Kevin Durant scored 44 points but his team lost their third straight game. Russell Westbrook was close to a triple-double (21 PTS, 11 REB, 9 AST) but missed 16 FG attempts, which doesn’t help fantasy owners. Serge Ibaka played less than 20 minutes; only his coach knows why. The Pacers are in a groove — Danny Granger led the way with 26 and Paul George had 16 rebounds from the backcourt. Roy Hibbert (21 PTS, 12 REB, 4 BLK) played his best game in three weeks.
Elsewhere
DET @ ATL: I liked Jeff Teague (24 PTS, 11 AST) and Josh Smith (22 PTS, 12 REB, 4 AST, 3 BLK) but never expected an outburst from Ivan Johnson (16) — he got 29 minutes, in part because Zaza Pachulia was in foul trouble. Rodney Stuckey led Detroit with 17 off the bench and Will Bynum added 15, as starting guards Brandon Knight and Ben Gordon were not used in the fourth quarter.
WAS @ NJN: Deron Williams returned from an upset stomach with 19 points and 13 assists. Marshon Brooks (18) rediscovered his shooting stroke and Gerald Williams added 19 as the improved Nets won at home. For the Wizards, Spin fave Kevin Seraphin had yet another nice game: 15 PTS, 9 REB and 3 BLK. In just his second game, D-League callup James Singleton had 12 points and 9 boards off the bench.
MEM @ MIA: Go figure. Was this a complete meltdown by the Heat, or a spectacular team effort by Memphis? Probably a bit of both. The best news may have been for owners of Zach Randolph, who had 14 points and as many rebounds off the bench. LeBron James cooled off (21 PTS) and the Miami bench contributed nothing (literally, in the case of scoreless Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier.)
CLE @ TOR: Both streaks came to an end. The Cavaliers finally won, with backup PG Luther Hudson scoring 23 points and Antawn Jamison 25. The Raptors finally lost, despite 28 from DeMar DeRozan. Jose Calderon sat out because of the eye injury he suffered on Wednesday, a surprise since he returned to that game. Ben Uzoh started at PG and someone named Justin Dentmon was his backup. Another D-leaguer on a 10-day contract, Alan Anderson started at SF for James Johnson, who may not be sick; there are rumors that Johnson has angered the coach.
CHA @ MIL: It was not the cakewalk I expected, because Byron Mullens had a career night: 31 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Bismack Biyombo (14 & 14) also was strong against Ekpe Udoh, the Bucks’ starting C, at least temporarily. Monta Ellis (25) and Brandon Jennings (18) played well enough to spark the victory; Shaun Livingston was a surprise starter at SF as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute rested a sore knee.
POR @ DAL: Going out on a limb here: Dallas is not going to repeat as NBA champions. Rested and at home, they lost to the underdog Blazers in overtime, as Raymond Felton scored 30 points, adding 6 AST and 7 REB. LaMarcus Aldridge (23 & 14) was also a big factor. Brandan Wright (13 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK off the bench) might help a desperate fantasy team in a deep league, but the rest of the Mavericks are disappointing.
NOH @ SAS: Ignoring my cautious advice that Eric Gordon wasn’t up to full speed, he drained 31 points in just his second start. That was it for the Hornets, who lost by 25 to the deepest NBA team I have seen in a long time. However, that depth (and a creative, brilliant coach) means the Spurs are a nightmare for fantasy owners to predict. Eight bench players combined for 82 points.
PHO @ DEN: It was Arron Afflalo (30) and Al Harrington (23) leading the Nuggets, not Ty Lawson, who missed 7 of 8 shots in a rare off-night. Andre Miller scored 13 of his 15 in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. Kosta Koufos started at C and JaVale McGee came off the bench; I thought Marcin Gortat would do better than 9 points and 14 boards against that pair.
GSW @ UTA Al Jefferson (30 PTS, 11 REB, 5 BLK) was awesome, despite an abdominal strain that sent him briefly to the locker room. Paul Millsap, bothered by a stomach virus, had a quiet night. The return of Devin Harris (28 points, 5 assists) was key for the Jazz. David Lee (26 & 12) and Klay Thompson (23) kept the Warriors close all night.
HOU @ LAL: Goran Dragic was superb, again: 26 PTS, 11 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL. Luis Scola added 25 points and Marcus Camby double-doubled (12 & 11 with 2 BLK). It wasn’t Kobe Bryant’s best game; looking beyond the 28 points, he missed 12 shots, had no assists or steals and only two rebounds. That sore shin may have been a factor. The inconsistent Metta World Peace (23 points) was the lone Lakers’ bright spot; Andrew Bynum got himself ejected early in the fourth quarter to earn a big chunk of blame for the loss.
