The battle between the Warriors and Thunder lived up to the shootout hype. Golden State built a healthy third quarter lead, only to have Oklahoma City storm back in the home stretch. Russell Westbrook/OKC made an apparent game winning three pointer with a few ticks of the clock left, but Andre Iguodala/GSW replied with a last second bucket to deliver a 116-115 victory to the hometown Warriors. In the earlier game, James Harden/HOU led the way offensively and the Rockets had too much variety for the Knicks. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Carmelo Anthony/NYK. In retrospect an obvious choice: the Knicks have precious little as an alternative in the scoring department. 17 of 30 FGA, 9 of 11 FTA, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 3 TO, 45 points.
2) Russell Westbrook/OKC. He showed why the Thunder are tough to beat: it’s difficult to contain both Westbrook and Durant. 13 of 20 FGA, 3 of 5 FTA, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 5 TO, 31 points.
3) Serge Ibaka/OKC. He was the dominant presence in the paint. 9 of 14 FGA, 9 of 9 FTA, 3 blocks, 3 TO, 27 points.
4) James Harden/HOU. A remarkable performance given his injury problems. 9 of 17 FGA, 16 of 18 FTA, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5 TO, 36 points.
5) Klay Thompson/GSW. Hot and cold shooter was hot. 10 of 15 FGA, 1 of 1 FTA, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks. 27 points.
Honorable mention: Stephen Curry/GSW, Andre Iguodala/GSW.
Top Sleepers
1) J.R. Smith/NYK. Close to all the way back. 4 of 16 FGA, 5 of 7 FTA, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 0 TO, 15 points.
2) Andrea Bargnani/NYK. Did a surprisingly good job defending Dwight Howard/HOU and chipped in offensively. 9 of 12 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 0 TO, 24 points.
3) Terrence Jones/HOU. Got the start again and was solid if unspectacular. 2 of 5 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 6 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Steven Adams/OKC Started in place of Kendrick Perkins/OKC and wasn’t a factor in the fast-paced contest. Played only 14 minutes. 1 of 1 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA 1 TO, 3 points.
2) Omri Casspi/HOU. 1 of 3 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 0 to, 4 points.
3) Pablo Prigioni/NYK. 0 of 1 FGA, 0 TO, 0 points.
4) Metta World Peace/NYK. 1 of 7 FGA, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 0 TO, 2 points.
5) Patrick Beverley/HOU. 2 of 6 FGA, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 5 points.
The lineup I recommended yesterday did not include Carmelo Anthony/NYK or Russell Westbrook/OKC, but would have done well enough to cash in just about every double-up league. Kevin Durant/OKC had a sub-par game, but Serge Ibaka/OKC came through with his best game of the year. Stephen Curry/GSW and n/Jeremy Lin/HOU delivered as expected.
My projection had the group at 205.00 DraftStreet points, which they exceeded by 8.75 points.
Friday NBA contests at DraftStreet
It’s another busy Friday night in the NBA. As one promotion closes, another one gets underway at DraftStreet. The first $22 qualifier for the DraftStreet Basketball Championship (DBBC) is set for this evening, with room for 800 entries. The top 64 spots get paid and the winner gets a main event entry worth $10,000. This is a multi-entry contest with a maximum of five entries.
I hope everyone reached their target in the just concluded voucher promotion. I’m looking forward to using my $109 voucher for a shot at a big prize.
Readers of Fantasy Spin can register for the weekly Friday freeroll. The top 50 spots get paid and $100 goes to the winner among the $500 prize pool. Just click on any DraftStreet text link, then select and submit your lineup.
Shootout in Denver
A look at today’s games from a daily fantasy perspective. Dollar figures are DraftStreet prices. All of the teams in action tonight have had at least one day off since their last game.
Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=184; Pacers -14.5
The Pacers win by playing lock down defense and haven’t shown much ability to blow their rivals out. But the Bucks’ roster is hanging together by a thread so I wouldn’t count on huge minutes from the Indiana’s key players. Lance Stephenson/$10,963/IND is still good value, however.
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=183; Raptors -1
I expect a close game. Keep an eye on the Derrick Rose/$12,398/CHI situation: if he sits out and Kirk Hinrich/$6,520/CHI starts, the latter is a great value play.
Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=208.5; Hawks -8.5
The Hawks aren’t hitting on all cylinders yet, but the Sixers are prone to being blown out. Jeff Teague/$14,405/ATL has been consistently productive and is a solid choice for double-up leagues.
Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=194; Blazers -1.5
Jordan Crawford’s/$11,355/BOS price has not risen to fully reflect his role as Boston point guard. Robin Lopez/$10.755/POR has been solid in recent games and he has a favorable matchup tonight.
Charlotte Bobcats at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=190; Cavs -6
The Cavaliers were dismantled in Minnesota, so look for extra effort from them tonight. Tristan Thompson/$11,863/CLE is my sleeper pick in this one.
Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=205.5; Heat -8
The Mavericks don’t have the athletes to contain LeBron James/$23,595/MIA and Dwayne Wade/$15,818/MIA.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets (8:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=210; Wolves -1
This figures to be the highest scoring game of the night. Kevin Love/$23,553/MIN, Ricky Rubio/$15,938/MIN and Ty Lawson/$16,363/DEN are decent bets for monster games.
Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns (9:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=195.5; Nets -1.5
The betting line is way off base. The Suns are at home and have more weapons than the ailing and aging Nets. This game encapsulates the “changing of the guard” phenomenon now underway in the NBA. Eric Bledsoe/$15,733/PHO is one of the top ten guards in the game and could explode tonight, particularly if he is guarded by Deron Williams/$12,830/BKN and his wonky ankle.
San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz (9:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=192; Spurs -10.5
The Spurs will win this by as many points as they want to. Avoid the regulars and focus on bench players who will get more minutes than usual. Marco Belinelli/$6,370/SAS is cheap and effective.
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=197;Grizzlies -3.5
New Lakers star Jordan Hill/$12,947/LAL has a higher price tag, but is still worth a speculative play. I see the Lakers winning this one comfortably, despite what the betting line indicates.
Detroit Pistons at Sacramento Kings (10:30 pm EST)- Over/Under Total=197.5; Kings -2
Will Andre Drummond/$15,803/DET continue his impressive run of games, this time against DeMarcus Cousins/$18,165/SAC?
I’ll be focusing on double-up leagues tonight. My lineup in today’s $5/$110-entry double-up GPP at DraftStreet (subject to change; spent $99,779 of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Kevin Love/MIN, Ricky Rubio/MIN
Bargain Plays: Marco Belinelli/SAS, Kirk Hinrich/CHI (if he starts), Lance Stephenson/IND
Speculative Plays: Robin Lopez/POR, Luol Deng/CHI, Jordan Hill/LAL
If Derrick Rose/CHI plays, replace Hinrich with Chris Andersen/MIA
Expected DraftStreet points: 210.00 (+/-25.00).
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