Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s not the NBA, but “Irishman” Kyle O’Quinn, wearing green, led Norfolk State to an enormous upset of Missouri in the NCAA tournament yesterday and is now on my draft list next season. In more current fantasy news, Zach Randolph is back. Finally. After injuring his knee in just the fourth game of the season, and teasing his owners for the last couple of weeks, Z-Bo returned by scoring 25 points and grabbing 9 REB, in less than 25 minutes off the bench. You can drop Marreese Speights now. The Grizzlies lost in overtime to the Raptors, who plugged Gary Forbes (20 PTS) into the spot vacated by the Leandro Barbosa trade. Jerryd Bayless (28 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB) was stellar, but Jose Calderon should return soon from a sprained ankle, possibly into a timeshare.
Around the Association
POR @ CHI: Those same Blazers players who had been looking so lethargic under fired coach Nate McMillan played an inspired game for interim coach Kaleb Canales. Without the traded Gerald Wallace, Wesley Matthews returned to the starting five at SG with 18 points, while Nicolas Batum had 15 (and 9 REB) as the new SF.
MIA @ PHI: The Sixers scored just 30 points in the first half, then held Miami to a mere 27 in the second half. LeBron James was the only player on either team to put up big numbers (29 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK) as the Heat won a playoff-like defensive struggle. Evan Turner impressed in defeat, especially for his work covering Dwyane Wade, but it was a brutal 3-16 shooting night for Jrue Holiday.
NJN @ ORL: With Deron Williams still out and Jordan Farmar unable to go, Sundiata Gaines was the starting Nets PG and probably will be again tonight. Shelden Williams, their C until Brook Lopez returns, is no match for Dwight Howard.
IND @ NYK: Two games under coach Mike Woodson, two ridiculously easy wins. This one was 88-58 after three quarters, so the fourth was garbage time. Jeremy Lin had 13 PTS, 5 AST and 5 REB, and Baron Davis left after seven minutes with a groin injury. Linsanity may have waned, but Jeremy’s role is quite secure.
WAS @ ATL: The Wizards are waiting for Nene, who is not expected to play for them until Wednesday. Kevin Seraphin (10 PTS, 7 REB, 4 BLK) got the start at C which suggests the sophomore will remain ahead of Andray Blatche in the pecking order. Joe Johnson (34) led the Hawks and Zaza Pachulia flirted with a triple-double (10-10-7) in the easy win.
SAS @ OKC: Russell Westbrook scored 36 points but the Thunder lost at home. The Spurs’ front line of DeJuan Blair (22 & 11) and Tim Duncan (16 & 19) was tremendous. Manu Ginobili had the night off, giving Danny Green (21) over 38 minutes. Not sure when Stephen Jackson will arrive, or exactly how he’ll be used, but meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard is starting at SF.
BOS @ SAC: Marcus Thornton (36) outscored Ray Allen (26) and Jason Thompson had his second straight brilliant game (21 PTS, 15 REB) as the Kings clobbered the listless Celtics.
DET @ PHO: Though he scored only five points, Steve Nash dropped 17 dimes. Jared Dudley (23) is quietly averaging 18.5 PPG in March while helping his delighted fantasy owners in several other categories.
MIN @ LAL: How often is shot-blocking the difference in a close game? Seven different Lakers had at least one BLK — Nikola Pekovic alone had six FG attempts swatted. Steve Blake got the start at PG but failed to score; Ramon Sessions came off the bench in his L.A. debut with 7 PTS, 5 AST and 4 REB in less than 20 minutes.
MIL @ GSW: Monta Ellis enjoyed a win in his “homecoming” and is undefeated with the Bucks. He’s had more attention-grabbing lines than 18 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST and 3 STL, but that +33 was impressive. Ekpe Udoh played a quiet 19 minutes behind Drew Gooden (16 & 11). It’s beginning to look like Stephen Curry may be shut down for the season, though I can’t bring myself to cut him until there’s an official announcement. Nate Robinson’s value stays high in the meantime.
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Saturday Night Fever Starts Early
HOU @ LAC: This is a matinee (12:30 Pacific time) so be sure to set those daily lineups in time. Nick Young will give the slumping Clippers some extra scoring punch, but probably won’t play until Tuesday. Marcus Camby is eager to play for the Rockets (he lives in Houston) but Derek Fisher has yet to report and may be bought out. Goran Dragic figures to get very heavy minutes with no real backup. Courtney Lee could fake being a PG, but has a dislocated finger and may not play at all.
