That’s what we should be expecting from Ray Allen as the sixth man. Five 3-pointers, four steals and 19 points in 33 minutes. Avery Bradley (4 PTS in 29 minutes) is starting mostly for defensive purposes, and Paul Pierce (24) is the main scoring option. Kevin Garnett (15 PTS, 7 REB) got a lot of support from Greg Stiemsma (10 PTS, 9 REB, 5 BLK) up front. Many of the Pacers played just as well as they had in upsetting Oklahoma City the night before, but Paul George was 0-7 from the floor and George Hill 0-6, so they shot just 35% as a team.
Elsewhere
MIN @ NOH: Kevin Love (29 & 12) did his thing and there was a Michael Beasley sighting (20 PTS in 30 bench minutes after missing five games) but the Wolves have lost their bite. Nikola Pekovic (11 & 6) insists his ankles are fine. Who are you going to believe, him or me? The return to stardom of Eric Gordon was delayed just a little as his back tightened up; he played only 25 minutes and scored 10 points. No matter, as Jason Smith (26 PTS, 10 REB) and Chris Kaman (21 PTS, 10 REB, 4 BLK) led the Hornets to victory.
ORL @ PHI: Mathematically, the Sixers are still seventh in the East and a playoff team. Realistically, they are whining about their coach’s “constant nitpicking” and responding with a lack of effort. No Philly starter scored more than seven points as they fell to Orlando, which is beset by its own internal issues. Dwight Howard decided to play (20 PTS, 22 REB, 6 AST, 2 BLK) and Glen Davis had another great game (23 & 12) filling in for injured Ryan Anderson. With Hedo Turkoglu (facial fractutrre) out, J.J. Redick (19 PTS) started at SG.
DAL @ MEM: Rudy Gay (25) led the way as the Grizzlies handled the fading Mavs. Much to my surprise, Gilbert Arenas continues to embrace his limited bench role: 14 points, including three triples, in 17 minutes. Zach Randolph (15 PTS, 11 REB, 4 AST) keeps improving, slowly. The only Dallas player I like owning these days is backup big man Brandan Wright, in deeper leagues.
ATL @ CHA: Spreading out the minutes among 11 players, eight of whom scored in double figures, the Hawks won easily. Ivan Johnson stayed hot with 17 points, but he doesn’t often get 31 minutes. Little-known Cory Higgins, son of the Bobcats’ GM, got a career-high 24 minutes and scored a career-high 22 points, while Byron Mullens added 17 in the losing (lost?) cause.
POR @ MIL: The Bucks got 17 from Monta Ellis, 21 from Brandon Jennings and a surprising 21 from backup PG Beno Udrih to cruise over the listless Blazers. Drew Gooden returned, but was limited to a quiet 20 minutes. The Bucks didn’t need him, as Ersan Ilyasova (20 PTS, 12 REB) played well and even Larry Sanders (14 & 7 in 17 minutes) had a big night. Hey now!
LAL @ PHO: Without Kobe Bryant, who sat out to rest his bruised shin, the Lakers got blown out. Pau Gasol (30 & 13) and Andrew Bynum (23 & 18) put up big numbers but L.A. couldn’t stop the Suns’ shooting guards. Shannon Brown torched his old team with 24 and red-hot Michael Redd added 23 off the bench. The Phoenix reserves had a 58-10 “edge” on the Lakers’ second unit.
DEN @ GSW: Denver can’t get Danilo Gallinari back fast enough. Rookie Jordan Hamilton went 0-7 in another start at SF and it looks like Wilson Chandler may not return from his groin injury. With nothing to play for, the Warriors are just having fun out there, seven of them scoring in double figures led by Brandon Rush (20) and David Lee (17) but PG remains a timeshare between starter Charles Jenkins (2 PTS, 8 AST) and reserve Nate Robinson (14 PTS, 7 AST).
SAC @ LAC: As expected, Chris Paul took over this game while the big guys battled. CP3 had 19 points, 15 assists and seven steals while Randy Foye buried 7-9 three-point attempts for 25 points. Blake Griffin (27 PTS, 14 REB) again outplayed DeMarcus Cousins, who double-doubled (15 & 20) but hit just five of 19 shots. Some nice lines by the Kings’ bench came mostly in garbage time.
