something to read too much into.

Joel Freeland started again, but the replacements for Robin Lopez, including Chris Kaman have barely made a blip on standard league radars. If you owned Kaman before the injury, keep owning him, otherwise, there is a no winner in this situation.

Patrick Beverley hit another three three-pointers and has now hit 20 triples in the eight games since his return from a hamstring injury. Beverley is criminally underowned in fantasy leagues.

Alec Burks led the Jazz with 23 points, but his 40 percent shooting from the field keeps him from being a must own player. That and the fact he doesn't stand out in any particular category. He will fit some teams, even in 10 team leagues though.

Mike Conley and Marc Gasol scored 28 and 24 points respectively but struggled without Randolph. Their value remains unchanged, however.

Al Horford had 17 points and seven rebounds with a block and is now averaging 16.9 points and 7.0 rebounds with 1.4 blocks in his last seven games. The buy-low window is almost closed, but without the spectacular lines, you still may be able to pry him free. I would recommend doing that.

Rajon Rondo had his first double-double in Dallas, notching 11 assists. His arrival has effected Monta Ellis' assist numbers. Ellis is averaging 4.5 assists per game this season, but has totalled just three in two games since Rondo's arrival. Those assists were a large part of Ellis' value, so it may be a case of selling high if you relied on those numbers.

If it wasn't for James Harden, Chris Paul would've gone close to the fantasy line of the night. Paul had 25 points (8-17 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 6-7 FT) with four rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and two blocks in 34 minutes. Paul is turning in another amazing fantasy season, although his contributions have been a little underrated this season.

J.J. Redick hit another five three-pointers and is now averaging 3.5 three-pointers in his last four games. After a shaky start, Redick is back to his best.

All of the Spurs, bar Kawhi Leonard returned and did what they do best. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili had double-doubles, while Tiago Splitter made his first appearance in the starting lineup, scoring six points with two rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes. He has borderline 12 team league value when getting 30 minutes, so for now, he can be left on most waiver-wires.

Omri Casspi scored 16 points with eight rebounds in 29 minutes in his return from his knee injury, playing on the court at the same time as Rudy Gay at times. He's not relevant, except in deep leagues, but if Casspi becomes the first big off the bench, he could provide some 14 team league value.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. James Harden, G, HOU, 44 points
2. Kyle Lowry, G, TOR, 34 points
3. Derrick Rose, G, CHI, 29 points

Rebounds

1. Tyson Chandler, C, DAL, 19 rebounds
2. Rudy Gobert, C, UTA, 16 rebounds
3. Dwight Howard, C, HOU, 13 rebounds

Assists

1. Rajon Rondo, G, DAL, 11 assists
2. Steph Curry, G, GSW, 11 assists
3. Manu Ginobili, G, SAS, 10 assists

Steals

1. James Harden, G, HOU, 5 steals
2. Corey Brewer, F, HOU, 5 steals
3. James Johnson, F, TOR, 4 steals
4. Monta Ellis, G, DAL, 4 steals
5. Glen Davis, F, LAC, 4 steals

Blocks

1. Jimmy Butler, G, CHI, 5 blocks
2. Pau Gasol, F, CHI, 3 blocks
3. P.J. Hairston, F, CHA, 3 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. J.J. Redick, G, LAC, 5-8 3Pt
2. Terrence Ross, F, TOR, 5-11 3Pt
3. James Harden, G, HOU, 4-9 3Pt
4. Kyle Lowry, G, TOR, 4-8 3Pt
5. Mike Conley, G, MEM, 4-6 3Pt
6. Charlie Villanueva, F, DAL, 4-6 3Pt

Minutes

1. Jimmy Butler, G, CHI, 44 minutes
2. Blake Griffin, F, LAC, 38 minutes
3. Paul Millsap, F, ATL, 38 minutes
4. Courtney Lee, G, MEM, 38 minutes