Two down, one to go for the Celtics in this back-to-back-to-back. The amazing Kevin Garnett (21 & 12) led all scorers and Brandon Bass (18 & 11) played well again — his third double-double in four games — despite a sore knee that could use some rest. Though Deron Williams had 12 points and 14 assists in the losing cause, Kris Humphries was held to 6 PTS and 10 REB by the Boston big men. Nets rookie PF-C Jerome Williams had 12 points and a career-high 14 boards; he might have earned more playing time.
Saturday Night’s Alright
GSW @ LAC: Chris Paul (28 & 13) was hard to stop and Blake Griffin (20 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK) was fine except for 2-8 free throw shooting as the Clippers won their third straight. The Warriors got a total of five points from three starters combined, yet lost by only eight. With David Lee (groin) absent, Dorell Wright (23) stepped up and Klay Thompson added 24, but it was Nate Robinson, with 28 PTS, 8 AST and 5 REB in 36 minutes off the bench, who kept the score respectable.
CLE @ WAS: If you somehow had Luke Harangody in your lineup, congratulations. Called up just for one game as the Cavs play three straight nights, the sophomore from Notre Dame had 16 points and 10 rebounds to spark the road win. Donald Sloan added 13 in 31 minutes as the starting PG, while Lester Hudson had 10 in 19 minutes off the bench. The Wizards got a surprise double-double (11 & 11) from rookie Jan Vesely and John Wall (19 PTS, 9 AST) led all scorers.
OKC @ MIN: It looks like Kevin Love (concussion) could be out for the rest of the season, so Anthony Randolph (22 PTS, 11 REB off the bench) has become an unlikely go-to guy for Minnesota, and Michael Beasley (26 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK) is playing much better than nominal starter Derrick Williams, who managed just three points in 12 minutes. The big guns fired for Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook (35 PTS, 8 AST) and Kevin Durant (43 PTS, 7 REB) made up for a horrible 1-11 shooting night by a slightly gimpy James Harden.
UTA @ MEM: Utah really needed this one to help its fading playoff chances, and four starters scored at least 17 points, but Rudy Gay (26 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK) was great and O.J. Mayo nailed 4-5 from downtown to score 20 off the bench. Marc Gasol (17 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK) did enough to cancel out Al Jefferson (20 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST) as the Grizzlies poured it on in the fourth to win. Tony Allen (facial cut) did return from missing five games, but didn’t do much in 24 minutes.
IND @ MIL: This loss at home will haunt the Bucks if they miss the playoffs. Monta Ellis (20 PTS, 4 AST, 5 REB) and Brandon Jennings (16 PTS, 10 AST, 8 REB, 3 BLK) did everything possible, but the Milwaukee big men weren’t up to the task. Despite a tender ankle, Roy Hibbert (24 & 14) had another strong game and Danny Granger (21) played well. George Hill (13) started again at PG for Darren Collison, who rested his sore groin for one more day.
PHO @ SAS: Steve Nash lasted just six minutes before leaving with a sore back, allowing Sebastian Telfair to go crazy: 21 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL and 1 BLK. The Spurs were up 35-13 after one quarter, so coach Pop used everyone but the beer vendor: thirteen guys played between 11:41 and 24:12, to the dismay of fantasy owners everywhere. San Antonio has an insane schedule down the stretch, with eight games in 11 nights starting tomorrow, so we’ll all be guessing about who starts, who sits and who plays.
Sunday Will Never Be The Same
MIA @ NYK: A marquee matchup at 1:00 Eastern kicks off a 9-game slate on the penultimate Sunday of the regular season. Dwyane Wade (ankle) was rested on Thursday but is expected to play, and Iman Shumpert, the only Knickerbocker who can cover D-Wade, is hobbled by his own sore ankle. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony should be trading baskets all day, but Miami has no answer for Tyson Chandler. Should be fun to watch.
DAL @ LAL: The other matinee on national TV will probably not feature Kobe Bryant, which means another big day for Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. The surprise for the Lakers has been Metta World Peace, who had been in a miserable shooting slump all year until going off for 90 points in his last five games. Dallas needs this game more, and will have Jason Kidd back, but someone has to help Dirk Nowitzki score. Brandan Wright has been very good off the bench for the Mavs.
TOR @ ATL: This should be easy for the Hawks. Toronto left Jose Calderon (eye) at home and Andrea Bargnani (calf) is shut down. Ben Uzoh is the starting PG and Justin Dentmon his backup. Don’t feel bad about not knowing who they are. My only concern about keying on Josh Smith in DraftStreet leagues is the likelihood that garbage time will come early. Atlanta bench guys like Marvin Williams and Jannero Pargo could end up playing big minutes in this opener of a home-and-home. Zaza Pachulia (foot) will miss both games, with Ivan Johnson starting at C, his one-game suspension (for yelling at teammates) served.
ORL @ CLE: It’s been the Glen Davis show all month. Pressed into service at PF when Ryan Anderson was injured, and now the starting C with Dwight Howard (back) on the sidelines indefinitely, Big Baby is averaging 18.7 PTS and 11.4 REB in April. Anderson has been in a mini-slump, hitting just 4-22 in his last two games (1-15 from deep) so we’re not sure he’s 100% healthy. Jameer Nelson is a sneaky play today; remember, the Cavs are playing for the third straight day. They will at least have Antawn Jamison back after he rested last night.
