The Pacers pulled away from the Bulls in the closing minutes. Both teams had their defensive mindsets locked in and so fantasy points were hard to come by. The Thunder offense has been rejuvenated with the return of Russell Westbrook/OKC; they coasted to victory over the Mavericks. The Magic pulled off the most impressive win of the night, executing well in the final minutes to hold off the Clippers. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Nikola Vucevic/ORL. Vucevic has been solid in the paint and is a big reason the Magic have won three straight. 11 of 19 FGA, 8 of 8 FTA, 21 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 TO, 30 points.
2) Kevin Love/MIN. A fantasy beast of the first order. 10 of 25 FGA, 4 of 4 FTA, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 TO, 25 points.
3) Spencer Hawes/PHI. Hawes does well when the game is wide open. 9 of 16 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 6 TO, 23 points.
4) Gordon Hayward/UTA. The most surprising name on this list. 12 of 20 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 28 points.
5) Blake Griffin/LAC. 10 of 20 FGA, 3 of 6 FTA, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 TO, 23 points.
Honorable mention:
Serge Ibaka/OKC, John Wall/WAS, Kyrie Irving/CLE, Marcin Gortat/WAS.
Top Sleepers
1) Danny Green/SAS. 8 of 11 FGA, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 2 TO, 19 points.
2) Markieff Morris/PHO. The “other” Morris makes the list today. 11 of 13 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 TO, 23 points.
3) Bradley Beal/WAS. 7 of 20 FGA, 0 of 2 FTA, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 TO, 17 points.
4) Kelly Olynyk/BOS. He’s established himself as better than fellow rookie Vitor Faverani/BOS. 6 of 14 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 14 points.
5) Gerald Henderson/CHA. He makes the list on back-to-back days. 10 of 17 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 TO, 23 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Stephen Curry/GSW. The injury bug strikes again. Curry likely won’t be out for long. 2 of 8 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 1 rebound, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, 5 points.
2) Zach Randolph/MEM. He played less than eight minutes and then left due to the pending birth of his child. 1 of 1 FGA, 1 assist, 2 TO, 2 points.
3) Carlos Boozer/CHI. The top “healthy” bust. There was little room to maneuver for the Bulls (previous) top fantasy producer. 3 of 10 FGA, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 TO, 6 points.
4) Vitor Faverani/BOS. He had a terrible start and was relegated to the bench in favor of Olynyk/BOS. 0 of 4 FGA, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 points.
5) Monta Ellis/DAL. Coming off a solid game and playing in shootout conditions, Ellis was a turnover machine. 8 of 17 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 TO, 20 points.
Yesterday was a much better day for me, as I cashed in two double-up leagues out of three. I also cashed in two of three normal payout 20-entry leagues, but missed on my two large field attempts (196th of 1100 in the $2 GP was my best). This reinforces my view that the 20-entry games are a little softer than the multi-entry GPPs.
I touted Stephen Curry/GSW as a solid pick, but injury knocked him out early and he wasn’t producing at his normal rate during the minutes he played. He was good for only 14.25 DraftStreet points, about 24 below par given his $18,967 salary. It’s encouraging that I had success despite that disaster.
Both Blake Griffin/LAC (40.75 DraftStreet points/$16,824) and DeAndre Jordan/LAC (36.75/$12,652) produced in the paint for the Clippers as I expected. John Wall/WAS (38.75 points/$17,098) was solid, but didn’t take as many shots as I thought he would. Nate Wolters/MIL (26.50/$9,395) and Gordon Hayward/UTA (42.25/$11,815) were the MVPs of my lineups. Cheap plays Gerald Green/PHO (12.50/$5,993) and Jason Smith/NOP (12.00/$6.966) were disappointing but didn’t do much damage.
Thursday NBA contests at DraftStreet
It’s no surprise that we have a characteristically light three-game Thursday slate. Skilled NBA fantasy players have the greatest edge when there are between three and six games to choose from, so it is worth our time to delve deeply into each game and unearth the hidden riches.
It continues to be 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 $2/550-entry GPP and a $5/330-entry GPP on offer, both with plenty of open spots. If you are a high-roller, you have to be content with the $109/$4,000 GPP. I see seven Double-Up GPPs in the lobby as I write, ranging from $5 to $109 to enter. Don’t forget the non-guarantee 10-entry and 20-entry contests – they are fast becoming my favorites. Look for “RobDudek” in several contests today as I work my way towards that $109 voucher.
Clippers play Champs after Tough Defeat
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 Miami Heat (7pm EST)- Over/Under Total=210.5; Heat -5.5
The Heat have recovered from a rough start and are solid favorites against the Clippers at home. C Chris Bosh/$13,435/MIA will likely be a game-time decision. Just when I stopped believing in an imminent F LeBron James/$21,095/MIA explosion, he dominates the Raptors. Both F Blake Griffin/$16,824/LAC and C DeAndre Jordan/$12,883/LAC played over 40 minutes last night, so I am concerned about fatigue and/or reduced minutes for them. Without Bosh, F Chris Andersen/$5,690/MIA rivals G Ray Allen/$8,960/MIA for bargain play of the day.
Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets (9pm EST)- Over/Under Total=203.5; Nuggets -3
The Hawks finish up a three-game western swing, having split the first two (versus the Lakers and Kings). All of the Hawks’ big three,C Al Horford/$17,599/ATL, F Paul Millsap/$15,463/ATL and G Jeff Teague/$14,698/ATL, are playable tonight. F DeMarre Carroll/$7,090/ATL should bounce back and I like F Kenneth Faried/$12,239/DEN from the Nuggets side.
Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets (9:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=219; Rockets -13.5
It’s hard to imagine the Lakers keeping up with the Rockets after being blown out by the Mavericks. C Dwight Howard/$19,788/HOU should be motivated to perform, but beware blowout conditions. For the same reason, G James Harden/$16,978/HOU is a bit risky, but still good value.
My lineup in the $2/$550-entry at DraftStreet ($99,903 spent of $100,000 max)
Stars Worth Starting: LeBron James/MIA, James Harden/HOU, Jeff Teague/ATL
Bargain Plays: Chris Andersen/MIA, DeMarre Carroll/ATL
Speculative Plays: Kenneth Faried/DEN, Ray Allen/MIA, DeAndre Jordan/LAC
Expected DraftStreet points: 210.00 (+/- 20.00)
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.