Blowouts were expected but none came. Portland overcame terrible first quarter defense and pulled away from the Nets in the second half on the strength of superior outside shooting. In Oklahoma, the Thunder rallied to win the expected shootout against the Nuggets. The Bulls and Mavericks played down to the level of their opponent, and secured a narrow win over the Bobcats and 76ers respectively.In the nightcap, Zach Randolph/MEM and Marc Gasol/MEM led the Grizzlies to an impressive road win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Kevin Durant/OKC. He was in his element in a high scoring affair. 11 of 27 FGA, 13 of 16 FTA, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 38 points.
2) Zach Randolph/MEM. 10 of 16 FGA, 6 of 7 FTA, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 0 TO, 26 points.
3) J.J. Hickson/DEN. Outplayed Thunder rebound specialist Serge Ibaka/OKC. 7 of 14 FGA, 4 of 8 FTA, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 TO, 18 points.
4) Russell Westbrook/OKC. 10 of 26 FGA, 7 of 10 FTA, 12 points, 7 assists, 5 TO, 30 points.
5) Ty Lawson/DEN. Had help from Hickson, but the Nuggets fell short. 9 of 17 FGA, 10 of 12 FTA, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 TO, 29 points.
Honorable mention: Monta Ellis/DAL, Marc Gasol/MEM, Chris Paul/LAC
Top Sleepers
1) Kosta Koufos/MEM. 5 of 5 FGA, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 1 TO, 10 points.
2) J.J. Hickson/DEN. Deserves to make this list too.
3) Mo Williams/POR. He’s getting starter’s minutes. 6 of 14 FGA, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks,1 TO, 12 points.
4) Marvin Williams/UTA. Helped the Jazz stay within shouting distance in the second half. 5 of 11 FGA. 4 of 6 FTA, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 16 points.
5) Jeff Adrien/CHA. 3 of 4 FGA, 0 of 2 FTA, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 0 TO, 6 points.
Biggest Busts
1) DeJuan Blair/DAL. Played limited minutes due to foul trouble and then sat out crunch time. 0 for 1,FGA, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 TO, 0 points
2) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist/CHA. 2 of 7 FGA, 0 of 2 FTA, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 TO, 4 points.
3) Nicholas Batum/POR. Got the minutes but put up disappointing numbers. 2 of 5 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 TO, 7 points.
4) Taj Gibson/CHI. 2 of 6 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 3 TO, 6 points.
5) Enes Kanter/UTA. Taking a less active role in Utah’s offensive scheme. 4 of 12 FGA, 0 of 1 FTA, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 TO, 8 points.
With a limited schedule of game in the NBA, I decided to use my $109 voucher earned through the recently completed DraftStreet promotion to enter a double-up league. Half of the 30 entries would cash for $200. My team did well enough to cash. In fact, thanks to Marc Gasol/MEM and Zach Randolph/MEM, my lineup scored 240.25 DraftStreet points, good for the top score in the league. It’s too bad that this was the only contest in which I entered that lineup.
My recommended lineup scored 199.50 DraftStreet points, with Mo Williams/POR the lineup MVP and Serge Ibaka/OKC the biggest disappointment. My selections were made before the Nets announced that Reggie Evans/BKN would start instead of Andray Blatche/BKN.
Tuesday NBA contests at DraftStreet
For those interested in the standard payout contests, DraftStreet is offering larger than usual multi-entry guarantees. The $2/1,100 entry and the $11/300 entry caught my eye right away. There are nine double-up GPPs in the NBA lobby at DraftStreet as I speak. With only five NBA games tonight, this is an opportunity to use your daily fantasy knowledge and skills to good effect.
The weekly DraftStreet freeroll is up and takes place this Friday. You can register and select your lineup by clicking any of the DraftStreet hyper-text links in this article.
Pistons host Carmelo and the Knicks
A look at today’s games from a daily fantasy perspective. Dollar figures are DraftStreet prices. An asterisk (*) indicates that the team is playing the second of back-to-back games.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Washington Wizards (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=205.5; Wolves -3.5
John Wall/$17,213/WAS has been bothered by back spasm and that’s bad news for the Wizards; the Timberwolves should win this one easily. Among the Wizards, the best bet for a big game is the streaky Bradley Beal/$13,185/WAS. Kevin Love/$23,604/MIN is a reliable play but is getting very expensive. Cheaper and also reliable (if healthy) is Kevin Martin/$14,938/MIN, who has become the number two option in the Wolves’ offense.
New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=200; Pistons -4
Andrea Bargnani/$12,555/NYK has stepped in for Tyson Chandler/NYK with several good games, most notably a creditable performance against Dwight Howard/$19,995/HOU. Carmelo Anthony/$18,618/NYK will still have to carry the load on offense. The Pistons have the superior front line talent and depth and should win easily.
Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=206.5; Heat -9.5
It remains to be seen how many Miami Heat players will sit this one out. LeBron James/$23,459/MIA is becoming a safe bet, especially if Dwayne Wade/$15,078/MIA remain hampered by injury.
Boston Celtics at Houston Rockets (8:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=204.5; Rockets -11
The betting line looks a bit high, as the Celtics have some weapons and are capable of staying in a high scoring game. I like Jordan Crawford/$11,635/BOS at his current salary. James Harden/$19,246/HOU is a relatively safe lineup anchor, as the Rockets’ offense will run through him most of the time.
Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings (10:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=192.5; Kings -1.5
Sacramento is in disarray and badly in need of a solid performance. DeMarcus Cousins/$18,118/SAC is coming off his worst game of the year. The trouble is that the Kings, beside Cousins, have very few offensive weapons. The Suns offer a balanced attack, led by Eric Bledsoe/$16,393/PHO and Goran Dragic/$12,358/PHO.
My lineup in today’s $2/1,100-entry GPP at DraftStreet (subject to change; spent $99,387 of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Carmelo Anthony/NYK, Kevin Martin/MIN
Bargain Plays: J.J. Barea/MIN, Dante Cunningham/MIN, Jordan Crawford/BOS
Speculative Plays: Terrance Jones/HOU (if he starts), Bradley Beal/WAS, Nikola Petkovic/MIN
Notes: Chandler Parsons/$14,466/HOU and Jeremy Lin/$13,557/HOU are options if you want to go with a Rockets-heavy lineup. Andre Drummond/$16,733/DET and Brandon Jennings/$15,103/DET should have solid games as well.
Expected DraftStreet points: 205.00 (+/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.