Roto standings are bunching up and the Head-to-Head playoffs are looming. There are daily leagues at DraftStreet for fun and profit; our Freeroll there is always worth entering because the price is right, but it’s at least a 1,000-1 shot and your odds are many times better in cash leagues, where I’ve been doing pretty well the last couple of months.See Page 4 for details.
If you’re in a league with weekly lineups, Joel Gibson breaks down the upcoming NBA schedule in the Fantasy Planner every Sunday. His Week 19 advice includes Wilson Chandler and his fellow Nuggets. Check it out.
Sunday Results
MIA @ NYK: Down by 16 points late in the second quarter, Miami roared back in the second half for its 14th straight win, the best streak in team history. LeBron James (29 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL) ignored a sore leg and played the entire second half, while Dwyane Wade (20 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST) was very sharp and Chris Bosh had some timely buckets among his 16 points. Carmelo Anthony (32 PTS, 3 AST, 2 REB) led the Knicks, and recently demoted Jason Kidd was sharp in 34 minutes off the bench — 14 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL, 4 3PTM — to snap out of a slump.
OKC @ LAC: This one got a little ugly when Serge Ibaka punched Blake Griffin below the belt. It was called a flagrant-1, so Ibaka (16 PTS, 3 REB, 2 BLK) stayed in the game and made a couple of key plays near the end. Local product Russell Westbrook (29 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST) loves playing in L.A. and Kevin Durant (35 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST) is great anywhere. Chris Paul (26 PTS, 8 AST, 6 REB, 4 STL) led the Clippers, with Griffin (20 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST) fouling out late in the fourth and Jamal Crawford adding four triples for 20 points off the bench. Chauncey Billups (one point in 17:39) is not improving; he’s 6-for-27 over six straight poor games and you can probably do better with that roster spot.
MEM @ ORL: Even without Zach Randolph (ankle) that was easy. Darrell Arthur got the start at PF, scored seven points in nine minutes, then hurt his neck in a fall, and Ed Davis (10 PTS, 10 REB, 3 BLK) took over. Marc Gasol (12 PTS, 11 AST, 5 REB) was dropping dimes like a point guard and the scoring was balanced, with Tayshaun Prince (14) leading six Grizzlies in double digits. Nobody scored more than 12 for Orlando, which shot less than 40% against the stifling Memphis defense. Even Tobias Harris (6 PTS in 22:40 on 3-for-14 shooting) finally cooled off after a breakout week.
CHA @ SAC: We told you this would be lopsided. We did not expect John Salmons (22 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL) to go on a 19-point binge in a 43-point third quarter. Jason Thompson (18 PTS, 14 REB, 2 STL) was another pleasant surprise, and Marcus Thornton (18) stayed hot off the bench. The Bobcats have lost six in a row, three of them by 30 or more points, and show no signs of life. They are contractually obligated to appear in Portland tonight and will get crushed again.