CHI @ DET: Derrick Rose (ankle) played on Thursday but missed 12 of 13 shots. He needs to get his legs and his timing back before the playoffs, and we expect improvement — though far from his MVP level — this evening. Richard Hamilton might be inspired against his former team and Luol Deng, who often uses most of his energy guarding superstars, could have a big scoring game. Greg Monroe is consistently the best Piston, with Brandon Knight finishing strong in a promising rookie campaign.
POR @ SAC: While “real” NBA fans dismiss games like this, and “real” analysts ponder the future of the Kings in Sacramento, fantasy junkies can feast on a buffet of opportunities. Neither team bothers much with defense. LaMarcus Aldridge (hip) is finished and J.J. Hickson now starts. Waived by the Kings less than a month ago, he has something to prove. However, DeMarcus Cousins, very quiet on the recent road trip, is about due to explode. Both point guards (Raymond Felton and Isaiah Thomas) are solid plays. Nicolas Batum is hobbled by a very sore leg but managed 20 points on Friday vs. a better team.
BOS @ CHA: If you must play three road games in 72 hours, you might choose Toronto, New Jersey and Charlotte. I don’t expect the Celtics to do any more than necessary, and will recommend Avery Bradley and his young legs as the best fantasy play, with Ray Allen (ankle) out again. The Bobcats are horrible, losing 15 straight. They have called up the well-travelled Jamario Moon from the D-League and Derrick Brown has had a couple of good games.
MEM @ NOH: Memphis might take this one lightly. The last-place Hornets, with nothing to play for, will be loose and are rested. Eric Gordon had 25 on Friday in an upset of Utah; his surgically repaired knee is fine but he’d missed a couple of games with back spasms. Chris Kaman is an underrated center and Greivis Vasquez has been doing a nice job at PG. The mystery is why Trevor Ariza, apparently healthy, has been a DNP-CD for three straight games.
HOU @ DEN: These teams are tied, holding down the final two playoff spots. Neither can afford a loss. The Rockets were ambushed at home by Phoenix on Friday while the Nuggets lost on the road to the Lakers. Danilo Gallinari was quiet (7 PTS on 2-9 shooting) and must play better. Denver is starting Kosta Koufos at C, but JaVale McGee gets more minutes off the bench. Al Harrington, hampered by a sore knee, is still scoring but can’t rebound. I like Marcus Camby and Luis Scola tonight, considering those matchups.
The Spin is here every day before 8:00 EDT except for Sunday, when we post by noon. Follow me on Twitter in between.
Big Man On DraftStreet
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| Jo. Smith | $17,084 |
| D. Cousins | $15,371 |
| M. Camby | $14,198 |
| M. Gasol | $15,371 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| I. Johnson | $8,407 |
| R. Hamilton | $6,963 |
| A. Bradley | $7,371 |
| B. Uzoh | $4,823 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| C. Kaman | $12,988 |
| G. Davis | $12,424 |
| A. Jamison | $11,827 |
| J. Hickson | $11,436 |
Week 6 has been fun. I “discovered” the joys of playing multiple teams in the Guaranteed Prize Pool leagues that draw hundreds of entries.
Saturday was a fine example. Finished 12th with one of my teams in a $2 Salary Cap league (the other two lineups came 36th and 76th of 275 teams) and won a $10 consolation prize. Later in the day, when another $2 Salary Cap league opened up with 165 entries, I joined that, also three times. Came 42nd with one lineup, 12th (worth $5) with another and 4th — a $30 prize — with the third variation.
My three teams in the $5 GPP league ALL finished in the top 20 of 165 entries, but 18th was just out of the money. That returned $30 for 7th and $80 for fourth. I also played in two $5 Snake-Draft leagues, each with six teams, and won one of them, for a $17.55 payout. That’s a $135 profit on the day for my $37 investment, leaving me well in the black for both Week 6 and this entire experiment.
It’s tempting to raise the stakes today. Just imagine if my picks had performed that well last night in $11 or $22 leagues. But with the $100 weekly bankroll (less than $15 per day) it’s better to stay at the comfortable $2 and $5 levels. Consistency is important too, as you never know when you’ll have a big night. As solid as my picks are, always trying to avoid injuries and poor matchups, there have been week-long stretches without even a small prize.
So it’s my usual two Salary Cap leagues, a couple more Snake-Drafts and perhaps a weekly league. Unlike Head-to-Head leagues where a “week” always runs Monday-to-Sunday, you can join a weekly DraftStreet game any time.
In the chart above, you won’t see any players from the two afternoon games. Many leagues, including the Guaranteed Prize Pools, close at 6:00 Eastern today; there are still 14 NBA teams to choose from at that deadline. Other leagues close at 1:00 if you want to use LeBron, Melo, Pau, Dirk and/or any of their teammates.
If you haven’t tried Draft Street yet, it’s fun and it’s challenging, always free to join and you can get started by playing in free leagues.
Kent , I would just like to say how big of a help you are. You are the only person I know that stays committed to these daily and it helps me out alot when it comes to who to pick for the day. I really appreciate it.