The Pistons continue to scuffle, falling to a solid Raptors squad last night. Watching the game, you saw the frustration building up for Josh Smith/DET, as he and Brandon Jennings/DET had to take on increased responsibility when the Pistons’ interior game collapsed in the second half. James Harden/HOU led the Rockets to a comfortable win over the Lakers, while the Spurs beat the Mavs despite carrying the fatigue disadvantage. In the late games, the Celtics stayed close but lost to the Clippers, and the Magic fell apart in the fourth quarter to allow the Blazers to win easily. Tonight is a typically slow Thursday in the NBA. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Fantasy Boom and Bust
Top Performers:
LaMarcus Aldridge/POR. In retrospect, I should have realized that the Magic had no one who could stop him. 16 of 25 FGA, 4 of 4 FTA, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 0 TO, 36 points.
James Harden/HOU. I tipped him as an excellent speculative play.
Nicolas Batum/POR. It didn’t look great for him after two early fouls, but he recovered to post a triple double.
Blake Griffin/LAC.
Stephen Curry/GSW. The Warriors rode him in the fourth quarter but the Nets beat them with solid team play.
Honorable Mention: Paul George/IND, Goran Dragic/PHO, Dwight Howard/HOU, Kyle Lowry/TOR
Sleepers:
Jared Dudley/LAC. Occasionally has a great shooting day, but can’t be relied on. 7 of 11 FGA, 0 of 2 FTA, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 18 points.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope/DET. An inconsistent young player.
Cory Joseph/SAS.
Eric Gordon/NOP.
Kevin Garnett/BKN. Garnett’s defense was a key factor in the Nets win. The Nets will neat repeated helping of the good Garnett for the Nets to return to contention.
Disappointments:
Kevin Love/MIN. Uncharacteristically poor shooting night. 4 of 20 FGA, 6 of 6 FTA, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 TO, 15 points.
Roy Hibbert/IND.
Jared Sullinger/BOS. Still dealing with injuries.
Dirk Nowitzki/DAL.
DraftStreet NBA Leagues
Thursday is usually a quiet day in the NBA and today is no exception. Aside from the nationally televised doubleheader, the league has the night off. Two of the top teams in the league, the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder, take to the road against the Knicks and Nuggets respectively.
The marquee contests of the night at DraftStreet are multi-entry affairs with standard payout structures. The bigger contest will cost you $22 to enter and there is room for 300 entries, while the smaller one is a $5/$4,000 GPP with room for 880 entries. If you prefer double-up leagues there are eight with a guaranteed prize pool in the lobby as I write.
If you are new to daily fantasy, this is a great time to sign up and make your first deposit on DraftStreet . Friday will be a big day in DraftStreet NBA leagues: among the main attractions with be a $5 entry fee for a shot at the $1,500 first prize. It’s easy to play. Here is how “jakam31” turned $11 into $25,000 this past Christmas Day:
How Much Longer Can Durant Carry the Thunder?
Miami Heat at New York Knicks (8:00 pm EST); over/under 196 ; Heat -8.5. INJURIES: MIA: Shane Battier (Q), Mario Chalmers (Q) ; NYK: Tyson Chandler (GT), Kenyon Martin (GT), Andrea Bargnani (Q), Beno Udrih (D),Pablo Prigioni (OUT), Metta World Peace (OUT) .
With a brace of injuries affecting Knicks players, they will rely on Carmelo Anthony/NYK to keep them in this game. Monitor the status of Mario Chalmers/MIA: if he doesn’t play, Norris Cole/MIA will get extra minutes and Dwayne Wade/MIA gets a slight upgrade. LeBron James/MIA is a solid lineup anchor but is unlikely to have a monster game.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets (10:30 pm EST); over/under 209.5 ; Thunder -3 . INJURIES: OKC: Serge Ibaka (P), Russell Westbrook (OUT) ; DEN: Randy Foye (Q), Wilson Chandler (Q), Nate Robinson (Q), Andre Miller (OUT), JaVale McGee (OUT) .
To get a proper handle on this game it will be necessary to monitor the status of Serge Ibaka/OKC. Without him, this game will look a lot like the Thunder’s recent loss to the Jazz: Kevin Durant/OKC will carry the team and the Nuggets will likely win on the strength of balanced play. The Nuggets have their own injury concerns, with several key players questionable. Ty Lawson/DEN figures to get plenty of opportunities and Kenneth Faried/DEN is excellent value especially if Ibaka sits.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $5/$4,000 standard payout GPP at DraftStreet ($99,319 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Kevin Durant/OKC, Carmelo Anthony/NYK, Ty Lawson/DEN
Bargain Plays: Derek Fisher/OKC, Nick Collison/OKC, Chris Andersen/MIA
Speculative Plays: Kenneth Faried/DEN, Reggie Jackson/OKC
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 205 (+- 45).
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.