Sunday Afternoon
CHI @ NYK: This is a 1:00 Eastern matinee that just might feature Derrick Rose, officially a game-time decision. He’s missed 12 games and almost a month with a sore groin. Carmelo Anthony, averaging 27.7 PTS in his last six, will see a lot of defensive pressure, mostly from Luol Deng. The matchup between centers Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah will be interesting; I’m wondering who can guard Carlos Boozer with Amare Stoudemire (back) out at least another week.
CLE @ NJN: To nobody’s surprise, Brook Lopez has been shut down for the season, but even with Shelden Williams starting at C, the Nets are a much better team at the moment than the Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving remains out with a sore shoulder, so Deron Williams should be unstoppable. Lester Hudson had 23 PTS and 7 AST for Cleveland on Friday and will try to earn another 10-day contract tonight.
DET @ MIA: The Heat were terrible at home on Friday and should come out with intensity tonight. The Pistons’ recent improvement is more pronounced at home; on the road they are 6-22 for the season. Play the stars for Miami and consider benching your Detroit players.
PHI @ BOS: Philly is in a phunk and the Celtics are going in the opposite direction. I don’t think this game will be close; the Sixers appear completely disinterested. If they make a lineup change, Evan Turner is the likely scapegoat, with Jodie Meeks returning to the starting five. KG and the Truth could be poised for big numbers and Rajon Rondo will be hard to stop.
TOR @ OKC: It’s hard to believe that the Thunder have lost three in a row. It’s even more difficult to believe they will fall, at home, to the Raptors. Russell Westbrook is exactly the type of guard Jose Calderon has trouble with defensively, and Kevin Durant may have a field day, especially if James Johnson is still being punished for some mysterious transgression. Much-travelled Alan Anderson, the starting SF in Toronto’s last two games, simply can’t guard KD.
UTA @ SAS: Ho-hum, the Spurs are going for 11 in a row, yet we have no idea who they will play. Given that Utah relies mostly on its big men, Tim Duncan may see more minutes than usual. I also expect a big game from Tony Parker, who wasn’t needed at all on Friday (16 min.) and should be hard to handle for Devin Harris. The Jazz are more desperate, fighting hard to make the playoffs, but San Antonio is on a tremendous roll.
HOU @ SAC: Incredibly, Kyle Lowry may return tonight. He’s missed 15 games with a severe illness, but is back at practice and should see at least limited action by tomorrow night. Goran Dragic should continue to get plenty of minutes until Lowry is 100% fit and up to game speed. The Kings are tired from last night’s loss in L.A. and have nothing to play for. The Rockets need every win to stay in a playoff spot. Plan your lineups accordingly.
The Spin is here every day before 8:00 EDT except for Sunday, when we post by noon. Follow me on Twitter in between.
On DraftStreet Where You Live
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| K. Durant | $19,709 |
| L. James | $20,398 |
| K. Garnett | $14,889 |
| P. Pierce | $15,347 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| C. Lee | $8,372 |
| T. Young | $8,286 |
| L. Hudson | $7,087 |
| J. Meeks | $6,300 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| A. Jamison | $10,852 |
| M. Camby | $11,808 |
| T. Parker | $13,787 |
| R. Allen | $10,136 |
Saturday was another of those nights where my guesses and hunches were off the mark. Kevin Love and Randy Foye were OK, but I whiffed on J.J. Barea and was disappointed by Monta Ellis. Undaunted, we are back for another try today.
Starting to believe that big men have a slight advantage in the scoring system. It’s not just that a BLK is 2 points and each REB worth 1.25, it’s the -1 for TO that hurts some guards, and the half-point deducted for missed FG can add up if a volume shooter is off-target. It’s enough to influence my choice between two players with similar salaries. I’m looking for a good FG% and rebounding ahead of “empty” points. Players who score 15 and do nothing else (usually guards) don’t help in traditional fantasy leagues, and can hurt you in this game.
I’m going to finish at least $40 ahead for Week 5, which will leave me exactly even for this entire project. However, my weekly team is in second place (out of 10) on the final day and could earn another $24.75 payout if we rally for first —go Westbrook! — or $13.50 for second. Also, I’m in my usual $2 and $5 Salary Cap leagues today, where first place is worth $125 and $200 respectively. Even a 20th-place finish in either of those would add a few bucks to this week’s profit and put me in the black overall.
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