The Pacers continued their winning ways, beating the Pistons in Detroit on the strength of Paul George’s/IND brilliant all-around play, and Roy Hibbard’s/IND creditable performance against the Pistons’ Greg Monroe/DET and Andre Drummond/DET. LeBron/MIA was let loose on the Raptors, and the absence of Chris Bosh/MIA allowed Dwayne Wade/MIA more opportunities to stuff the statsheet. The Suns and Spurs rallied from first half deficits to earn road wins, while the Knicks lost big man Tyson Chandler/NYK and fell to the unheralded Bobcats. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) LeBron James/MIA. The Raptors didn’t have anyone to match up with LeBron and the big man had his first breakout fantasy performance of the year. 13 for 20 FGA, 8 of 8 FTA, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 block, 1 TO, 35 points
2) Paul George/IND. The emerging superstar made it look easy against a gritty Pistons team for another road win.12 for 18 FGA, 3 of 3 FTA, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 TO, 31 points
3) Paul Millsap/ATL. The Kings had no answer for Millsap’s inside game. 9 for 15 FGA, 5 of 6 FTA, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 2 TO, 25 points
4) Monta Ellis/DAL. Top scorer for a Mavericks squad that demolished the visiting Lakers. 11 for 14 FGA, 8 of 8 FTA, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, 30 points
5) Al Horford/ATL. He dominated DeMarcus Cousins/SAC. 11 for 19 FGA, 4 of 6 FTA, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 TO, 27 points
Honorable mention:
Tim Duncan/SAS, Brook Lopez/BKN, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist/CHA, Eric Gordon/NOP.
Top Sleepers
1) DeJuan Blair/DAL. Blair has had a quietly productive season off the bench, with a per minute output worthy of respect. 5 for 10 FGA, 0 of 2 FTA, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 1 TO, 10 points
2) Brian Roberts/NOP. 7 for 14 FGA, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 3 steals, 17 points
3) Gerald Henderson/CHA. 5 for 13 FGA, 7 of 8 FTA, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 TO, 18 points
4) Gerald Green/PHO. We got word he would start in place of Goran Dragic/PHO, but I didn’t expect this kind of production. 6 for 12 FGA, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 2 TO, 18 points
5) Marcus Morris/PHO. Part of a balanced attack that lifted the Suns to a road victory over the Pelicans. 4 for 8 FGA, 6 of 8 FTA, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 TO, 16 points
Biggest Busts
1) Tyson Chandler/NYK. It wasn’t his fault, but he was forced out with an injury in the first quarter, ruining many fantasy lineups. 1 for 1 FGA, 0 of 1 FTA, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 points
2) Derrick Favors/UTA. He played poorly, and his minutes were further limited by blowout conditions. 2 for 8 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 TO, 6 points
3) DeMarre Carroll/ATL. Very little fantasy production given his almost 35 minutes. 3 for 11 FGA, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 TO, 6 points
4) DeMarcus Cousins/SAC. When Cousins plays poorly, the Kings generally lose and that was the case last night. 5 for 12 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 TO, 11 points
5) Josh McRoberts/CHA. 0 for 4 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 TO, 2 points
Injuries happen, and last night one of them sunk the chances of most of my lineups at DraftStreet. I was heavily invested in Tyson Chandler/NYK, and when he went down after six-plus minutes of action, that was that. One lineup, in which I had switched out Chandler for Enes Kanter/UTA (I was the only Kanter owner in the contest), managed a third place finish in a $5/20-entry, good for $15.30 . I had essential bargain plays Gerald Green/PHO and Omri Casspi/HOU, but the difference maker was Isaiah Thomas/SAC (owned by only one other participant). Thomas led a vigorous Kings comeback, scoring 26 points, with 5 assists and 2 rebounds, for 29.50 DraftStreet points ($8,976 salary). My team total of 244.75 points was 15.00 behind the league winner.
Wednesday NBA contests at DraftStreet
With no NFL games to distract sports fans until tomorrow, DraftStreet has expanded its NBA offerings tonight. It’s a great time to play the NBA leagues, as DraftStreet’s incredible voucher promotion continues. All you have to do is enter NBA leagues through November 14th and work your way through vouchers of increasing value, the top one allowing entry to $109 contests.
