The Utah Jazz rallied at home to pick up heir first win of the year against Anthony Davis/NOP and the Pelicans. Dwight Howard/HOU and Jeremy Lin/HOU put up monster fantasy numbers, but their Rockets lost to the Sixers in overtime. Kevin Martin/MIN was a surprise scratch due to flu, but Kevin Love/MIN and Ricky Rubio/MIN led the Timberwolves to an easy win over the Cavaliers. Serge Ibaka/OKC and Matt Barnes/LAC were ejected early and the Clippers overcame a first half deficit to beat the Thunder. There was no lack of noteworthy stat lines. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Dwight Howard/HOU. As expected, he dominated the paint all night. 9 of 20 FGA, 4 of 9 FTA, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 6 blocks, 2 TO, 23 points.
2) Arron Afflalo/ORL. Led a second half Magic comeback. 11 of 15 FGA, 6 of 6 FTA, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 4 TO, 36 points.
3) Ricky Rubio/MIN. Still not a shooter but does everything else well. 5 of 7 FGA, 5 of 5 FTA, 6 rebounds, 16 assists, 3 steals, 3 TO, 16 points.
4) Kevin Durant/OKC. Top of the heap when it comes to offense. 8 of 18 FGA, 15 of 17 FTA, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 5 TO, 33 points.
5) Kevin Love/MIN. Perhaps the most consistent elite fantasy player. 10 of 16 FGA, 12 of 14 FTA, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 0 TO, 23 points.
Honorable mention: Anthony Davis/NOP, Chris Paul/LAC, Gordon Hayward/UTA, Jeremy Lin/HOU, and Blake Griffin/LAC.
Top Sleepers
1) James Anderson/PHI. With Michael-Carter Williams/PHI sitting out, Anderson stepped up. 12 of 16 FGA, 6 of 6 FTA, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 0 TO, 36 points.
2) Jordan Hill/LAL. Proved his first start was no fluke. 6 of 11 FGA, 6 of 6 FTA, 15 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 0 TO, 18 points.
3) Martell Webster/WAS. Took over after Trevor Ariza/WAS went down to injury. 8 of 16 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 TO, 21 points.
4) Tony Wroten/PHI. A triple-double for the surprise starter. 7 of 18 FGA, 4 of 7 FTA, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 block, 4 TO, 18 points.
5) Timofey Mozgov/DEN. Tremendous production in only 28 minutes played. 8 of 12 FGA, 7 of 9 FTA, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 TO, 23 points.
6) Khris Middleton/MIL. The best of the Bucks fill-ins. 6 of 11 FGA, 6 of 6 FTA, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 TO, 19 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Nicholas Batum/POR. 3 of 10 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 3 rebounds, 3 TO, 9 points.
2) Nene Hilario/WAS. The Wizards’ big men figured to struggle against the Spurs. 2 of 6 FTA, 2 rebounds, 1 TO, 4 points.
3) Jodie Meeks/LAL. 1 of 5 FGA, 0 of 2 FTA, 3 points
4) Danny Green/SAS. Didn’t have open shots. 0 for 3 FGA, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 0 points.
5) Tony Parker/SAS. 7 of 9 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 1 rebounds, 1 assists, 5 TO, 16 points.
Last night turned out to be my worst recommended DraftStreet lineup of the season. Kevin Martin/MIN was scratched and Danny Green/SAS didn’t shoot the ball. Two of my four DraftStreet teams had Martin and so therefore had no chance. One of my entries in the $2/1,100 entry finished just one spot out of the money (101st).
Thursday NBA contests at DraftStreet
There are only two NBA games on tap tonight, but DraftStreet hasn’t shied away from offering their normal slew of contests. I generally do better when the DraftStreet scores are lower, and they will certainly be low today.
This is the final day for participants in NBA contests at DraftStreet to qualify for a free voucher. If you have ever thought about playing DraftStreet NBA contests, it’s not too late to get in and get your free DraftStreet money.
Rockets limp into New York
A look at today’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.
Houston Rockets* at New York Knicks* (8:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total= 204.5; Rockets -1.5
Keep on eye on new leading up to the start, a lot of Rockets’ players’ value will depend on the availability of James Harden/$18,363/HOU. Dwight Howard/$19,520/HOU has another dream matchup inside against Andrea Bargnani/$12,433/NYK. Jeremy Lin/$11,673/HOU is very good value even if Harden plays.
Oklahoma City Thunder* at Golden State Warriors (10:30 pm EST)- Over/Under Total= 206.5; Warriors -5
Serge Ibaka/$14,980/OKC was ejected in the first half last night: the silver lining is that he will be well rested. Kevin Durant/$23,170/OKC will be the focal point of the Thunder attack and Russell Westbrook/$16,820/OKC is shaking off the rust. This figures to be a tight contest to the end, which means that Stephen Curry/$18,710/GSW and David Lee/$15,940/GSW will have a chance to rack up big minutes and fantasy numbers.
My lineup in today’s $2/$550-entry at DraftStreet (subject to change; $98,751 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Kevin Durant/OKC, Stephen Curry/GSW, Serge Ibaka/OKC
Bargain Plays: Iman Shumpert/NYK, Thabo Sefolosha/OKC, Jeremy Lin/HOU
Speculative Plays: Terrence Jones/HOU, Jermaine O’Neal/GSW
Expected DraftStreet points: 205.00 (+/-25.00).
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.