January 20 Game Previews
LAL @ TOR: Having never seen Dwight Howard live and with diminishing opportunities to watch Kobe Bryant and especially Steve Nash, it’s tempting to go to this 1:00 matinee. However, I’m no Raptors fan; their GM is an overrated clothes horse and their greedy owners somehow managed to become more corporate last year. Andrea Bargnani (elbow) and Jonas Valanciunas (hand) are closer to returning; make sure neither was dropped in your league. It remains to be seen how Pau Gasol is used, though we fully expect him to start.
DAL @ ORL: It’s still hard to believe Orlando lost to the Wizards. If they don’t improve dramatically tonight, the Magic will drop yet another home game. Dallas is getting steady contributions from Dirk Nowitzki, O.J. Mayo and more recently Elton Brand, with Darren Collison gaining confidence at PG. The Mavs have lost eight games in overtime this season, a huge reason they are only 17-24, but the latest was a ‘moral victory’ against the mighty Thunder. They are 4-1 in their last five, scoring over 110 points per game.
BOS @ DET: There’s the possibility of jet lag, as the Pistons’ latest “home” loss was 3,700 miles and five time zones away from Detroit. They sure didn’t play well on Thursday in London, when Brandon Knight got benched for Will Bynum, and will need to shoot much better to defeat the Celtics. Rajon Rondo had 30 points in an OT loss on Friday, but Avery Bradley (ribs) is doubtful so Leandro Barbosa might get another start. It will be fun to watch rookie rebounding machines Andre Drummond and Jared Sullinger square off.
OKC @ DEN: The Thunder don’t care about getting anyone else involved when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combine for 83 points, like they just did in Dallas. When these teams met in Oklahoma City last Wednesday, the first half was so lopsided (67-47) that KD and WB weren’t even needed down the stretch. Assuming the Nuggets are motivated to avenge that defeat, this will be a fast-paced, high-scoring fantasy bonanza. As usual, the Denver bench can’t be ignored; both Corey Brewer and Andre Miller had 17 points on Friday, though it wasn’t enough to beat those new-and-improved Wizards.
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