If you like big fields, there is a $2/1,100-entry GPP and a $5/550-entry GPP on offer. If you are a high-roller, the $215/$6,000 GPP should grab your interest. I see six Double-Up GPPs in the DraftStreet lobby as I write, ranging from $5 to $215 to enter. Look for “RobDudek” in several 20-entry leagues today.
Pacers Get a Visit from their Main Rivals
A look at tonight’s games from a daily fantasy perspective. Dollar figures are DraftStreet prices. An asterisk (*) indicates a team is playing the their second game on back-to-back nights.
Los Angeles Clippers at Orlando Magic (7pm EST)- Over/Under Total=208; Clippers -7
A matchup of two teams that prefer an up-tempo game. G Victor Oladipo/$10,317/ORL is an intriguing play tonight. Look for F Blake Griffin/$16,824/LAC and C DeAndre Jordan/$12,652/LAC to do damage in the paint.
Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers* (7pm EST)- Over/Under Total=182.5; Pacers -3
Do the Bulls have anyone who can stop F Paul George/$16,913/IND? Perhaps G Jimmy Butler/$11,466/CHI will give it a shot. I predict G Derrick Rose/$17,234/CHI will have his best game of the season so far (but he is still too expensive).
Toronto Raptors* at Charlotte Bobcats* (7pm EST)- Over/Under Total=185.5; Raptors -2.5
It’s rare that the Raptors are road favorites, but the Bobcats apparently must do more to earn respect.
Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers (7 pm EST)- Over/Under Total=205.5; Wizards -2
An early rematch and the Wizards won’t let their guard down this time. Avoid G Michael Carter-Williams/$14,570/PHI, as he will have a tough time defending against G John Wall/$17,089/WAS. Wall is my top candidate today for a monster game (defined as 50+ DraftStreet points). If I were in the mood for a sports wager, I’d bet the over on total points.
Utah Jazz* at Boston Celtics (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=185; Celtics -3.5
A battle of two winless teams. I suspect Boston has the superior bench. Will F Derrick Favors/$14,598/UTA bounce back? I advise avoiding him due to too much risk for the price. F Gordon Hayward/$11,815/UTA is much better value.
New Orleans Pelicans* at Memphis Grizzlies (8pm EST)- Over/Under Total=187; Grizzlies -7.5
F Anthony Davis/$18,373/NOP is primed for another big game, but his price has risen to the level where downside risk enters into the equation. F Jason Smith/$6,966/NOP is a solid play based on his low salary and his consistent minutes. Smith could get extra chances under the bucket as the Grizzlies key on Davis.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Milwaukee Bucks (8pm EST)- Over/Under Total=187; Cavs -1.5
G Kyrie Irving/$15,461/CLE is a good breakout/speculative play candidate. G Gary Neal/$6,572/MIL and G Nate Wolters/$9,395/MIL are both worthwhile cheap plays.
Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves (8pm EST)- Over/Under Total=209; Warriors -1
The Wolves will not be able to stop G Stephen Curry/$18,987/GSW. The big battle will be between the big men, with C Andrew Bogut/$11,964/GSW and F David Lee/$15,125/GSW charged with slowing down F Kevin Love/$21,981/MIN.
Phoenix Suns* at San Antonio Spurs* (8:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=197.5; Spurs -14
If G Gerald Green/$5,993/PHO starts, he is a “must start”. G Eric Bledsoe/$14,806/PHO will be in tough against the Spurs and is fair value tonight.
Dallas Mavericks* at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=210.5; Thunder -7
This figures to be a shootout. F Dirk Nowitzki/$13,953/DAL took few shots against the Lakers and was rested in the 4th quarter. Look for him to be more active tonight. F Kevin Durant/$20,002/DAL shook off a miserable game in Minnesota and should produce with consistency now that G Russell Westbrook/$17,475/DAL is back.
My lineup in the $2/$1100-entry at DraftStreet ($99,730 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Blake Griffin/LAC, Stephen Curry/GSW, John Wall/WAS
Bargain Plays: Gerald Green/PHO, Jason Smith/NOP
Speculative Plays: DeAndre Jordan/LAC, Gordon Hayward/UTA, Nate Wolters/MIL
The Fantasy Spin is here every day, around noon EST. Follow me @robdudek for breaking news and pre-game thoughts relevant to NBA daily fantasy.