Saturday Night Fever
BOS @ IND: Last night they quieted the Thunder; can Indiana win again? The Celtics are basically playing the same six guys every night, though the SG position is in flux. Avery Bradley started in Chicago, with Ray Allen coming off the bench. That’s OK for the fantasy owners of both; Allen will get his shots against other teams’ second units.
MIN @ NOH: The Hornets got clobbered on the road last night, so Minnesota is much better rested. Kevin Love could have a monster game and J.J. Barea is the starting PG because Luke Ridnour is hurt. Wayne Ellington (17 off the bench on Wednesday) is a possible play in deep leagues. Outside of his immediate family, I’m the world’s biggest Nikola Pekovic fan, but I think Pek should call it a season and have those bone spurs removed from his ankles instead of hobbling around in obvious pain.
ORL @ PHI: Which team is going worse? The edge is to Orlando, where friction between superstar and coach has boiled over into a public feud. Dwight Howard seems to love drama, but if he doesn’t play better than he did on Thursday, the Magic will lose its sixth straight game. However, the Sixers got blown out at home by the Raptors on Wednesday and their season is slipping away. Spencer Hawes might have a big game if D-12 mails it in again.
DAL @ MEM: After ripping on the Mavs above, I have to pick Memphis here. The Grizzlies are coming off that inspirational win in Miami, so they may not feel as tired. Tony Allen sat out last night to let a cut near his mouth heal; he will have plenty of energy if able to play this evening.
ATL @ CHA: Both teams played last night, so this may not be pretty. The Hawks are more talented, but will they be fully motivated? It was a 27-point rout when these teams met in Atlanta on Wednesday; let’s say Charlotte makes it more interesting at home. Kemba Walker shot 6-26 last night in Milwaukee but may 40+ minutes again, making him a decent play.
POR @ MIL: More back-to-backs, where it’s never easy to guess which team(s) will be at their best. Both are still on the fringes of the playoffs. Drew Gooden could be a key tonight. He was expected to play last night, but got one more day of rest for his tender back.
LAL @ PHO: Two more tired teams, each coming off a loss last night. Phoenix does play well at home, and maybe Shannon Brown will light it up against his old team. I’m expecting the temperamental Mr. Bynum to take out his anger on the opponents tonight instead of talking himself right out of the game.
DEN @ GSW: Same story — two tired teams trying to bounce back in 24 hours. Warriors’ PG Charles Jenkins had some foul trouble last night and can improve on his 8-point, 7-assist line. Rookie SF Jordan Hamilton deserves another look for Denver; he had 11 PTS, 5 REB and 2 AST in just 17 minutes in his first career start.
SAC @ LAC: This is a rematch. Three days ago, the Clippers took DeMarcus Cousins completely out of his game with elbows, hard fouls and trash talk, so it will be a test of maturity for the Kings’ young star. Boogie called Blake Griffin “an actor” after the loss, saying he belongs in Hollywood, and got fined $25,000 for criticizing the officials. While that sideshow plays out, look for Chris Paul to dominate the game.
The Spin is here every day before 8:00 EDT except for Sunday, when we post by noon. Follow me on Twitter in between.
DraftStreet Survivors
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| K. Love | $22,004 |
| A. Bynum | $17,930 |
| B. Jennings | $14,093 |
| K. Garnett | $14,692 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| J. Barea | $8,000 |
| C. Jenkins | $7,805 |
| J. Hamilton | $6,381 |
| Ja. Pargo | $5,674 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| A. Afflalo | $10,603 |
| E. Brand | $13,654 |
| S. Hawes | $11,395 |
| K. Walker | $10,243 |
Far from my greatest night on the Street. I guessed wrong on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, among others, and none of my teams was anywhere near the money. Congratulations to “richac1,” who won the $125 first prize in the Sheridan Hoops Freeroll, where I finished 464th out of 645, by far my worst showing. Wait until next Friday!
I’m ahead $61 with two days left in Week 5, slightly in the black again for this entire adventure. My weekly team is back in first place (out of 10 teams) thanks to Byron Mullens; that will be a $24.75 payout if we hang on for two more days.
Tonight, I’m in the $2 and $5 Salary Cap leagues that I join every day. It’s a very busy Easter weekend with many family responsibilities, so I won’t have time for any Snake-Draft leagues and it’s doubtful that I’ll be able to react to late-breaking news. The ability to tweak your lineup right up until 7:00 is one of many things I like about this game, most nights.
Though he costs almost $4,000 more than any other player toward the $100,000 cap, I’m bullish on Kevin Love. Likewise, Expecting a disciplined performance from Andrew Bynum, I’m willing to pay top dollar. Even if you agree on those cornerstones, it leaves just $60,000 to fill six positions, so we have to go bargain-hunting. Good luck with all your teams!
Draft Street is always free to join and no deposit is required — you can try free leagues for credits and prizes.