There was a flurry of injury news leading up to the evening action yesterday. Word came down that the Nets would be without Deron Williams/BKN, Brook Lopez/BKN and Paul Pierce/BKN. This meant that Andray Blatche/BKN and Shaun Livingston/BKN got starting assignments and became very popular selections in DraftStreet leagues. The injury-riddled Nets put up a heroic effort before falling to the Clippers. Derrick Rose/CHI was ready to go. His Chicago Bulls sprinted out to a big lead over the Pacers and never looked back, handing Indiana its first defeat of the season. Today we have only three games on tap, one of them an early bird special. And so today’s Fantasy Spin comes to you a bit sooner than usual.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Ty Lawson/DEN. Shrugged off eye injury concerns in grand fashion. 11 of 19 FGA, 4 of 6 FTA,2 rebounds, 17 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 5 TO, 28 points.
2) Serge Ibaka/OKC. Figured to dominate the boards and he did. 6 of 13 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 20 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks, 0 TO, 15 points.
3) Kyrie Irving/CLE. At times, a one man Cavalier show. 14 of 28 FGA, 9 of 9 FTA, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 6 TO, 41 points.
4) LeBron James/MIA. Took on a larger role due to Chris Bosh/MIA foul trouble and Dwayne Wade/MIA ineffectiveness. 13 of 18 FGA, 4 of 4 FTA, 4 rebounds, 7 assists,1 steal, 1 block, 3 TO, 30 points.
5) Anthony Davis/NOP. Repeatedly crushed the hopes of Sixers who dared to venture into the paint. 5 of 10 FGA, 3 of 5 FTA, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 8 blocks,1 TO, 13 points.
Honorable mention: Blake Griffin/LAC, Chris Paul/LAC, Paul Millsap/ATL
Top Sleepers
1) Vitor Faverani/BOS. Got the start and was stellar against the Kevin Love/MIN and the Timberwolves. 3 of 7 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steasl, 4 blocks, 2 TO, 9 points.
2) Dante Cunningham/MIN. The number two man off the bench for the Wolves on most nights. 6 of 10 FGA, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 0 TO, 12 points.
3) Shelvin Mack/ATL. 5 of 8 FGA, 1 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, 12 points.
4) Ekpe Udoh/MIL. 4 of 10 FGA, 3 of 6 FTA, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 11 points.
5) Andray Blatche/BKN. Became a popular choice when it was announced he would start in Brook Lopez’s/BKN place. 8 of 11 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 8 rebounds, 2 assists,1 steal, 1 TO, 10 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Dwayne Wade/MIA. Probably should not have played. 1 of 7 FGA, 2 of 4 FTA, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 4 TO, 4 points.
2) Evan Turner/PHI. He had little room to maneuver on offense. 2 of 11 FGA, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TO, 4 points.
3) Paul George/IND. The Bulls shutting him down was the key to their victory.3 of 14 FGA, 6 of 6 FTA, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 TO, 12 points.
4) Al Horford/ATL. Paul Millsap/ATL showed up to carry the load. 6 of 10 FGA, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 TO, 12 points.
5) Chris Bosh/MIA. Foul trouble all night limited him to 15+ minutes. 3 of 4 FGA, 3 rebounds, 2 TO, 7 points.
Another typical day for me in the DraftStreet leagues: I cashed in one of two double-up leagues and finished middle of the pack in $5-330 entry GPP. The irony is that my score of 260.00 DraftStreet points in my double-up league would have been enough for third place and $185 in the $5 multi-entry, if only I had reversed the lineups.
If you did not sub-out Kirk Hinrich/CHI, congratulations on your good judgment: he had a solid game coming off the bench. Serge Ibaka/OKC collected rebounds and blocked shots, and Carmelo Anthony/NYK was the Knicks all-everything but he couldn’t prevent the visiting Hawks from taking a road win in New York. Evan Turner/PHI had his worst game of the season, while Tony Wroten/PHI took advantage of extra minutes played to put up decent numbers. The Sixers were hammered by the Pelicans, with Anthony Davis/NOP dominating before sitting out the fourth quarter. Marcin Gortat/WAS and Trevor Ariza/WAS fill in Martell Webster/WAS produced solid stat lines, but the Wizards fell to the Cavaliers in overtime.
Sunday NBA contests at DraftStreet
Since there is an afternoon game on the NBA schedule, DraftStreet is offering guaranteed contests that close at 1 pm, with six teams to choose from, and others that close at 6pm with players from four teams available. The largest field is the $2/$330-entry early bird. I suspect there may be some overlay in some of the early bird leagues. Overlay is free money, so take advantage when you are able to.
Raptors Host Trail Blazers in Matinee
A look at today’s games from a daily fantasy perspective. All teams have had at least one day off since their previous game.
Portland Trail Blazers at Toronto Raptors (1:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=194; Raptors -2
When Rudy Gay/$16,143/TOR and DeMar Derozan/$12,664/TOR are driving the Raptor bus, Toronto has success. After getting stomped by the Bulls, the Raptors’ big guns will be looking to bounce back and I think they will. Portland plays solid defense most nights, but the offense tends to center on LaMarcus Aldridge/$18,358/POR and three-point attempts. Avoid all three of the Toronto big men, as they will have to deal with defensive stalwart Robin Lopez/$10,425/POR.
Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings (6:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=189; Grizzlies -2
The Kings attack features a lot of DeMarcus Cousins/$19,168/SAC and some of Isaiah Thomas/$11,275/SAC when he is in the game. Memphis has a balanced attack and they were impressive in their road victory over the Lakers. Marc Gasol/$15,695/MEM will have his hands full on defense, so I suspect he won’t have quite his usual volume of opportunities on offense
Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=204; Pistons -2.5
This one figures to be the highest scoring game and so most of our players will be drawn from these two teams. Andre Drummond/$15,960/DET and Josh Smith/$15,513/DET are the hot hands so we will stick with them (they are reasonably priced). The Pistons’ guard situation is a bit murky at the moment, so I am passing on Brandon Jennings/$14,250/DET, Rodney Stuckey/$10,190/DET and Will Bynum/$6,793/DET.
My lineup in today’s $2/330-entry early bird GPP at DraftStreet (subject to change; spent $99,337 of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Rudy Gay/TOR , Andre Drummond/DET, Josh Smith/DET
Bargain Plays: Jodie Meeks/LAL, Mo Williams/POR
Speculative Plays: DeMar Derozan/TOR, Mike Conley/MEM, Tayshaun Prince/MEM
Notes: I think DeMarcus Cousins/SAC will have a big night, but his salary is such that it is difficult to fit him in without severely weakening another roster spot. I’m not as sanguine about LaMarcus Aldridge’s/POR numbers today, so I’m putting him in the “avoid” category.
Expected DraftStreet points: 205.00 (+/40.00).
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.