Stephen Curry/GSW returned, but Portland rolled right over Golden State to continue their winning streak. LaMarcus Aldridge/POR had a career game to lead the way. Philadelphia kept things interesting in Indiana, until a lack of effective outside shooting doomed them. The Rockets didn’t feel the absence of James Harden/HOU very much, as they marched to an easy win over the Timberwolves. The Heat had to fight tooth and nail to hold off the improving Magic, while the Milwaukee Bucks were humiliated by the Charlotte Bobcats. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top Fantasy Performers
1) LaMarcus Aldridge/POR. One of the best fantasy performances of the year, from anyone. 7 of 21 FGA, 6 of 19 FTA, 21 rebounds, 3 assits, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 5 TO, 30 points.
2) Roy Hibbert/IND. Figured to have a good game after the Sixers scratched Spencer Hawes/PHI. 7 of 12 FGA, 13 of 16 FTA, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 blocks, 2 TO, 27 points.
3) DeMarcus Cousins/SAC. Doesn’t get enough help to beat the good teams, but came close against the Clippers. 10 of 22 FGA, 3 of 6 FTA, 19 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 3 TO, 23 points.
4) Michael Carter-Williams/PHI. His best game since his debut masterpiece. He and Evan Turner/PHI brought the Sixers within a few buckets of a big upset. 11 of 21 FGA, 6 of 11 FTA, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 steals, 1 block, 2 TO, 29 points.
5) Kevin Love/MIN. His usual work. 11 of 22 FGA, 3 of 3 FTA, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 27 points.
Honorable mention: LeBron James/MIA, Marcin Gortat/WAS, John Wall/WAS.
Top Sleepers
1) Aaron Brooks/HOU. 10 of 14 FGA, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 TO, 26 points.
2) Terrence Jones/HOU. His success has gone on too long to be a fluke. 7 of 10 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 18 points.
3) Patrick Patterson/SAC. 8 of 16 FGA, 5 of 7 FTA, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 TO, 21 points.
4) Kenneth Faried/DEN. 7 of 7 FGA, 4 of 6 FTA, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 TO, 18 points.
5) Glen Davis/ORL. His return is a needed shot in the arm for the Magic. 7 of 13 FGA, 6 of 8 FTA, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 TO, 20 points.
6) David West/IND. 6 of 11 FGA, 5 of 5 FTA, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 2 TO, 17 points.
Biggest Busts
1) O.J. Mayo/MIL. Leads a clean sweep of this category by Milwaukee Bucks. 2 of 7 FGA, 1 assist, 1 TO, 4 points.
2) Caron Butler/MIL. Riches to rags. 2 of 8 FGA, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 TO, 5 points.
3) Nate Wolters/MIL. 0 of 2 FGA, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 TO, 0 points.
4) Ersan Ilyasova/MIL. 3 of 6 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 2 rebounds, 2 TO, 7 points.
5) Zaza Pachulia/MIL. 0 of 2 FGA, 4 rebounds, 1 steal , 0 TO, 0 points.
Sunday NBA contests at DraftStreet
With two afternoon NBA games, the DraftStreet schedule is split among early start contests (closing at 2p, ET) and late start contests (closing at 6 pm). Early GPPs range from a buy-in of $2 (550 entries) to $55 (30 entries); late starts GPPs range up to a $109 buy-in. Look for “RobDudek” in the early bird $2 contest.
Day-Night Doubleheader in Los Angeles
A look at today’s five NBA games from a daily fantasy perspective. An asterisk (*) indicates that the team is playing the second of back-to-back games.
Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets (2:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=192; Nets -2
It’s hard to like the Nets’ side of this equation, even though they are at home. Right now the Pistons have a big edge in depth of talent. Josh Smith/DET and Greg Monroe/DET have been quiet of late and Brandon Jennings/DET is a good candidate for a breakout game. On the Nets side, I like the inexpensive Joe Johnson/BKN.
Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Clippers* (3:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=193.5; Clippers -6.5
Slow tempo meets up tempo. The Clippers should win this one easily, as I expect Blake Griffin/LAC to bounce back. The lack of effective outside shooting from the Bulls to derail them in this one.
Phoenix Suns at Orlando Magic* (6:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=198; Magic -1.5
With Glen Davis/ORL back and Victor Oladipo/ORL thriving, the Magic are a legitimate playoff contender. The Suns without Eric Bledsoe/PHO are not. Look for Goran Dragic/PHO to take on more responsibility, but this is a tough matchup for him.
Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder (7:00pm EST)- Over/Under Total=197; Thunder -14
Kevin Durant/OKC, Russell Westbrook/OKC and Serge Ibaka/OKC are excellent plays here, unless blowout conditions apply. You can sprinkle them into your lineups hoping the Jazz can keep it close. Gordon Hayward/UTA is a risky play due to health issues. If Marvin Williams/UTA starts as has been talked about, he is the top value play of the day.
Sacramento Kings* at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30pm EST)- Over/Under Total=202.5; Lakers -4.5
The Lakers will win this one on the strength of Steve Blake/LAL, Jordan Hill/LAL and Pau Gasol/LAL. DeMarcus Cousins/SAC will be a bit tired from yesterday, but he’s a solid bet to put up good numbers. Isaiah Thomas/SAC off the bench is a nice speculative play.
My lineup in today’s $2/550-entry GPP at DraftStreet (subject to change; spent $99,649 pf $100,000)
Stars Worth Starting: Chris Paul/LAC, Jordan Hill/LAL
Bargain Plays: Marvin Williams/UTA, Steven Adams/OKC
Speculative Plays: Greg Monroe/DET, Kirk Hinrich/CHI, Josh Smith/DET
NOTES: Without Derrick Rose/CHI in the game, Chris Paul/LAC should be free to create. Kirk Hinrich/CHI will get a lot of minutes. I’m counting on bounce back games from Monroe and Smith against the weakened Nets. Marvin Williams/UTA is slated to take over from Enes Kanter/UTA as a starter. This is a solid double-up team with a lot of upside.
Estimated DraftStreet points: 210.00 (+/- 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.
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