Rookie Tristan Thompson had his best game as a pro with 27 points and 12 boards in 37+ minutes and solidified his new role as the undersized C for the Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving added 26 in his return to Jersey, where he was a high school legend just two years ago. Deron Williams scored 28 for the Nets and Gerald Williams exploded for 27, plus 12 REB, in an entertaining (if meaningless) contest. Deep leaguer alert: Donald Sloan, formerly of the D-league, had 11 points in just under 20 minutes as the backup PG for Cleveland. My previous advice to pick up Daniel Gibson seemed logical at the time, but nobody gets ’em all right.
DAL @ DEN Dirk Nowitzki, as expected, led all scorers with 33 and some nice work off the bench by Brandon Wright (clearly recovered from his concussion) contributed to the Dallas victory. Wilson Chandler showed very little rust for someone whose last NBA game was 11 months ago, scoring 13 points in 28 minutes off the bench. JaVale McGee was eligible to play, but did not. It’s been a nightmare season for Danilo Gallinari, who now has a fractured left thumb. Don’t cut him hastily — it’s not his shooting hand and we don’t know the prognosis yet. Andre Miller also left early with a shoulder injury; stay tuned.
PHI @ CHA: Corey Maggette (back) was unavailable, so Reggie Williams got the start (13 PTS) but the Bobcats were outclassed. A double-double for Spencer Hawes was encouraging; he had 3 BLK to go with 13 PTS and 11 REB in less than 24 minutes. Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young each had 20 to lead the scoring.
BOS @ ATL: With both teams hobbled by injury and neither shooting 40%, this wasn’t a classic. The score was 51-50, not at the half — after three quarters! Ray Allen had 19 and Kevin Garnett 16 to lead the Celtics, and while Joe Johnson stayed hot with 25 points, his 7 TO were costly. Josh Smith has cooled off a little; though he almost triple-doubled (10 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST) he missed 15 FG attempts.
CHI @ ORL: We knew Derrick Rose wouldn’t play, but if you were told in advance that C.J. Wilson would miss all eight of his shots, you might have been certain of an Orlando victory. However, John Lucas scored 20 off the bench and Carlos Boozer was superb, with 24 PTS, 13 REB and 4 STL. Under constant defensive pressure from the Bulls, just 24 hours after a similar game in Miami, the Magic shot 35% in their worst game of the season.
MIN @ GSW: It was all Kevin Love in this one. His 36 points and 17 boards led Minnesota to the road win. Luke Ridnour added 11 & 10, while Nikola Pekovic tried to play through a sore ankle but managed just 11 minutes. One night after an argument with Love on the bench, and despite a sore right thumb, J.J. Barea had 10 assists. David Lee had 25 & 9 in the losing cause as the Warriors went small, with Andris Biedrins playing less than five minutes. Richard Jefferson has quickly become a go-to guy for his new team, with 19 in 29 minutes off the bench.
Tonight’s Action
LAC @ IND: Dropping both games to the Knicks on the weekend might be a wake-up call for the Pacers. They have added a bench scorer in Leandro Barbosa, but we’re not sure yet just how the Blur will be deployed. The Clippers have their own new weapon in Nick Young, who might bump Randy Foye from the starting five this evening. I can’t pick a winner, but will have all my players from both teams in the lineup.
PHO @ MIA: Credit to the Suns for taking advantage of a long homestand, but this is a tough place to begin a road trip. The way the Heat plays D, you can’t count on any Phoenix players for huge nights, but Marcin Gortat probably has the best chance to put up decent numbers. Chris Bosh had his best game in a while on Sunday and will try to keep it going.
TOR @ NYK: It’s been fun to own Jerryd Bayless while Jose Calderon recovered from a sprained ankle, but the Spaniard is expected to resume his starting role tonight. Don’t be surprised to see them on the floor together at various times, as there are no better options at SG. The Knicks, unbeaten since the coaching change, are getting more consistent efforts from Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire at both ends of the floor. Jeremy Lin is no longer the focal point or the top trend on Twitter, just a solid NBA point guard.
LAL @ HOU: There will be no reunion of Derek Fisher with his former mates, as he has been bought out by the Rockets, leaving them with only Goran Dragic at PG. Marcus Camby might get a bit more run for his new team against the big L.A. front line. You can expect Kobe Bryant to be on a mission after that very poor shooting game (and 7 TO) on Sunday.
OKC @ UTA: Al Jefferson should return to the Jazz for this one, which puts Derrick Favors back on the bench and reduces minutes for the promising Enes Kanter. The PG matchup between Russell Westbrook and Devin Harris gives the Thunder an advantage but Utah has won five straight at home.
MIL @ POR: A couple of “new look” teams since the deadline, with Monta Ellis now scoring for Milwaukee and the Blazers playing better under their new coach, particularly Raymond Felton and Wesley Matthews.
MEM @ SAC: It’s a matter of time before Zach Randolph starts; he’s been eased back into the rotation in two games after missing 37. There’s some talk of the Grizzlies trying Gilbert Arenas as a backup PG, but for the time being, Mike Conley gets a heavy workload. Tyreke Evans has missed two games with a sore ankle and is questionable. If he sits, Marcus Thornton is a terrific play and Isaiah Thomas will get more minutes. Jason Thompson, out of nowhere, has put up three straight double-doubles.
The Spin is here six mornings a week, by 8:00 Eastern; we sleep in on Sundays. Follow me on Twitter in between.
DraftStreet Serenade
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| L. James | $22,058 |
| D. Wade | $17,861 |
| J. Lin | $14,972 |
| K. Bryant | $17,278 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| Ja. Crawford | $8,014 |
| W. Matthews | $7,897 |
| N. Young | $8,972 |
| M. Chalmers | $8,391 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| C. Anthony | $13,716 |
| A. Stoudemire | $12,984 |
| G. Dragic | $11,623 |
| R. Felton | $10,472 |
In part because I’m battling the flu, and also because there were only six NBA games last night, I took it easy on the first day of Week 3. Finished in the top 25% of my $5 Salary Cap league, despite using Danilo Gallinari.
There are only seven games this evening, but a fair assortment of superstars to choose from, so I’m going to try a couple of Snake-Drafts later in the day and have already entered $2 and $5 GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) Salary Cap leagues. With $100,000 to “spend” on eight players, you need balance between expensive and inexpensive salaries. I’m not sure exactly how the DraftStreet computers assign those amounts, just trying to ferret out the best values.
For example, Jamal Crawford. If you click on Full Profile, then Game Log, you’ll see three straight horrible performances preceding that pretty good one on Sunday. With the Blazers finally back home and seemingly in a better mindset, I think he’ll repeat that 23-point effort and be well worth his modest $8,000 price tag. Teammate Wesley Matthews is another potential bargain tonight. His minutes and production are trending upward but his salary has yet to reflect that.
Knowing who to avoid is another important part of this game. Kyle Lowry costs over $15,000 and is guaranteed not to play. Marreese Speights ($10,550) would be another mistake. It’s always a good idea to check for breaking news just before 7:00; you can adjust your lineup to take advantage of late scratches or other relevant information.
Draft Street is free to join and it’s easy to get started. They offer free games that are just as much fun, and as challenging, as the cash leagues.