The anticipated collision between the Spurs and Grizzlies fizzled when Marc Gasol/MEM left early with a knee injury. The Sixers showed their moxie with a comeback overtime win over the Bucks. The Pacers ground down the Celtics and the Raptors overcame John Wall’s/WAS third quarter heroics to register wins. The Lakers’ depth was too much for a weakened Golden State team. That was last night. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) Caron Butler/MIL. A career game, but the Bucks still managed to lose to the Sixers. 13 of 22 FGA, 8 of 11 FTA, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 4 TO, 38 points.
2) John Wall/WAS. It looks to me like he has overcome the back spasms. 15 of 21 FGA, 5 of 7 FTA, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 4 TO, 37 points.
3) Lance Stephenson/IND. Once in a while he takes over a game and finishes with a stat line like this. 5 of 10 FGA, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 1 TO, 10 points.
4) Kevin Love/MIN. Rebound machine; blowout conditions limited his numbers. 5 of 11 FGA, 7 of 7 FTA, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 TO, 17 points.
5) Michael Carter-Williams/PHI. Fouled out in the fourth quarter and missed a chance for even better number in OT. 4 of 8 FGA, 3 of 6 FTA, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 5 TO, 12 points.
Honorable mention: Pau Gasol/LAL, Anthony Davis/NOP
Top Sleepers
1) Marvin Williams/UTA. One of my Twitter tips last night. 7 of 13 FGA, 2 of 3 FTA, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 TO, 19 points.
2) Kyle Singler/DET. Got the surprise start because of Josh Smith’s/DET temporary benching. 9 of 13 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 TO, 22 points.
3) Tyreke Evans/NOP. He could be the secondary interior player the Pelicans need. 7 of 16 FGA, 4 of 4 FTA, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 19 points.
4) Ersan Ilyasova/MIL. Looks to be all the way back. 9 of 17 FGA, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 TO, 19 points.
5) Samuel Dalembert/DAL. 9 of 8 FGA, 2 of 4 FTA, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 3 TO, 18 points.
6) Channing Frye/PHO. 6 of 10 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 TO, 20 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Marc Gasol/MEM. Left with a knee injury in the first quarter. 1 of 3 FGA, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 TO, 2 points.
2) Shaun Livingston/BKN. 0 of 7 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 TO, 1 point.
3) Enes Kanter/UTA. The Jazz have forgotten about their big man, to their detriment. 1 of 6 FGA, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 TO, 2 points.
4) Andre Iguodala/GSW. Can’t handle point guard duties for long stretches. Left with a hamstring injury. 1 of 4 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 TO, 6 points.
5) Josh Smith/DET. Benched to start the game. 0 of 7 FGA, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2 TO, 0 points.
I decided that I wanted Terrence Ross/TOR on my $11 double-up team, which resulted in a wholesale rebuilding of my recommended lineup. The former lineup had John Wall/WAS and Pau Gasol/LAL, but also the disappointing Vince Carter/DAL and George Hill/IND. It would have scored 184.75 DraftStreet points.
My revamped team scored 220.25 points and finished 11th of 100 in the $11 double-up GPP. I kept Wall, Gasol and Jordan Hill/LAL, and added DeMar DeRozan/TOR and Ross from the Raptors,and Bradley Beal/WAS from the Wizards. I figured David Lee/GSW would have to take charge of the Warriors offense in the absence of Stephen Curry/GSW, and DeMarre Carroll/ATL fit in nicely as a reliable rebounder.
Saturday NBA contests at DraftStreet
The Kings visit the Clippers in the only afternoon game in the NBA today. DraftStreet NBA leagues start at 7 PM tonight. There is a juicy $2/1,100 entry GPP on the schedule among the GPP offerings, as well as small field, high buy-in multi-entry contests. A regular assortment of double-up and non-guarantee leagues can be found in the lobby as well. I’m going to change gears today and enter the $2/550-entry Pick’em contest instead of my regular salary cap leagues.
Streaking Blazers Visit Injured Warriors
A look at today’s games from a daily fantasy perspective. An asterisk (*) indicates that the team is playing the second of back-to-back games.
Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Clippers (3:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=207.5; Clippers -10.5
A rare Saturday afternoon start. Unfortunately not part of the Draftstreet player universe tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers* at Indiana Pacers* (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=193.5; Pacers -14
Blowout alert. The Pacers’ cheap bench players are worth a look here.
New York Knicks at Washington Wizards* (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=192.5; Wizards -2
The question of how John Wall/WAS can endure back-to-back games is still open and tonight will go a long way to answering it. A good value pick, but with a little extra risk.
Boston Celtics* at Atlanta Hawks* (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=194; Hawks -8.5
The Celtics faded in the second half against the Pacers and now they visit the “Pacers-lite”. Without Kelly Olynyk/BOS, Vitor Faverani/BOS will get extra minutes and is worth a speculative bet if you really need one due to his all-or-nothing performances.
Orlando Magic at Miami Heat (7:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=203; Heat -13.5
The Heat should have no problem. Victor Oladipo/ORL and Arron Afflalo/ORL are interesting plays.
Minnesota Timberwolves* at Houston Rockets (8:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=215.5; Rockets -6.5
This should be a shootout of the first order: fill you lineups with Wolves and Rockets.
Charlotte Bobcats* at Milwaukee Bucks* (8:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=182.5; Bucks -2
Caron Butler/MIL is a must start in the this one based on his stellar performance last night.
Cleveland Cavaliers* at San Antonio Spurs* Clippers (8:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=192; Spurs -11.5
This will be a tough test for Kyrie Irving/CLE. None of the Spurs stand out as excellent value, as you don’t know which ones will feature in any given game.
Dallas Mavericks* at Denver Nuggets (9:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=214; Nuggets -5
The Nuggets are well-rested and Ty Lawson/DEN is a good bet to bounce back.
Portland Trail Blazers* at Golden State Warriors* (10:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=198; Warriors -3.5
With Andre Iguodala’s/GSW status uncertain after a hamstring injury last night, and Stephen Curry/GSW still suffering from headaches, the Warriors will rely on David Lee/GSW and Klay Thompson/GSW to fill buckets. Portland’s balanced attack should win this one. Harrison Barnes/GSW was impressive and is an excellent bargain play.
My lineup in today’s $2/550-entry Pick’em GPP at DraftStreet (subject to change):
Tier 1: Kevin Love/MIN. High scoring game and the Rockets don’t have anyone who can guard him (assuming Dwight Howard/HOU guards Nikola Pekovic/MIN)
Tier 2: Carmelo Anthony/NYK. He’ll be the focal point of the Knicks offense once again.
Tier 3: James Harden/HOU. Just the kind of game that Harden is likely to take over.
Tier 4: Monta Ellis/DAL. The main cog in the Dallas offense will be needed in what figures to be a run-and-gun game in Denver.
Tier 5: Chandler Parsons/HOU. Among the most improved players in the league.
Tiers 6 to 8: Kevin Martin/MIN, Al Jefferson/CHA and Lance Stephenson/IND
Notes: As you can see, if sprinkled in plenty of Timberwolves and Rockets. I decided against Dwight Howard/HOU because I think his scoring opportunities will be somewhat limited against Pekovic and Love. John Wall/WAS is a close second in Tier 3, but I don’t have full confidence in his ability to play back-to-back nights. Andrew Bogut/GSW is a good alternative in Tier 8 if you are afraid of blowout conditions in Indiana.
Estimated DraftStreet points: 255.00 (+/- 35.00)
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.