Yesterday afternoon, the San Antonio Spurs announced that Tim Duncan/SAS and Manu Ginobili/SAS would be rested against the Warriors. With Tony Parker/SAS also out, the Spurs B team showed up in full force and won a narrow victory over their conference rivals. Golden State mainstays Stephen Curry/GSW and David Lee/GSW played well, but a rusty Andre Iguodala/GSW and a thin bench derailed them. Earlier, the Bulls hung in with the Thunder for most of the game, ensuring major minutes and major fantasy production for Kevin Durant/OKC. Tonight there are nine games on the schedule. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top performers
1) Kevin Durant/OKC. The best offensive player in the NBA.
2) Stephen Curry/GSW. The most dangerous outside shooter in the league.
3) David Lee/GSW. With no Tim Duncan/SAS patrolling the paint, Lee was able to take advantage of the extra room.
4) Andrew Bogut/GSW. He started the year as a poor fantasy producer but has pumped up his stat lines since then.
5) Joakim Noah/CHI. Arguably the Bulls’ best player comes through again.
Honorable mention: Kawhi Leonard/SAS.
Top Sleepers
1) Patrick Mills/SAS. There were extra minutes up for grabs for the Spurs, and Mills used them well.
2) Taj Gibson/CHI. With Luol Deng/CHI out and Jimmy Butler/CHI leaving early, Gibson stepped up.
3) Marco Belinelli/SAS.
4) Thabo Sefolosha/OKC. Usually concentrates on defending and doesn’t often rack up big fantasy numbers.
Biggest Busts
1) Jimmy Butler/CHI. Left early with a sprained ankle.
2) Harrison Barnes/GSW. Pushed aside with the return of Andre Iguodala/GSW
3) Serge Ibaka/OKC.
4) Klay Thompson/GSW. A big disappointment to me, as I has him in a few on my lineups last night.
Friday NBA contests at DraftStreet
In less than a week, after a day off on December 24th, ten NBA teams will take the floor on Christmas Day. It will also be your chance to turn $11 into $25,000 by finishing first in a mammoth $100,000 GPP DraftStreet is offering that day. Be on the lookout in the lobby for $2 qualifiers for the Christmas Day 100K.
Our weekly freeroll gives you another chance to enter the big contest. The top 100 finishers will earn an automatic entry into the Christmas Day 100K contest, worth $11. Click on any DraftStreet text link, register and choose your players before the tonight’s deadline. It’s a chance to win vouchers to enter the 100K contest with no risk to you.
For those on a bigger budget, DraftStreet Basketball Championship Qualifier #11 with a $109 buy-in takes place tonight. For those on tighter budgets, there are potentially lucrative contests requiring only $2 ($4,000 GPP) and $11 ($6,000) to enter.
Lakers begin New Kobe-less Stretch
A look at tonight’s action from a daily fantasy perspective. An asterisk (*) indicates a team playing the second of back-to-back games:
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers (7:00 pm EST), Over/Under 210.5; Nets -5.5.
For those interested in traditional sports betting, I note that this line seems off to me. Philly has been losing games by double-digit scores consistently since Michael Carter-Williams/PHI began his second injury stretch. If MC-W plays at full capacity then the betting line makes sense; if not, Brooklyn should win by at least 15 points. Brook Lopez/BKN is an excellent value play unless he rests the fourth quarter in blowout conditions. With Kevin Garnett/BKN resting, Paul Pierce/BKN will get extra minutes and becomes a solid play.
Milwaukee Bucks at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 pm EST), Over/Under 192; Cavaliers -8.5.
I love John Henson’s/MIL potential: he is going to be a big star if he can avoid serious injury. However, the Bucks have a lot of players on the sidelines and Henson is too inconsistent to carry the team. He is therefore on my “avoid” list for this game. Injuries have opened the door for Giannis Antetokounmpo/MIL and as long as he gets starters minutes he should be good for 20+ DraftStreet points. If the game is close, Kyrie Irving/CLE is a solid bet to put up around 40 DraftStreet points.
Utah Jazz at Atlanta Hawks (7:30 pm EST), Over/Under 198.5; Hawks -7.5.
