Once again, the Bulls had to dig deep, requiring overtime to get by the stubborn Raptors. C.J. Watson scored 23, Carlos Boozer 24 and Luol Deng 23 to make up for the ejection of Joakim Noah after just 12 minutes. For the Raptors, DeMar DeRozan (ankle) couldn’t go, so Gary Forbes (12 PTS, 13 REB) made the most of a rare start. Jose Calderon had 20 & 10 in 45 minutes and James Johnson (20 PTS, 8 REB, 4 BLK) was energetic all night.
In Other News
DAL @ HOU: In another OT thriller, Dirk Nowitzki (31) would not be denied and Jason Terry added 24, with Brandon Wright (14 PTS, 6 REB, 7 BLK) doing the heavy lifting. The Rockets played well, especially Goran Dragic (24 PTS, 8 AST, 5 REB) as rotations were short and tempers flared in a game with playoff implications.
MEM @ LAC: The return of Zach Randolph has not been the expected Z-Bo-nanza for his fantasy owners, but we can only be patient. His 14 PTS and 8 REB actually led the Grizzlies, so the loss was a team effort. Nick Young owners are also disappointed, as he’s back in the sixth man. Randy Foye (18) played 30 minutes as the Clips’ starter while Young scored 16 in 26 minutes.
ATL @ WAS: Zaza Pachulia returned after missing one game, with 13 points in limited minutes, and the Hawks pulled out the victory despite a double-double from Nene (21 & 11 with 3 BLK) and 14 REB from a hobbled Trevor Booker.
CHA @ NJN: This game was about as exciting as we imagined; Kris Humphries had the best fantasy line with 20 PTS and 16 REB, while Deron Williams (19 PTS, 14 AST) made it look easy.
DET @ NYK: Except for Ben Gordon’s 20 points, this was a night to forget for the Pistons. Led by Tyson Chandler (15 PTS, 17 REB) and with a solid team effort, the Knicks won easily. Amare Stoudemire (17 PTS, 8 REB) tweaked his back and left early, but it doesn’t sound serious.
SAS @ NOH: Chris Kaman (ill) and Jason Smith (suspended) were replaced by Gustavo Ayon and Lance Thomas in the starting lineup. Carl Landry made his return from a knee injury with 15 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Jarrett Jack kept his team in the game with 27, but the Spurs prevailed. DeJuan Blair led the way with 23, Tony Parker had 12 points and 10 assists while Manu Ginobili had the night off.
IND @ MIL: How could you predict a 125-point explosion in a team’s third game in as many nights? The Pacers, led by George Hill with 24 off the bench, did just that against the equally-weary Bucks. Roy Hibbert (16 & 9) had the upper hand on Drew Gooden (8 & 6) before both coaches emptied their benches.
SAC @ GSW: It was the Klay Thompson show with 31 points, capably supported by David Lee (22 PTS, 14 REB, 9 AST) as the Warriors again surprised the Kings. DeMarcus Cousins (28 PTS, 18 REB, 3 BLK) did all he could but Jason Thompson (ankle) was missed.
Sunday Stuff
PHO @ CLE: The matchup between ageless Steve Nash and prodigy Kyrie Irving should be fun to watch. Phoenix is playing with desperation, just a couple of games out of a playoff spot. You have to give Marcin Gortat an edge on Tristan Thompson in the middle.
DEN @ MIN: The Nuggets are still trying to get used to each other, with Wilson Chandler taking over from injured Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee learning a new system. Michael Beasley (toe) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle) are questionable for the Wolves, but Kevin Love and J.J. Barea have been terrific.
WAS @ BOS: Ray Allen (ankle) is questionable and his replacement Michael Pietrus (head) is out, leaving the Celtics shorthanded. I expect Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett to take over, with a big scoring game from Paul Pierce.
UTA @ ATL: The Jazz have been hot and Al Jefferson may be hard to stop tonight. Gordon Hayward is getting comfortable as a starter; he had a fantasy-friendly 15 PTS, 7 AST, 7 REB, 2 STL, 3 BLK line in 37 minutes last game. The Hawks are playing their third game in as many nights.
PHI @ SAS: Tim Duncan may not play. Gary Neal (foot) is iffy and Tony Parker might not be up to a back-to-back. It’s hard to predict playing time for any NBA team as this compressed season winds down, none more than the Spurs.
MIA @ OKC: It’s a marquee game, likely to be dominated by superstars. It’s difficult to predict who the “best buys” will be on DraftStreet (or to choose between Kevin Durant and LeBron James) and many a week will be won or lost in head-to-head leagues.
GSW @ POR: Nate Robinson (hamstring) sounds probable but Charles Jenkins may get extra minutes. The Warriors are almost randomly splitting minutes between Brandon Rush, Richard Jefferson and Dorell Wright, to the point where none of them is very useful to fantasy teams. Let’s see if J.J. Hickson can have another good game for the Blazers.
MEM @ LAL: You should already be on the Ramon Sessions bandwagon. Those 20 points and 11 assists in his first start could become a regular thing. All the Lakers are good plays tonight against a tired opponent.
The Spin is here every morning before 8:00 Eastern except for Sundays, when we post by noon. I try to keep Twitter followers updated with breaking news in between.
Positively DraftStreet
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| L. James | $21,874 |
| K. Durant | $20,283 |
| A. Bynum | $18,406 |
| A. Jefferson | $16,510 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| A. Tolliver | $8,121 |
| K. Perkins | $7,453 |
| U. Haslem | $7,307 |
| T. Thompson | $8,467 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| P. Pierce | $13,878 |
| A. Gee | $10,346 |
| A. Jamison | $12,901 |
| R. Sessions | $11,166 |
It’s all about staying positive. I’m finishing 37th and 22nd, which is close in leagues with 200 or 300 people, but have yet to get into the money this week.
The $100 bankroll is down to $12, which I’m spending on two teams in the $5 Salary Cap league and one in the $2 GPP. And we’ll take another run at this game next week.
There are other versions, including a Snake-Draft and the Pick-Em option, which don’t involve the $100,000 cap.
You can start with free games that are just as much fun, and as challenging, as the cash leagues.
Draft Street costs nothing to join and no deposit is required.