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We are just hours away from one of the biggest days ever at DraftStreet. At the top of the NBA lobby at DraftStreet you will find the multi-entry $11, $100,000 GPP open for registration. If you know basketball and you’ve always wanted to try your hand at daily fantasy contests, this is a great opportunity to start. All you have to do select players from the ten NBA teams in action that will dominate tomorrow and you will have a great shot at huge prizes, with first place paying out $25,000. There’s also plenty of side action in the form of guaranteed prize pool contests. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Christmas Day at DraftStreet
If you are like me, you are asking yourself not if you are going to play the Christmas Day 100K, but how many entries will you put in. I’ve already put in four entires and might be tempted to add a fifth if there is any sign of overlay. We are closing in on 8000 entries as I write this. If you play in NBA leagues at other daily fantasy sites, my advice is to skip them, pool you wagering funds, and put them into the 100K.
Five NBA games are on tap today, one following another in a parade of NBA action. The deadline for roster changes is noon sharp, so don’t sleep on your last minute decisions.
Christmas Day in the NBA
To make your best possible lineup, you will have to pay attention to the injury news leading up to noon deadline, and make your best guesses for games starting later in the day. The injury status of key players will affect the minutes available to many players. It appears that all of Carmelo Anthony/NYK, James Harden/HOU and Kirk Hinrich/CHI will give it a go, which will negatively affect the playing time of J.R. Smith/NYK, Francisco Garcia/HOU and D.J. Augustin/CHI.
Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets (12:00 pm EST); over/under 187.5 ; Nets -3 . INJURIES: CHI: Jimmy Butler (P), Kirk Hinrich (P), Luol Deng (Q) ; BKN: Deron Williams (P), Andrei Kilienko (Q), Brook Lopez (OUT) .
Oklahoma City Thunder at New York Knicks (2:30 pm EST); over/under 200 ; Thunder -8.5: none. INJURIES: OKC ; NYK: Kenyon Martin (P), Carmelo Anthony (GT), Raymond Felton (Q), Pablo Prigioni (OUT) .
Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers (5:00 pm EST); over/under 206.5 ; Heat -8.5. INJURIES: MIA: Dwayne Wade (Q) ; LAL: Jordan Farmar (Q), Kobe Bryant (OUT, Steve Nash (OUT), Steve Blake (OUT) .
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (8:00 pm EST); over/under 209 ; Spurs -7 . INJURIES: HOU: James Harden (Q), Greg Smith (Q), Patrick Beverley (OUT) ; SAS: none.
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors (10:30 pm EST); over/under 205 ; Warriors -2 . INJURIES: LAC: J.J. Redick (OUT) ; GSW: Jermaine O’Neal (OUT) .
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the Christmas Day 100K at DraftStreet: ($99,796 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: LeBron James/MIA, Blake Griffin/LAC, Joakim Noah/CHI
Bargain Plays: Darren Collison/LAC, Nick Collison/OKC
Speculative Plays: Andre Iguodala/GSW, Jodie Meeks/LAL, Jamal Crawford/LAC
The Heat-Lakers figures to be a high scoring affair and as long as the game is relatively close, LeBron James/MIA is the most solid of lineup anchors available. I suspect he will be a popular choice among the 100K participants. Blake Griffin/LAC matches up nicely against the Warriors and has been tremendously consistent, while Andre Iguodala/GSW is rounding into game shape and is a great bargain if he can approach his pre-injury production level. Jamal Crawford/LAC has stepped into the Clippers lineup for the injured J.J. Redick/LAC and has played major minutes.
I selected Joakim Noah/CHI at Center over Andrew Bogut/GSW due to the favorable matchup against the Nets. As far a the Laker guards go, today marks the return of Jordan Farmar/LAL, who could end up being the sleeper of the day if he plays full minutes. If you wish to up the risk factor, you can sub out the solid Jodie Meeks/LAL and put in Farmar. Finally, Nick Collison/OKC is a reliable bench producer for the Thunder and he could get major minutes if blowout conditions apply.
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 220 (+-60)
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.