LeBron James/MIA sat out the Heat-Blazers confrontation, but Miami gutted out a 108-107 win. The Clippers beat the visiting Jazz despite being held to less than 100 points. The Suns cruised to a victory over the Sixers, while the Nuggets were no match for the Grizzlies. Kevin Love/MIN continued to roll and the Timberwolves had no trouble with the “current” worst team in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks. In the early game, Cleveland lost to Boston, with Andrew Bynum/CLE absent. Despite Al Horford/ATL being gone for the season, Atlanta had enough to beat Charlotte. Finally, the Raptors are looking much better after the talent shuffle and they concluded a home-and-home sweep over the Knicks. There are five games in the NBA tonight. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Yesterday in the NBA
Top Performers:
Kevin Love/MIN. He’d be the MVP if fantasy stat lines were all that mattered. 11 of 17 FGA, 7 of 9 FTA, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 33 points.
Kyle Lowry/TOR. Trade rumors have died down now that the Raptors have a legitimate shot at the division title.
Paul Millsap/ATL. So far he’s filling Al Horford’s/ATL big shoes well.
Chris Paul/LAC.
Al Jefferson/CHA.
Sleepers:
Enes Kanter/UTA. Had been very quiet for several weeks. 7 of 13 FGA, 3 of 3 FTA, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 TO, 17 points.
Amare Stoudamire/NYK.
Chris Bosh/MIA.
Miles Plumlee/PHO. Had a good matchup against the Sixers weak interior.
Lou Williams/ATL. He’ll be undervalued until his salary catches up with his increased responsibilities.
Biggest Busts:
Josh Smith/DET. He and the other Pistons have looked terrible in two games post Christmas. 2 of 7 FGA, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 TO, 4 points.
Jrue Holiday/NOP.
Martell Webster/WAS
Brandon Jennings/DET. Another struggling Piston.
Sunday at DraftStreet
The main attraction at DraftStreet today is the $11/$5,000 GPP. This contest, as all the others in the NBA lobby, starts at 6 PM EST. There are eight double-up GPPs in the NBA lobby as I write. If you fancy taking a shot at big money on a small budget, there are $2 and $5 winner-take all satellites paying out a $215 ticket to a DraftStreet Basketball Championship Qualifier.
Sunday in the NBA
Atlanta Hawks* at Orlando Magic (6:00 pm EST); over/under 202.5; Magic -1.5 . INJURIES: ATL: DeMarre Carroll (D), Al Horford (OUT) ; ORL: E’Twaun Moore (Q), Arron Afflalo (Q) .
I have mentioned that I don’t think Victor Oladipo/ORL and Jameer Nelson/ORL work well together, so I thought the Magic did the right thing by moving Oladipo to the second unit. The best solution would be to deal Nelson and have Oladipo grow into the point guard job. The Magic manhandled the Pistons their last game and their depth advantage will prove significant against the Hawks. Nikola Vucevic/ORL is one of my top recommendations today.
Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers* (6:00 pm EST); over/under 205 ; Warriors -7 . INJURIES: GSW: Jermaine O’Neal (OUT) ; CLE: none .
There is trouble in Cleveland, related to Andrew Bynum/CLE. In the short term, Anderson Varejao/CLE will be asked to handle the paint. Stephen Curry/GSW had a brilliant game in limited minutes and he is primed for another one against Kyrie Irving/CLE.
Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs (7:00 pm EST); over/under 210.5; Spurs -12. INJURIES: SAC: Carl Landry (OUT) ; SAS: none.
The Kings were able to handle a less than healthy Heat, but now take on a very deep Spurs team. Tim Duncan/SAS and Tiago Splitter/SAS will try to shut down DeMarcus Cousins/SAC and if they can the Spurs will win easily. Avoid all Kings.
Houston Rockets* at Oklahoma City (7:00 pm EST); over/under 208.5 ; Thunder -4.5 . INJURIES: HOU: Greg Smith (Q), Patrick Beverley (OUT); OKC: Russell Westbrook (OUT) .
The Thunder have an underrated defense and it will be interesting to see what happens when it meets the potentially explosive Rockets’ offense. Both James Harden/HOU (last night) and Dwight Howard/HOU (two games ago) have had off nights and either one could be brilliant or mediocre. Kevin Durant/OKC will have to bear the load for OKC and will produce a great fantasy line, especially if the game features high scoring.
Philadelphia 76ers* at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 pm EST); over/under 215; Lakers -7.5 . INJURIES: PHI: Evan Turner (Q) ; LAL: Pau Gasol (Q), Steve Nash (OUT), Kobe Bryant (OUT), Steve Blake (OUT)
The Sixers have the talent edge for a change, but the Lakers have the home and fatigue edge. Jordan Farmar/LAL looked much better in his second game but he is still an avoid in my book. The Lakers desperately need a healthy Pau Gasol/LAL back and we will see how much he can give them if he plays. With Evan Turner/PHI either out or not in full health, Thaddeus Young/PHI will be asked to do more.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $2/$1,000 GPP at DraftStreet: ($99,761 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: David Lee/GSW, Chandler Parsons/HOU, Nikola Vucevic/ORL
Bargain Plays: Lou Williams/ATL, Thaddeus Young/PHI
Speculative Plays: Dion Waiters/CLE, Klay Thompson/GSW, Glen Davis/ORL
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 215 (+- 50)
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.