In the first of two games last night, Kevin Durant/OKC led the Thunder to a home win over the tired Clippers. In the nightcap, the Bulls couldn’t find their shooting range from outside and the Nuggets survived a mediocre performance from Ty Lawson/DEN to win a halfcourt oriented game over Chicago. There are 11 games on the NBA schedule tonight, which means lots of interesting choices for our NBA fantasy lineups to be made. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Kevin Durant/OKC. Very few teams can contain him. 10 of 19 FGA, 6 of 9 FTA, 6 rebounds, 8 assists,1 steal, 1 TO, 28 points.
2) Blake Griffin/LAC. No surprises here. 12 of 23 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO, 27 points.
3) Chris Paul/LAC. Just like Griffin, he performed as expected. 7 of 11 FGA, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 TO, 17 points.
Honorable mention: Joakim Noah/CHI, Kenneth Faried/DEN
Top Sleepers
1) Mike Dunleavy/CHI. Got the start and, apart from Noah, was the Bulls best player. 6 of 11 FGA, 1 of 1 FTA, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 0 TO, 15 points.
2) Jordan Hamilton/DEN. 6 of 12 FGA, 2 of 3 FTA, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 TO, 17 points.
3) Jeremy Lamb/OKC. Provided crucial outside shooting for the Thunder. 5 of 10 FGA, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 TO, 11 points.
4) Steven Adams/OKC. Still stone-handed around the rim, Adams is a valued paint presence on defense and should be starting over Perkins. 2 of 5 FGA, 2 of 4 FTA, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 1 TO, 6 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Wilson Chandler/DEN. 0 of 2 FGA, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 0 points.
2) Ty Lawson/DEN. Had a poor game and the Nuggets still won easily – a good sign for them. 3 of 9 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 4 TO, 10 points.
3) DeAndre Jordan/LAC. 2 of 8 FGA, 0 of 4 FTA, 12 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist, 1 TO, 4 points.
4) Luol Deng/CHI. The biggest among many disappointments for the Bulls. 3 of 18 FGA, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 TO, 6 points.
It was inevitable that DraftStreet scoring would be on the low side, due to only two games being played last night. Apart from a sub-par result from Russell Westbrook/OKC, my recommended team did well in accumulating 201.75 DraftStreet points. Mike Dunleavy/CHI was the best value for money among all players, and both Kevin Durant/OKC and Blake Griffin/LAC came through with solid games. The Clippers-Thunder game wasn’t quite the shootout I expected.
The $5/330-entry GPP was won by “nordy62” with a score of only 212.00 DraftStreet points. My recommended team would have finished in a tie for 21st place, good for a $10.00 cash.
Friday NBA contests at DraftStreet
The DraftStreet Basketball Championship qualifier returns today, with a massive $109/200-entry contest. Book your place in the championship by taking first, or take your shot at the $10,000 in cash up for grabs for spots 2 to 19. Don’t forget to enter and set your lineups for the weekly freeroll this evening. Click on any DraftStreet text link to register and set your lineups for a chance to win vouchers to DraftStreet contests.
Grizzlies and Spurs Collide
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.
Phoenix Suns at Charlotte Bobcats (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=191; Bobcats -2.5
The Suns have fallen on hard times since Eric Bledsoe/$15,793/PHO went down with a bruised shin. He may play today. The Bobcats are among the teams with the least talent depth in the league, but are usually around in crunch time to contest games.
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=200.5; Sixers -3
The Bucks have been bolstered by the return of Luke Ridnour/$8,696/MIL. How many minutes he gets will determine how good a value play he is tonight.
Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=194.5; Raptors -4.5
Kyle Lowry/$14,242/TOR and DeMar DeRozan/$12,999/TOR will have their hands full with John Wall/$15,877/WAS and Bradley Beal/$14,391/WAS. The total points line seems to low here.
Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=185; Pacers -7.5
Blowout possibility, but my guess is that Boston will be able to keep things close .
Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=197.5; Pistons -4
A rematch. I’m curious to see how the Pistons adjust top DaMarre Carroll’s/$9,924/ATL great game last time out.
San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (8:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=185.5; Spurs -1
A battle of Western powerhouses. The Spurs have contained most big men they’ve faces, but Marc Gasol/$16,874/MEM is a special player.
Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=201.5; Wolves -9
Minnesota looks to got rolling again and should have a relatively easy time with the undermanned Nets.
Cleveland Cavaliers at New Orleans Pelicans (8:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=196; Pelicans -7
The Pelicans have been a different team since the return of Ryan Anderson/$11,665/NOP has given them an accurate outside shooter.
Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks (8:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=203; Mavs -11.5
With the hobbled Gordon Hayward/$13,425/UTA is coming off a horrific shooting night, this is the top blowout candidate of the night. Derrick Favors/$15,490/UTA will have to have a great night for the Jazz to stay in this one. Watch the status of Marvin Williams/$6,183/UTA: if he plays he instantly becomes one of the top bargain plays of the night.
Chicago Bulls* at Portland Trail Blazers (10:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=189; Blazers -3.5
The Bulls couldn’t hit from outside and lost easily to the Nuggets last night. Tonight they face a better team and I can’t see them winning. Chicago matches up poorly with Portland: their strength inside the paint will be blunted against the perimeter-oriented Blazers offense, while Robin Lopez/$9,842/POR will do a decent job on the Bulls bigs on defense. Derrick Rose/$12,790/CHI has not found his outside shot, leaving Chicago reliant on Kirk Hinrich/$10,203/CHI in that department.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=204.5; Warriors -4.5
Will Stephen Curry/$17,158/GSW play in this one?
My lineup in today’s $11/100-entry double-up GPP at DraftStreet (subject to change; spent $99,442 of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Paul George/IND, John Wall/WAS, Pau Gasol/LAL
Bargain Plays: Jeff Adrien/CHA, George Hill/IND
Speculative Plays: Vince Carter/DAL, Steve Blake/LAL, Jordan Hill/LAL
Notes: I like the way Hill, Blake and Gasol work together: they are now the backbone of the Lakers. Hill and George of Indiana will do well against the Celtics, with the only concern being possible blowout conditions.
Expected DraftStreet points: 235.00 (+/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.