A one man show for Oklahoma City wasn’t enough to overcome great play by Gordon Hayward/UTA and solid team support as the Utah Jazz held off the Thunder. The Pistons came close to coming all the way back against the Knicks. The Pelicans led at half but were completely dismantled by the Heat in the second half. The Cavaliers were without their new star Luol Deng/CLE but dominated the Sixers from the start. The undermanned Bulls got solid games from Joakim Noah/CHI and Taj Gibson/CHI and held off the Suns. The Lakers continued their slide, falling to the Mavericks in Dallas. The Spurs won in overtime over the Grizzlies, and the Warriors extended their winning streak to 10 games in Milwaukee. Tonight many teams are playing on the second of back to back games. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Fantasy Boom and Bust
Top Performers:
Kevin Durant/OKC. I felt that conditions were right for Durant against the Jazz, but things got even better when Serge Ibaka/OKC was scratched. This almost ensured that there would not be a blowout in favor of the Thunder and thus Durant would play heavy minutes.
Gordon Hayward/UTA. I’ve repeated several times this season that Hayward/UTA is a superstar in the making.
DeMarcus Cousins/SAC.
Tim Duncan/SAS. I figured he would get extra touches with Tiago Splitter/SAS out; overtime helped as well.
David Lee/GSW.
Damian Lillard/POR. A remarkable fourth quarter wasn’t enough for the Blazers to beat the Kings.
Sleepers:
C.J. Miles/CLE. He was on my radar but I decided to leave him off my lineups when it was announced that Kyrie Irving/CLE would play. Miles was the focal point of a Cavaliers offense that dominated the Sixers.
Jodie Meeks/LAL. One of the few decent weapons left standing for the Lakers.
Randy Foye/UTA. Since Andre Miller/DEN landed in the dog house, Foye has had a new lease on life.
Chris Andersen/MIA.
Marcin Gortat/WAS.
Kenneth Faried/DEN.
James Anderson/PHI. One of the few Sixers who showed up with a solid game.
Disappointments:
Thaddeus Young/PHI. Finally came back to Earth.
Stephen Curry/GSW. Inconsistency is creeping into his game.
Evan Turner/PHI.
Amir Johnson/TOR. Even accounting for a tough matchup, he had a poor game.
Kyle Lowry/TOR.
Paul George/IND. Foul trouble limited his minutes.
Wednesday at DraftStreet
If you followed my picks last night, you were very happy with the results at DraftStreet. I hit on every pick, even Chris Douglas-Roberts/CHA, who more than justified his low salary. Led by Kevin Durant/OKC and Gordon Hayward/UTA, my recommendations amassed 289.50 DraftStreet points, enough to compete for the very top spots in every DraftStreet NBA contest last night. For example, if you entered my lineup in the $22/$10,000 (no one did) you would have matched the winning score posted by “SalCaps”.
With a full plate of games on tap this evening, DraftStreet has added extra guaranteed prize pool contests, all closing at 7 pm EST tonight. DraftStreet is offering a pair of $10,000 GPP, one of them for high rollers with a $109 buy in, the other requiring a mere $2. There is also an $11/$8,000 that hits the sweet spot between low and high buy-in events. If you like double-up leagues, there are twelve double-up GPPs in the lobby, most of them are filling up fast. The DraftStreet Basketball Championship returns today with a $55 qualifier. It’s a chance to win your share of a half million dollars, including $100,000 for first place:
If you are new to the daily fantasy world, I recommend getting started by signing up at DraftStreet and entering a few NBA contests. DraftStreet always has lucrative sign-up offers for new customers and this is a great time to use your basketball knowledge to make a bit of extra money.
Suffering Lakers are in Tough Against Rested Rockets
Detroit Pistons* at Toronto Raptors* (7:00 pm EST); over/under 196.5 ; Raptors -5. INJURIES: DET: Rodney Stuckey (Q) ; TOR: Tyler Hansbrough (Q).
