DraftStreet gave away $100,000 in one contest and 8,991 entries were there to get a share. The contest didn’t quite fill up and there was a bit of overlay to be had, but overall the Christmas Day 100K was a success. On the hardwood, the Knicks and Nets were embarrassed at home, while the Lakers hung in with the Heat to the final minutes. The Rockets seem to match up well with the Spurs as they pulled away in the closing minutes. In the nightcap, tempers flared between the Warriors and Clippers and a controversial ejection of Blake Griffin/LAC undermined Los Angeles’ chances of winning. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Yesterday in the NBA
Top Performers:
Kevin Durant/OKC. It must have happened, but I haven’t seen him go into a shooting slump this year so far. 10 of 16 FGA, 5 of 6 FTA, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 TO, 29 points.
Tim Duncan/SAS. Simply an amazing player who appears to have plenty left in the tank. Great on defense against incoming slashing types and among the very best passing big men of all time on offense.
James Harden/HOU. The ankle held up and he put the game out of reach after the Spurs got close with a tremendous second half.
Terrence Jones/HOU. Talented but not reliable.
Russell Westbrook/OKC. It took him a few weeks to get in stride but he’s been at the top of his game for the past few weeks.
Sleepers:
Reggie Evans/BKN. Rebounding machine with almost zero scoring touch. 1 of 1 FGA, 3 of 6 FTA, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 TO, 5 points.
Klay Thompson/GSW. Stephen Curry/GSW couldn’t find the range on his jumper, but Thompson was rock steady.
Jeremy Lin/HOU. His second solid game since returning.
Jordan Hill/LAL. Helped the Lakers stay in the game with his rebounding.
Biggest Busts:
Tony Parker/SAS. A bad day all around. 3 of 11 FGA, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 6 points.
Joe Johnson/BKN. Didn’t do much until it was too late.
Draymond Green/GSW. Tossed from the game before the fourth quarter.
LeBron James/MIA. His outside shooting was ineffective and he let Chris Bosh/MIA and Dwayne Wade/MIA lead the team.
Christmas Day 100K at DraftStreet
I had four entries in the big contest, but my best finish was 2,321st out of 8,991. Congratulations go out to “jakam31”, who won the first place prize of $25,000 with 265.75 DraftStreet points. He had several of the most valuable players on his roster, including Terrence Jones/HOU, Klay Thompson/GSW, DeAndre Jordan/LAC, and Jimmy Butler/CHI. He did have one player perform under par, and that was Carlos Boozer/CHI. It surprised me a little that with almost 9000 entries, the winning lineup didn’t hit on all eight roster spots.
Thursday in the NBA
Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:00 pm EST); over/under 204.5 ; Hawks -2.5. INJURIES: ATL: Cartier Martin (Q); CLE: Dion Waiters (Q).
The Cavs continue to rely heavily on Kyrie Irving/CLE and I think he will easily outplay Jeff Teague/ATL. For the Hawks, Al Horford/ATL is a touch expensive, so I’m tipping Paul Millsap/ATL to be among the most cost effective star players tonight.
Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets* (8:00 pm EST); over/under 198 ; Rockets -7.5. INJURIES: MEM: Tayshaun Prince (Q); Marc Gasol (OUT); HOU: James Harden (P), Greg Smith (Q), Patrick Beverley (OUT).
I’m not sure there is any team better than the Rockets when they are healthy and firing on all cylinders. Having both a premium outside threat (Dwight Howard/HOU) and a premium all-court threat (James Harden/HOU) on the floor at the same time makes them hard to stop. Chandler Parsons/HOU is a tremendous “third amigo” and last night Terrence Jones/HOU showed what he is a capable of. Harden is risky due to playing the second of two nights with his dicey ankle. Howard is primed to dominate, but may play limited minutes due to possible blowout conditions.
San Antonio Spurs* at Dallas Mavericks (8:30 pm EST); over/under 209; Spurs -2.5. INJURIES: Spurs: none; Mavs: none.
Look for reduced minutes for Tim Duncan/SAS and perhaps Manu Ginobili/SAS after a tough game last night. Tiago Splitter/SAS looks undervalued, as does Marco Belinelli/SAS. If the Mavs are to win, their outside shooters have to have a good night. Dirk Nowitzki/DAL is a risky play; the cheaper Vince Carter/DAL is a better value play.
Los Angeles Clippers* at Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 pm EST); over/under 212.5 ; Blazers -4 . INJURIES: LAC: J.J. Redick (OUT) ; POR: Mo Williams (Q)
Blake Griffin/LAC was tossed early in the 4th quarter for incurring his second technical foul. The silver lining to the iffy ejection is that Griffin should be relatively fresh against the Blazers tonight. Portland has the fatigue and home edge and so should cover the betting line. The point guard battle should be a dandy, with rising star Damian Lillard/POR taking on the methodical Chris Paul/LAC.
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team is playing its second game on back-to-back days.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $11/$1,000 Double-UP GPP at DraftStreet: ($99,901 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: LaMarcus Alridge/POR, Paul Millsap/ATL, DeAndre Jordan/LAC
Bargain Plays: Terrence Jones/HOU, Kyle Korver/ATL.
Speculative Plays: Tony Allen/MEM, Vince Carter/DAL, Marco Belinelli/SAS.
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 205 (+- 45)
Others to consider: Blake Griffin/LAC, Damian Lillard/POR, Kyrie Irving/CLE, Chandler Parsons/HOU, Tiago Splitter/SAS.
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.