A stunning last second bucket by Jeff Green/BOS lifted the Celtics to an improbable one-point victory over the Heat in Miami. LeBron James/MIA, previously bothered by back spasms, played well. In Cleveland, a see-saw affair saw two overtimes and huge fantasy scoring for players on both sides. Cleveland prevailed in the end, 127-125. Utah proved themselves to be the worst team in the NBA, as the Raptors built a 38-point lead and then emptied the bench.
Due to the noon start between the Spurs and the Knicks, the Fantasy Spin is here bright and early for those of you taking part in the early bird leagues.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Kyrie Irving/CLE. A sensational performance in crunch time. 15 of 33 FGA, 4 of 5 FTA, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 TO, 39 points.
2) Michael Carter-Williams/PHI. The Sixers are better when they let him run the offense. 9 of 17 FGA, 7 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 4 TO, 21 points.
3) DeAndre Jordan/LAC. This performance elevates him to elite fantasy center status. 6 of 8 FGA, 0 for 3 FTA, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 2 TO, 12 points.
4) Paul Millsap/ATL. 8 of 16 FGA, 2 of 4 FTA, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 0 TO, 18 points.
5) DeMarcus Cousins/SAC. He recovered nicely from first half foul trouble. 13 of 24 FGA, 7 of 11 FTA, 12 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 TO, 33 points.
Honorable mention:
LeBron James/MIA, Gordon Hayward/UTA, Al Horford/ATL, LaMarcus Aldridge/POR
Top Sleepers
1) Dion Waiters/CLE. Got his outside shot working in the second half. 9 of 19 FGA, 3 of 6 FTA, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 TO, 24 points.
2) Jarrett Jack/CLE. 7 of 14 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 3 TO, 20 points.
3) Patrick Beverley/HOU. Probably the Rockets best player last night. 6 of 13 FGA, 4 of 4 FTA, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 3 TO, 19 points.
4) Caron Butler/MIL. 7 of 19 FGA, 2 of 3 FTA, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO, 19 points.
5) Tyler Hansbrough/TOR. The main beneficiary from extended garbage time. 6 of 9 FGA, 11 of 13 FTA, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 TO, 23 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Brandon Bass/BOS. 3 of 7 FGA, 1 assists, 0 TO, 6 points.
2) Nikola Vucevic/ORL. Not a complete surprise, as he had to deal with Millsap and Horford. 3 of 10 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, 7 points.
3) Damian Lillard/POR. Poor shooting derailed his fantasy numbers. 1 of 15 FGA, 2 of 4 FTA, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 TO, 4 points.
4) Andrew Bogut/GSW. I expected him to dominate the boards against the Grizzlies. 0 of 3 FGA, 1 of 4 FTA, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 4 TO, 1 point.
5) C.J. Miles/CLE. While his teammates racked up the numbers, Miles disappeared. 2 of 8 FGA, 3 rebounds, 1 TO, 6 points.
I hit enough of my picks to finish in the middle of the pack, but not enough to make the money in standard payout leagues at DraftStreet. The Raptors blowout resulted in Rudy Gay/TOR being pulled early. Zaza Pachulia/MIN started but put up mediocre numbers in the Bucks’ loss to the Mavericks.
I was right about the Rockets struggling without a healthy James Harden/HOU, but wrong on LeBron James/MIA. King James came through with a good game by his standards, despite the back spasms. I thought Chris Paul/LAC would be more productive, but Patrick Beverley/HOU did a great job guarding him. I had a solid hit on Paul Millsap/ATL. Two other mainstays of my lineups, Dion Waiters/CLE and Tristan Thompson/CLE, were helped by the game going to double overtime.
The best news is we start all over today.
Sunday NBA contests at DraftStreet
Unusually for the NBA, DraftStreet leagues are split into early-bird contests,which include the Spurs-Knicks, and late starts, which do not. There are a few standard payouts and double-up GPPs starting early, but the majority of the action will focus on the three night games. I’m entered in the $2/330-entry and $5/88-entry double up early-bird leagues.
We are in the home stretch of DraftStreet’s voucher promotion. 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 an entry to a $109 contest.
Three Big Time Players in Action
A look at today’s games from a daily fantasy perspective. Dollar figures are DraftStreet prices. All teams have had at least one day of rest since their last game.
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks (12pm EST)- Over/Under Total=195; Spurs -2.5
C Andrea Bargnani/$10,210/NYK will face a deep and talented Spurs frontline, which means there will be more pressure on F Carmelo Anthony/$18,452/NYK to score. This game marks the return of G J.R. Smith/$11,475/NYK (he will come off the bench).
Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City Thunder (7pm EST) Over/Under=204.5; Thunder -9.5
I don’t see anything that can stop F Kevin Durant/$21,750/OKC and G Russell Westbrook/$15,732/OKC in this game except blowout conditions. C Steven Adams/$8,991/OKC is a decent play here: the rookie will play even if garbage time occurs. C Nene Hilario/$11,623/WAS is worth the price only if he starts and C Marcin Gortat/$14,148/WAS is overpriced if the game is played up-tempo as expected.
New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns (8pm EST)- Over/Under Total=195; Pelicans -2
The Suns will not be able to stop F Anthony Davis/$21,518/NOP, but this game will be closely fought to the end. It is difficult to choose between G Jrue Holiday/$13,345/NOP and G Eric Gordon/$11,193/NOP. G Gerald Green/$8,878/PHO is an excellent speculative play if he starts in place of G Goran Dragic/PHO once again.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=207.5; Wolves -3.5
F Kevin Love/$22,873/MIN versus F Pau Gasol/$13,903/LAL will be an intriguing battle. Not that I think Gasol will be the better fantasy player, but he has a shot at slowing down the Wolves’ big man. The Lakers have virtually given up the interior game and will attempt to win with the outside shot, while the Wolves will use their minimal mistakes approach.
My lineup in the $2/$330-entry early start at DraftStreet (Subject to change; $99,810 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Kevin Love/MIN, Anthony Davis/NOP
Bargain Plays: Steven Adams/OKC, Jason Smith/NOP, Steve Blake/LAL
Speculative Plays: Jordan Hill/LAL, P.J. Tucker/PHO (or Gerald Green/PHO if Dragic sits), Kevin Martin/MIN
You will need to sub-out Blake if he does not start the game (e.g. Jordan Farmar/LAL, Reggie Jackson/OKC, Jodie Meeks/LAL or Danny Green/SAS).
Expected DraftStreet points: 210.00 (+/- 30.00)
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.