Both teams will have to brave the cold and meet in Toronto. The Pistons dug themselves a hole in the third quarter and nearly rallied to win in New York. Josh Smith/DET looked a lot better last night and I view him as the player the Pistons most need to play at a high level. Kyle Lowry/TOR should bounce back from an off game while DeMar DeRozan/TOR continues to be undervalued.
Dallas Mavericks* at San Antonio Spurs* (7:00 pm EST); over/under 208.5 ; Spurs -6.5. INJURIES: DAL: Shawn Marion (OUT) ; SAS: Manu Ginobili (Q), Tiago Splitter (OUT) .
Most of the Spurs are is the shaky/avoid category tonight. Some, perhaps Tim Duncan/SAS among them, will play reduced minutes. Marco Belinelli/SAS is my best bet among the Spurs.
Golden State Warriors* at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 pm EST); over/under 200 ; Warriors -6. INJURIES: GSW: Jermaine O’Neal (OUT) ; BKN: Deron Williams (OUT), Brook Lopez (OUT).
Indiana Pacers* at Atlanta Hawks (7:30 pm EST); over/under 188.5 ; Pacers -4.5. INJURIES: IND: none ; ATL: Al Horford (OUT).
DeMarre Carroll/ATL has returned to fill some of the void left by Al Horford’s/ATL injury. The Pacers easily handled a solid Raptors squad and have been remarkably healthy this season.
Washington Wizards* at New Orleans Pelicans* (8:00 pm EST); over/under 197 ; Pelicans -2.5. INJURIES: WAS: Al Harrington (OUT) ; NOP: Ryan Anderson (OUT).
The Wizards put up a solid defensive effort and the support players such as Marcin Gortat/WAS and Bradley Beal/WAS came through. The continued absence of Ryan Anderson/NOP limits the offensive potency of the Pelicans, who will now have to rely more on Anthony Davis/NOP and Jrue Holiday/NOP.
Phoenix Suns* at Minnesota Timberwolves (9:30 pm EST); over/under 212.5 ; Wolves -8. INJURIES: PHO: Eric Bledsoe (OUT) ; MIN: Luc Mbah a Moute (Q), Chase Budinger (OUT).
Los Angeles Lakers* at Houston Rockets (8:00 pm EST); over/under 212.5; Rockets -14.5. INJURIES: LAL: Nick Young (Q), Xavier Henry (OUT), Jordan Farmar (OUT), Kobe Bryant (OUT), Steve Blake (OUT), Steve Nash (OUT) ; HOU: Chandler Parsons (Q), Greg Smith (P), Patrick Beverley (OUT).
The Lakers injury problems continue, as Nick Young/LAL may be forced to sit. This should boost the value of Jodie Meeks/LAL, who will be relied upon for scoring. James Harden/HOU has taken the reins of the Rockets and they will go as far as he will take them. Though risky, Harden is one of the top monster game candidates. For better value, however, I like Terrence Jones/HOU especially if Chandler Parsons/HOU sits out or is limited in some way.
Orlando Magic at Portland Trail Blazers* (10:00 pm EST); over/under 206 ; Blazers -12.5. INJURIES: ORL: Nikola Vucevic (OUT) ; POR: none.
Though Damian Lillard/POR remains a solid value play despite the fatigue factor downgrading all the Blazers to one degree or another, my top Portland play is Robin Lopez/POR. He is primed to take advantage of the interior weakness of the Magic, who will be without their top center.
Boston Celtics* at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 pm EST); over/under 196.5 ; Clippers -10.5. INJURIES: BOS: Kris Humphries (Q), Rajon Rondo (OUT) ; LAC: Chris Paul (OUT), J.J. Redick (OUT) .
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $11/$2,000 double-up GPP at DraftStreet ($99,798 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: David Lee/GSW, Damian Lillard/POR, DeMar DeRozan/TOR
Bargain Plays: DeMarre Carroll/ATL, Robin Lopez/POR
Speculative Plays: Terrence Jones/HOU, Jodie Meeks/LAL, Jamal Crawford/LAC.
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 220 (+/- 65).
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.
Great Work as usual Rob. Wow I picked all of your picks last night and I ended up with a total of 289.5 Fantasy Points.