Trey Burke/UTA has been impressive, and it is no accident that the Jazz have been more competitive since his return from injury. The Hawks have better front line talent, but Utah should stay in this one to the end if they can contain Al Horford/ATL.
Sacramento Kings at Miami Heat (7:30 pm EST), Over/Under 208; Heat -10.5.
The Heat have enough depth of talent to handle the Kings even without a fully healthy LeBron. DeMarcus Cousins/SAS will have a good game, but Isaiah Thomas/SAC and Rudy Gay/SAC won’t have a look of open looks.
Charlotte Bobcats at Detroit Pistons (7:30 pm EST), Over/Under 191.5; Pistons -6.5.
Brandon Jennings/DET and Josh Smith/DET take turns running the Pistons offense, but Detroit needs to keep Greg Monroe/DET and Andre Drummond/DET involved in the paint to have success.
Houston Rockets at Indiana Pacers (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 197.5; Pacers-5.5.
Danny Granger/IND may return tonight and the Pacers could use a shot in the arm. Roy Hibbert/IND has underperformed in recent games and Paul George/IND has regressed a bit since his fantastic start to the season. The key player for the Pacers is Lance Stephenson/IND. When he is on his game, the Pacers become difficult to defend against.
Toronto Raptors at Dallas Mavericks (8:30 pm EST), Over/Under 202; Mavs -6.
The Raptors struggle against teams that shoot well from the perimeter. Dirk Nowitzki/DAL is a tough matchup for most teams and he is a solid value play here. For the Raptors, Amir Johnson/TOR has taken on more offensive responsibility since the big trade. Terrence Ross/TOR is a cheap play with excellent upside and some risk.
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets (9:00 pm EST), Over/Under 206; Nuggets -4.5.
Keep on eye on the status of Ty Lawson/DEN. If he can’t play, the Suns backcourt will have a big edge on the floor. Eric Bledsoe/PHO becomes a solid play.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 pm EST), Over/Under 210; Wolves -6.
Kobe Bryant/LAL will be out for several weeks and the Lakers are so short of point guards that Xavier Henry/LAL will take over as the floor general. This is great news for Lakers opponents and it means the Wolves frontcourt players Nikola Pekovic/MIN and Kevin Love/MIN are top value plays tonight. The Lakers are also thin in the paint, with Pau Gasol/LAL having to defend heavier players on a regular basis. Love has been on a roll and can score both inside and on the perimeter, but because of his high price there is too much downside risk.
Injuries Relevant for Tonight’s Games
Nets: Joe Johnson (GT), Kevin Garnett (OUT),Andrei Kirilenko (OUT), Jason Terry (OUT); Sixers: Michael Carter-Williams (P)
Bucks: O.J. Mayo (Q) ; Cavaliers: none.
Jazz: none ; Hawks: Cartier Martin (Q), Gustavo Ayon (D)
Kings: Carl Landry (OUT); Heat: Michael Beasley (OUT)
Bobcats: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (OUT); Pistons: Rodney Stuckey (Q)
Rockets: Jeremy Lin (Q) ; Pacers: Danny Granger (P)
Raptors: none ; Mavericks: Devin Harris (OUT)
Suns: Emeka Okafor (OUT) ; Nuggets: Ty Lawson (Q), Jordan Hamilton (OUT), JaVale McGee (OUT)
Timberwolves: Chase Budinger (OUT); Lakers: Jordan Farmar (OUT), Kobe Bryant (OUT), Steve Blake (OUT),Steve Nash (OUT)
key: (P) Probable, (Q) Questionable, (D) Doubtful, (GT) Game time decision, (OUT) Out, of course.
My Lineups
My recommended picks in the $2/$4,000 GPP at DraftStreet ($99,972 salary spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Eric Bledsoe/PHO, Brandon Jennings/DET, Brook Lopez/BKN.
Bargain Plays:Trey Burke/UTA, Xavier Henry/LAL, Paul Pierce/BOS
Speculative Plays: Nikola Pekovic/MIN, Kenneth Faried/DEN.
Estimated DraftStreet points: 210 (+/- 55.00)
The Fantasy Spin is here every day, around 1 PM EST. Follow me @robdudek for breaking news and pre-game thoughts relevant to NBA daily fantasy.