TOR @ CHA: The Raptors played an OT road game last night, the Bobcats are home from a tough trip with a day of rest. Andrea Bargnani is back from a calf injury, but has yet to have a huge game. He was just 4-17 from the floor last night. Kemba Walker could have a good night, as Toronto temporarily has no PG in the second unit.
NYK @ IND: A good old-fashioned home-and-home, with the Pacers motivated to avenge last night’s embarrassing loss. If Tyson Chandler dominates Roy Hibbert again, that won’t be easy. The other Indiana starters should also improve; only Darren Collison (15) scored in double figures at the Garden.
PHI @ CHI: Not the easiest 24 hours for the 76ers. Beaten at home last night by Miami, they must visit another tenacious defensive team. Derrick Rose isn’t likely to play and C.J. Watson is banged up, so John Lucas could get plenty of work. Spencer Hawes has returned from a back problem, but is far from 100% and will have his hands full with Joakim Noah.
NOH @ NJN: The possible debut of Gerald Wallace would certainly help the undermanned Nets. The Hornets still have Chris Kaman, but the team has been in a slump, losing six of its last seven and three straight at home.
SAS @ DAL: One of the most interesting games of the night. The Mavericks barely got by Charlotte and need to kick things into a higher gear. They will be without Brendan Haywood for the next few games, which puts a lot of pressure on Ian Mahinmi.
BOS @ DEN: Will JaVale McGee play? We don’t know for sure; check for updates closer to game time. Either way, this could be a laugher for Denver, at home and rested against a Celtics team that looked awful last night. Al Harrington has a left knee bruise and may sit this one out.
GSW @ UTA: The Warriors’ deadline deals were all about next year. They don’t have to deliberately “tank” the rest of this season, they are simply overmatched. Even without Al Jefferson (who will also miss tomorrow’s game to attend a funeral) the Jazz, still in the playoff hunt, should get the job done. Derrick Favors is a great spot start in fantasy leagues.
Draft Street Corner
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| T. Parker | $16,494 |
| P. Millsap | $ 16,317 |
| J. Noah | $14,570 |
| D. Nowitzki | $ 14,348 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| M. Brooks | $ 8,910 |
| D. Favors | $ 8,016 |
| I. Mahinmi | $7,614 |
| G. Forbes | $ 5,938 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| C. Boozer | $ 12,479 |
| J. Bayless | $12,150 |
| C. Maggette | $10,657 |
| J. Terry | $9,978 |
Congratulations to “rlove,” who won last night’s Sheridan Hoops Freeroll (and the $125 prize) with 288 points. I finished 73rd of 276 entries.
If you’re new to this segment, I’m spending $100 each week on DraftStreet and writing about the experience every day. My first week was going poorly until last Saturday night, when I won three leagues and almost $300.
Week 2 has been like deja vu all over again; I have yet to finish in the money and am down $51 so far. But that’s the nature of this very challenging game — nobody can win all the time, especially in the GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) leagues with hundreds of teams. Undaunted, I’ll keep trying.
You can play against just one other player, for stakes as high as $420 each (winner gets $800) but I can’t afford to be a high roller and prefer the larger pools with their lower entry fees and generous payouts. They also have free leagues where you can play for credits and prizes. I joined a free weekly league (4th of 6) out of curiosity, but for me, it doesn’t compare to the fun and excitement of a new team every day.
The chart on the right is just a sample of possible plays in tonight’s Salary Cap leagues. The headings are deliberately ironic; an old racetrack adage states, “There’s no such thing as a Sure Thing.” The players I’m calling “Bargains” are certainly affordable within the $100,000 cap, but they aren’t guaranteed to produce. There are always good choices among the medium-priced guys; my “Hunches” are just that, based on matchups and recent form.
I’m always in the $5 GPP Salary Cap ($1,000 in prize money) and today have also joined a $2 version, where finishing even 20th (out of 275) makes you a winner. If time permits, I’ll try my hand in a couple of Snake-Draft leagues as well.
If you haven’t joined Draft Street yet, it’s completely free to check it out. See you there!