Ordinarily, the biggest news of the night would be the phenomenal performances of Kevin Durant/OKC and Andre Drummond/DET. But that magnificence was overshadowed by a hand injury suffered by Anthony Davis/NOP late in the first quarter against the Knicks. Expect the Pelicans’ star to be out of action for several weeks and for the Pelicans to suffer a string of defeats. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top performers
1) Kevin Durant/OKC. From a fantasy perspective, the best game of the year from anyone. 14 of 21 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks, 2 TO, 32 points.
2) Andre Drummond/DET. 12 of 15 FGA, 7 of 18 FTA, 19 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 31 points.
3) Stephen Curry/GSW.
4) Damian Lillard/POR. Nice to see an excellent bounce back game.
5) Rudy Gay/TOR.
Honorable mention: Tyreke Evans/NOP, Paul George/IND.
Top Sleepers
1) Robert Sacre/LAL. Filled in admirably for Pau Gasol/LAL. 5 of 8 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 0 TO, 12 points.
2) Timofey Mozgov/DEN. Made a strong case for a starting role. 6 of 12 FGA, 4 of 6 FTA, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 TO, 16 points.
3) Xavier Henry/LAL. An occasional great game, but not to be relied on.
4) Darrell Arthur/DEN.
5) Patrick Patterson/SAC.
Biggest Busts
1) Anthony Davis/NOP. Went down with a fractured hand. 2 of 6 FGA, 3 of 3 FTA, 4 rebounds, 1 TO, 7 points (10+ minutes)
2) Pau Gasol/LAL. An ankle injury limited his production.
3) J.J. Hickson/DEN.
4) Jordan Farmar/LAL. Barely saw action before injury struck him down.
5) Amir Johnson/TOR. Relegated to coming off the bench.
Monday NBA contests at DraftStreet
It is Survivor Monday at DraftStreet. The popular format comes in two flavors today: the $5/264 max GPP and the $11/200 max GPP. But top billing today has to go to the $10,000 GPP multi-entry with a $22 buy-in and room for 500 lineups.
There are 12 double-up GPPs in the lobby as I write, with buy-ins ranging from $2 to $215. Don’t forget that a lot of the 10- and 20-entry non-guaranteed contests fill and are usually a great value. And you can sign up for this week’s freeroll, which takes place of Friday, by clicking any DraftStreet text link.
Contenders Meet in Portland
A look at tonight’s action from a daily fantasy perspective. Dollar figures are DraftStreet salaries. An asterisk (*) indicates a team playing the second of back-to-back games.
Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards (7:00 pm EST), Over/Under 196.5; Wizards -7
Another great guard matchup here: John Wall/$19,252/WAS versus Victor Oladipo/$11,478/ORL. Nikola Vucevic/$15,160/ORL looks to get back on track offensively, but Marcin Gortat/$14,489/WAS will be looking to score as well. This one should be a close to the finish.
New Orleans Pelicans* at Chicago Bulls (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 191.5; Bulls-6.5
The absence of Anthony Davis/$20,434/NOP has enormous fantasy repercussions for the Pelicans and their opponents. Tyreke Evans/$11,923/NOP will take on the added burden of being the Pelicans’ main man in the paint, and Ryan Anderson/$11,645/NOP will be asked to shoot more. Both of them are good plays tonight. Carlos Boozer/$12,247/CHI and Luol Deng/$15,726/CHI should have plenty of space to move around in the lane. The Bulls rarely blow teams out but tonight could be an exception.
Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs (8:30 pm EST), Over/Under 197; Spurs -12
Because they lost a winnable game on home court last time out, the Spurs will have extra motivation. The Hawks don’t have the depth to beat the Spurs, but they may hang in the game if their star players play well. Jeff Teague/$13,321/ATL has been inconsistent and I think Tony Parker/$13,125/SAS will outplay him badly if the latter is healthy. Al Horford/$14,775/ATL versus Tim Duncan/$12,919/SAS is an even matchup, which leaves Paul Millsap/$13,223/ATL carrying the Hawks’ chances on his shoulders.
Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz (9:00 pm EST), Over/Under 202.5; Rockets -7.5
The Rockets are arguably the best team in the league right now and should have no trouble with the lowly Jazz. James Harden/$17,384/HOU won’t be pushed in this contest, so look for Aaron Brooks/$8,920/HOU to get extra minutes. If Chandler Parsons/$13,997/HOU gets the night off or plays limited minutes, Omri Caspi/$7,575/HOU should see extra time on the floor. Blowout concerns aside, Dwight Howard/$19,825/HOU is set up for a big game due to the Jazz’ weak interior.
Indiana Pacers* at Portland Trail Blazers (10:00 pm EST), Over/Under 191; Pacers -2
The marquee matchup of the night. Because of the quality of the defenses, it will be difficult for anyone to have a great fantasy stat line.
My recommended lineup in the $5/330 max entry at DraftStreet ($99,521 salary spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: John Wall/WAS, Luol Deng/CHI
Bargain Plays: Victor Oladipo/ORL, Eric Gordon/NOP, Jason Smith/NOP
Speculative Plays: Glen Davis/ORL, Ryan Anderson/NOP, Carlos Boozer/CHI
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.