With the exception of the Thunder destroying the Lakers, none of the games ended with a greater than ten point margin. In two high scoring games, the Rockets outlasted the Warriors and the Suns beat the Kings to earn important road wins. The Cavaliers, Bulls and Jazz also scored road wins. Tonight, there are eight games on NBA floors. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top performers
1) Joakim Noah/CHI. We were not certain he would play, but he did and put up a monster line. 10 of 15 FGA, 1 of 2 FTA, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 2 TO, 21 points.
2) Kevin Love/MIN. A great game in tough conditions.
3) Kevin Durant/OKC. Ho hum.
4) Al Horford/ATL. Atlanta’s best player is getting it in gear.
5) Gordon Hayward/UTA. A future star.
Honorable mention: Victor Oladipo/ORL, Tim Duncan/SAS, Eric Bledsoe/PHO, DeMarcus Cousins.
Top Sleepers
1) Trevor Booker/WAS. There was concern that Martell Webster’s/WAS return would limit Booker. 12 of 19 FGA, 0 of 1 FTA, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 TO, 24 points.
2) Lance Stephenson/IND. He was my value tip from the Pacers.
3) Terrence Ross/TOR. I had tipped him earlier in the week, and last night he broke out.
4) Kawhi Leonard/SAS.
5) Eric Gordon/NOP
6) Harrison Barnes/GSW.
7) Manu Ginobili/SAS.
Biggest Busts
1) Ty Lawson/DEN. Probably should have sat out. 0 of 6 FGA, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 TO, 0 points.
2) Enes Kanter/UTA. His season has completely deteriorated
3) Jordan Crawford/BOS. A surprising game from a normally consistent player.
4) Brandon Jennings/DET.
5) Danny Green/SAS.
It was a high scoring day in the DraftStreet NBA leagues. With so many games going and multiple players exceeding the 50 DraftStreet point mark, it took a lot of points to snare the top prizes in the big multi-entry GPPs. In the $11 double-up, it took 251.75 points to finish in the top half; luckily my team bested that total by 10.00 points. Congratulations to “badtouch” for winning the $2/$4,000 GPP with a score of 344.00 points to secure the $800 prize.
Saturday NBA contests at DraftStreet
DraftStreet is offering two marquee contests tonight: an $11 buy-in/$5,000 GPP and a $55 buy-in/$10,000 GPP, both allowing up to 10 entries per player. For those on a tighter budget, there is a $2/$1,000 GPP on offer.
Over 1,200 players entered our Friday freeroll and “moviemaster” won a $109 voucher by finishing first with a score of 319.75 DraftStreet points. My team scored 268.25 DraftStreet points and ended up just outside the top 100. Look for a new freeroll next week. It’s a chance to win vouchers for DraftStreet contests at no risk to you.
Wounded Lakers Take on Bobcats
A look at tonight’s action from a daily fantasy perspective. An asterisk (*) indicates a team playing the second of back-to-back games…
Los Angeles Lakers* at Charlotte Bobcats* (7:00 pm EST), Over/Under 198.5; Bobcats -2.5
Both teams are traveling overnight for this game. The Lakers are experiencing a mini-crisis with three injured point guards, a rusty superstar and a center who hates the offensive system. The Bobcats came close to ending the Pacers’ long home winning streak last night and should easily cover the spread.
Los Angeles Clippers at Washington Wizards* (7:00 pm EST), Over/Under 194.5; Clippers -4
Martell Webster/WAS returned last night, but Nene Hilario/WAS wasn’t ready. John Wall/WAS was not his usual brilliant self and the Wizards lost in overtime.
Cleveland Cavaliers* at Miami Heat (7:30 pm EST), Over/Under 200.5; Heat -12.5
The Heat have both the “fatigue” and home court advantage over the Cavaliers. The concern here is that blowout conditions will limit the LeBron James’s/MIA fantasy numbers. Kyrie Irving/CLE has had two great games in a row and I’m sure the Heat will be paying him extra attention.
Atlanta Hawks* at New York Knicks* (7:30 pm EST), Over/Under 191.5; Hawks -1
The Knicks lost a close one in Boston and return home. Al Horford/ATL had a great game and should have an edge against Knicks center Andrea Bargnani/NYK.
Portland Trail Blazers at Philadelphia 76ers* (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 210.5; Blazers -10.5
The Sixers are in major scuffle mode. They can’t seem to overcome their weak defensive play and their offense has dropped a gear without Michael Carter-Williams/PHI. The Blazers are an excellent road team and blowout conditions could apply.
Toronto Raptors* at Chicago Bulls (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 186.5; Bulls -1.5
Earlier this season, the Bulls trounced the Raptors in Toronto. Since then, Chicago has lost Derrick Rose/CHI for the season and Toronto has pulled off a major trade. All the new arrivals played off the bench; we’ll see if that continues.
Milwaukee Bucks* at Dallas Mavericks (8:30 pm EST), Over/Under 195.5; Mavs -11.5
John Henson/MIL plays his fourth game in five nights and for that reason should be avoided against the Mavs. This might be the best candidate game for a blowout in weeks.
San Antonio Spurs* at Utah Jazz* (9:00 pm EST), Over/Under 194.5; Spurs -6.5
The Jazz came up with a road win in Denver and are no longer the doormat they were at the start of the season. The Spurs beat the Wolves, despite a monster game from Kevin Love/MIN. Tony Parker/SAS was a solid choice yesterday and remains so today. Kawhi Leonard/SAS is also worth a look.
Injuries Relevant for Tonight’s Games
Lakers: Jordan Farmar (OUT), Steve Nash (OUT), Steve Blake (OUT); Bobcats: Bismack Biyombo (P), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (OUT).
Clippers: J.J. Redick (OUT), Matt Barnes (OUT), Reggie Bullock (OUT); Wizards: Nene Hilario (Q), Al Harrington (OUT), Bradley Beal (OUT).
Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao (P) ; Dwayne Wade (P), Michael Beasley (D)
Hawks: none ; Knicks: Amare Stoudamire (D), Kenyon Martin (D), Raymond Felton (OUT), Tyson Chandler (OUT).
Trail Blazers: none ; 76ers: Michael Carter-Williams (Q), Arnett Moultrie (OUT) .
Raptors: Tyler Hansbrough (P), Landry Fields (P), Patrick Patterson (P), John Salmons (P), Greivis Vasquez (P) ; Bulls: Luol Deng (Q), Jimmy Butler (Q), Mike James (OUT).
Bucks: Gary Neal (Q), Caron Butler (OUT), Zaza Pachulia (OUT), Larry Sanders (OUT); Mavericks: Brandon Wright (P).
Spurs: Tiago Splitter (Q); Jazz: none.
key: (P) Probable, (Q) Questionable, (D) Doubtful, (GT) Game time decision, (OUT) Out, of course.
My recommended lineup in the $11/$1,000 double-up GPP at DraftStreet ($98,845 salary spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: LeBron James/MIA, LaMarcus Aldridge/POR, DeMar DeRozan/TOR.
Bargain Plays: Terrence Ross/TOR, Trevor Booker/WAS, Andrea Bargnani/NYK.
Speculative Plays: Kawhi Leonard/SAS, Gerald Henderson/CHA.
Estimated DraftStreet points: 215.00 (+/- 55.00).
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.