The Raptors had more than a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter and somehow managed to lose the game by nine points to the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder were all set to blow the Kings out, but Isaiah Thomas/SAC ignited a comeback and Oklahoma had to bring in the regulars to hold on to a 97-95 win. Orlando and Philadelphia battled into a second overtime before the Sixers emerged with a 126-125 victory. The stat lines for Glen Davis/ORL, Arron Afflalo/ORL, Victor Oladipo/ORL, Thaddeus Young/PHI and Michael Carter-Williams/PHI were boosted by the extra minutes played. When it was announced that Dwayne Wade/MIA would sit out, you knew the Heat were in for a tough battle. The Pistons held on to break the Heat’s 10-game winning streak. We had eight games on the card last night and we have eight more today. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top performers
1) Arron Afflalo/ORL. Deadly accurate for most of the game, he missed some key shots in the final overtime, likely due to fatigue. 14 of 27 FGA, 10 of 11 FTA, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO, 43 points.
2) Victor Oladipo/ORL. The only issue with him is whether he can keep his turnovers down to be a true point guard.
3) Michael Carter-Williams/PHI. Not a very good outside shooter yet, but can do almost everything else well.
4) Stephen Curry/GSW. Without Andre Iguodala/GSW, Curry has had to take on more responsibilities and has come through with a string of great games.
5) Timofey Mozgov/DEN. The revelation of the week. How long before he cracks the starting lineup?
Honorable mention: Kevin Durant/OKC, Thaddeus Young/PHI
Top Sleepers
1) Timofey Mozgov/DEN. Probably the best bench player in the league right now. 6 of 9 FGA, 5 of 5 FTA, 20 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 17 points.
2) Jon Leuer/MEM. The Absence of Zach Randolph/MEM has opened up playing time.
3) Ed Davis/MEM.
4) Kyle Singler/DET. A key factor is the Pistons surprise win over the Heat.
5) Glen Davis/ORL. Big Baby Davis was rested the night before and his jump shot was on.
Biggest Busts
1) Tony Wroten/PHI. The once fill-in for MCW, he is fast becoming the forgotten man on the Sixers. 1 of 2 FGA, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 TO, 2 points.
2) Eric Bledsoe/PHOE. Not an auspicious return to the starting five.
3) Maurice Harkless/ORL.
4) Mike Miller/MEM.
5) Brook Lopez/BKN.
My recommended lineup scored well and would have placed in the money in just about every NBA contest on offer at DraftStreet . In the mammoth $5/$7,500 GPP, the accumulated DraftStreet point total of 269.25 would have earned a tie for 83rd place and $15.00. Arron Afflalo/ORL and Victor Oladipo/ORL were the stars of the show, and Kosta Koufos/MEM amassed very good numbers. The other five had 20+ DraftStreet point games, resulting in solid production from all eight slots.
The winner of the $1,500 first prize was “ldubble”, who invested heavily in the Orlando-Philadelphia game and scored 327.25 DraftStreet points.
Wednesday NBA contests at DraftStreet
The marquee contests tonight are the $11/$5,000 GPP and the $215/$25,000 GPP. The DraftStreet Basketball Championship returns with qualifier #6, a $55 buy-in contest with room for 350 players.
Don’t forget our Friday freeroll. Click on any DraftStreet text link to register and remember to submit your lineup before the NBA games begin on Friday. There are plenty of vouchers to be won with no risk to you.
Thunder and Trail Blazers battle for West Supremacy
A look at tonight’s action from a daily fantasy perspective. An asterisk (*) indicates a team playing the second of back-to-back games.
Denver Nuggets* at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:00 pm EST), Over/Under 202.5; Nuggets -4
I like Kyrie Irving/CLE to get a boatload of touches and if he shoots decently he will be a tremendous value play tonight. I will also go to the Timofey Mozgov/DEN well once again.
Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta Hawks (7:30 pm EST), Over/Under 202.5; Clippers -3.5
I’m looking forward to Al Horford/ATL battling DeAndre Jordan/LAC. If Chris Paul/LAC is on his game, the Clippers should win easily.
Phoenix Suns* at Houston Rockets (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 209; Rockets -10.5
The availability of Chandler Parsons/HOU will have a huge impact on NBA fantasy leagues. If he doesn’t play, Francisco Garcia/HOU becomes a great bargain. Additionally, the game is likely to be a closer finish, which means more minutes for the star players on both teams (especially James Harden/HOU).
Dallas Mavericks* at New Orleans Hornets (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 206; Pelicans -1.5
Dirk Nowitzki /DAL will try to bounce back from an off game. Jrue Holiday/NOP and Ryan Anderson/NOP will carry the burden for the Pelicans as they seek their second win without Anthony Davis/NOP.
Detroit Pistons* at Milwaukee Bucks* (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 193; Pistons -4.5
If the NBA champs have a weakness, it is the inside game and the Pistons were able to take advantage and snap the Heat’s winning streak yesterday. They make the trek to Milwaukee to face one of the weaker teams in the league. Unless their shooting turns cold, Detroit should emerge victorious.
Indiana Pacers at Utah Jazz (9:00 pm EST), Over/Under 187.5; Pacers -8.5
San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves (9:30 pm EST), Over/Under 205; Spurs -4.5
With Tim Duncan/SAS now in mid-season form, the Wolves will have to shoot exceptionally well from the perimeter to stay in this one. Duncan is an interesting speculative play coming off his monster game, but he will have to deal with Nikola Pekovic/MIN and/or Kevin Love/MIN.
Oklahoma City Thunder* at Portland Trail Blazers (10:00 pm EST), Over/Under 204.5; Blazers -2.5
The Thunder held off a furious fourth quarter comeback by the Kings and won by just two points. Tonight they face their toughest test yet: a rested Portland club in the comfort of their home court and in apparent full health. The winner of this game will be the new “best team in the league”.
My recommended lineup in the $5/500 max entry at DraftStreet ($99,872 salary spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Jrue Holiday/NOP, Tim Duncan/SAS, Kyrie Irving/CLE
Bargain Plays: Timofey Mozgov/DEN, Vince Carter/DAL, George Hill/IND
Speculative Plays: Josh Smith/DET, Monta Ellis/DAL
Estimated DraftStreet points: 215.00 (+- 40.00)
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.