Fantasy basketball is a great hobby, but real life comes first. Meeting my adorable 1-day-old grandson Rory and telling the world about his arrival made it a wonderful Saturday. However, I didn’t watch one minute of hoops, haven’t slept much the last two nights and can’t promise that this will be the best Spin ever.
Distracted by that beautiful baby, I let down Sheridan Hoops and DraftStreet in last night’s $400 Challenge. It’s embarrassing to admit that I had no idea Paul George was sick until it was too late to change my lineup. Playing a man short and wasting $16,000 of the $100,000 salary cap, I finished 12th, making what amounts to a $5 gift to the 11 who beat me. “Hibachi 711” entered three teams, two of which finished first and second to take down $230 from the $400 prize pool. Congratulations!
January 12 Games
ORL @ LAC: In the matinee, a very determined Magic team finally won after ten straight losses, many of them very close against excellent teams. Aaron Afflalo (30 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST) had a fantastic game and J.J. Redick (21 PTS) hit a late 3-pointer then drew a charge to seasl the deal. Up front, Nikola Vucevic (18 PTS, 15 REB) more than held his own. For the Clippers, Blake Griffin (30 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST) was outstanding and Chris Paul (10 PTS, 16 AST, 4 STL) very good. It wasn’t overconfidence as much as an inspired opponent that led to a rare home defeat.
ATL @ WAS: What a difference John Wall makes. Playing only 21 minutes off the bench in his first game of the year, he scored 14 points and added four assists, but you can’t ignore the effect his return has on his teammates. Even without Jordan Crawford (ankle) the Wizards played great, while the Hawks were half a step slow. Once Wall is up to full speed, rookie Bradley Beal (16 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL) will be even better.
CHA @ IND: Had I been paying closer attention and known about Paul George (flu) being scratched, I would have been all over David West, who had his first career triple-double — 14 PTS, 12 REB, 10 AST — and loved those bargain DraftStreet prices on George Hill (19 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST) and Lance Stephenson (17 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 4 STL) even more. D.J. Augustin (18 PTS, 4 AST) came off the bench as the Pacers won by going small. For Charlotte, Ben Gordon (21) and Kemba Walker (16) tried hard, but they weren’t quite good enough down the stretch.
You spelled Arron Afflalo’s name wrong…and there are quite a few typos in this article…