SAC @ LAC: That was the low point for DeMarcus Cousins. Yanked early in the first and third quarters, he never returned to the floor in either half and finished with 8 points in 17:49 in a 35-point humiliation. PG is a revolving door of incompetence for the Kings, Tyreke Evans missed another game with a bruised knee and it turned into a glorified scrimmage for the Clippers. I did warn you that Blake Griffin (14 PTS, 9 REB) and Chris Paul (14 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST) would be watching garbage time from the bench. Eric Bledsoe (14 PTS, 4 AST, 4 STL, 2 BLK) made the most of his extended minutes.
PHI @ CHI: This one went almost exactly like I thought. Joakim Noah (12 PTS, 13 REB, 7 AST) is a lot better than Lavoy Allen (10 PTS, 8 REB) and Luol Deng had a great night — 25 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists. I also touted Richard Hamilton, who was on a roll (15 PTS in 23 minutes) before leaving with a foot injury. Philly got 23 from Jrue Holiday and 22 from Thaddeus Young but Nick Young (toe) was unavailable and the bench had a quiet night.
December 2 Games
PHO @ NYK: This starts at noon EST, so don’t sleep on your daily lineups. You’ll definitely want Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith active. Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler are also must-starts, as the Knicks are more used to these matinees than most visiting teams. Phoenix rarely plays well on the road at any time of day. Marcin Gortat has been critical of the organization, and after a string of double-doubles to start the season, has put up five single-singles in his last eight games. Michael Beasley is wildly inconsistent, capable of a 2-point night or 20 at random intervals. PF has become a timeshare; Markieff Morris starts and Luis Scola comes off the bench, but neither gets enough minutes to be a true fantasy asset. Maybe Gortat is right — the Suns are a mess.
ORL @ LAL: Don’t expect Antawn Jamison to score 33 every night, but do get him in your lineup, and on your roster if he’s a free agent. Mike D’Antoni is going to ride him hard as the sixth man, and he can play either forward spot. The season-long struggles of Pau Gasol will ensure that Jamison gets plenty of run. Dwight Howard was a monster (28 PTS, 20 REB) last game and will be psyched against his former club. I picked up Jodie Meeks as a Sunday streamer and am hoping he plays a lot in garbage time; his ability to knock down threes (7-of-8 on Friday) may earn him a larger role. The Magic have no chance tonight. Jameer Nelson has a sore Achilles tendon and when E’Twaun Moore starts at PG, the second unit suffers. A much bigger problem (literally) is facing Howard with Nikola Vucevic as your C and an array of mediocre options at PF.
The Spin is here by 9:00 EST, every day. Follow us on Twitter — @SheridanFantasy — for updates and roster advice from Jeff Nichols, whose Saturday column took a detailed look at the current fantasy week. Jeff will be back will appear tomorrow, with a schedule analysis and help deciding who to sit, or start in weekly leagues. There are no daily leagues today, so my FanDuel Diary will return tomorrow.